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2. MelastomaTRAITs 1.0: A database of functional traits in Melastomataceae, a large pantropical angiosperm family.

Author

Reginato, Marcelo, Ordónez‐Parra, Carlos A., Messeder, João Vitor S., Brito, Vinicius L. G., Dellinger, Agnes, Kriebel, Ricardo, Marra, Camilla, Melo, Lilian, Cornelissen, Tatiana, Fuzessy, Lisieux, Sperotto, Patricia, Calderón‐Hernández, Manuela, Guerra, Tadeu J., Kopper, Constantin, Mancipe‐Murillo, Carolina, Pizo, Marco A., Posada‐Herrera, Juan Mauricio, Hasui, Érica, Silva, Wesley R., and Silveira, Fernando A. O.

Subjects
*DATABASES, *MELASTOMATACEAE, *ANGIOSPERMS, *TROPICAL plants, *ANIMAL-plant relationships, *WOODY plants
Abstract

The recent availability of open‐access repositories of functional traits has revolutionized trait‐based approaches in ecology and evolution. Nevertheless, the underrepresentation of tropical regions and lineages remains a pervasive bias in plant functional trait databases, which constrains large‐scale assessments of plant ecology, evolution, and biogeography. Here, we present MelastomaTRAITs 1.0, a comprehensive and updatable database of functional traits for the pantropical Melastomataceae, the ninth‐largest angiosperm family with 177 genera and more than 5800 species. Melastomataceae encompass species with a wide diversity of growth forms (herbs, shrubs, trees, epiphytes, and woody climbers), habitats (including tropical forests, savannas, grasslands, and wetlands from sea level to montane areas above the treeline), ecological strategies (from pioneer, edge‐adapted and invasive species to shade‐tolerant understory species), geographic distribution (from microendemic to continental‐wide distribution), reproductive, pollination, and seed dispersal systems. MelastomaTRAITs builds on 581 references, such as taxonomic monographs, ecological research, and unpublished data, and includes four whole‐plant traits, six leaf traits, 11 flower traits, 18 fruit traits, and 27 seed traits for 2520 species distributed in 144 genera across all 21 tribes. Most data come from the Neotropics where the family is most species‐rich. Miconieae (the largest tribe) contains the highest number of trait records (49.6%) and species (41.1%) records. The trait types with the most information in the database were whole‐plant traits, flowers, and leaf traits. With the breadth of functional traits recorded, our database helps to fill a gap in information for tropical plants and will significantly improve our capacity for large‐scale trait‐based syntheses across levels of organization, plant–animal interactions, regeneration ecology, and thereby support conservation and restoration programs. There are no copyright restrictions on the dataset; please cite this data paper when reusing the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2024
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3. Challenging the Status Quo in Secondary Literature Classrooms: A review of Challenging Traditional Classroom Spaces with YA Literature: Students in Community as Course Co‐designers.

Author

Walsh, Jennifer A.

Subjects
*YOUNG adult literature, *INDEPENDENT reading, *NONFICTION
Abstract

This paper reviews the book Challenging Traditional Classroom Spaces with YA Literature: Students in Community as Course Co‐Designers by Ricki Ginsberg (2022). Published amid increasingly contentious censoring of teachers' autonomy and students' rights to read in many districts across the United States, this book is a timely call for educators to rethink traditional curriculum choices and pedagogical approaches in the secondary literature classroom. Ginsberg makes a strong case for privileging engaging and relevant texts utilizing YA literature and centering students and their voices in communities of practice in the classroom. She offers a wide range of approaches to make this book relevant for teachers across the spectrum of autonomy, including impactful additions to existing curriculum for those in more constrained environments and a blueprint for a stand‐alone YA literature course for those with more flexibility. Geared toward an audience of secondary literature teachers with many practical pedagogical considerations and suggestions, the solid theoretical base makes this book a useful read for literacy researchers and administrators interested in promoting student‐centered pedagogical methods, leveraging meaningful communities of practice in classroom settings, and reaping the benefits of YA literature with secondary students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Published
2024
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