Belgian Brain Tumor Support

Abstract AimsExtensive research on the leaf economics spectrum (LES) has improved insights into functional traits and their environmental interactions. Several studies explored trait correlations in angiosperms and ferns, expanding their ecological significance. However, knowledge gaps persist, especially concerning East‐Asian ferns and the differences between terrestrial and epiphytic ferns in LES.LocationEast Asia, Northern Taiwan.MethodsData were collected along an elevation gradient (870–2130 m a.s.l.) in northern Taiwan, where we measured nine leaf traits for 47 terrestrial and 34 epiphytic ferns across 59 vegetation plots within subtropical forests. We explored trait–trait and trait–environment relationships at the species and community levels for both terrestrial and epiphytic ferns while accounting for phylogenetic constraints.ResultsEpiphytes had lower specific leaf area (SLA) and leaf nitrogen, greater trait variance and trait space than terrestrial species, suggesting they are ecologically distinct. These differences observed at species and community levels appear to emerge because epiphytes undergo stronger water and nutritional stress along the elevation gradient. In addition, three groups were detected within epiphytes reflecting their strategies for water and nutrient stress adaptation. Trait correlations largely resembled angiosperm LES patterns but were less apparent in epiphytes. SLA and leaf dry matter content (LDMC) were consistently correlated to water stress traits, which might contribute to the restricted LES trait range of both life forms in our study. Traits exhibited a strong phylogenetic signal, with marked differences between SLA and LDMC correlations in phylogenetics‐corrected vs raw data. Trait–environment relationships were similar for several water stress‐related traits across both species groups, but stronger relationships were more evident in terrestrial ferns.ConclusionsTrait patterns are not entirely equivalent for epiphytic and terrestrial species or communities and should not be extrapolated across life forms. Distantly related species with various evolutionary backgrounds could dismantle LES patterns at the species level. Strong phylogenetic constraints may influence the trait–environment response of epiphytic species.

Blended learning, mixing both online and face-to-face learning, is now a well established trend in higher education and also increasingly used in companies and public sector. While preserving direct contact with the teacher/trainer, it also provides additional electronic channels to easily share training material and to support interactions among all actors. This paper focuses on specificities of adult training such as their goal orientation, the higher level of practicality and the higher level of collaboration. We also deal with the explicit goal of building communities where learners are progressively sharing their growing experience. Our work is driven by a real-world case study. We report about how generic e-learning tools available on the market can be adapted to address the needs of such a use case and also present some lessons learnt.