Table 1.

Summary of issues to consider and approaches for scaling up functional traits that resulted from the objectives of this review

Objective	Issues to consider	Approach
1. Field sampling of functional trait variation	Natural sources of plant trait variation are compounded by human modification that results in dominance of introduced species and heterogeneous landscapes	Quantification of intraspecific variation and sampling stratification by successional status, land use history and management intensity may be required
	Land cover change can affect animal traits by modifying the dispersal capacity of mobile organisms	Account for landscape variables related to animal traits, which may be inferred from phylogeny or published keys if necessary
2. Scaling up trait variation via remote sensing	The relationships between plant trait variation and remotely sensed data depend on regional context and more so due to human modification	Remote sensing and ground‐truthing by in situ sampling of trait variation needs to occur independently for regions with different levels of human modification
	Remotely sensed data cannot be directly related to animal trait variation	Animal trait variation may be inferred from the combination of different types of remotely sensed data on vegetation and landscape structure