The study of insular systems has a long history in ecology and biogeography. Island plants often differ remarkably from their noninsular counterparts, constituting excellent models for exploring eco-evolutionary processes. Trait-based approaches can help to answer important questions in island biogeography, yet plant trait patterns on islands remain understudied. We discuss three key hypotheses linking functional ecology to island biogeography: (i) plants in insular systems are characterized by distinct functional trait syndromes (compared with noninsular environments); (ii) these syndromes differ between true islands and terrestrial habitat islands; and (iii) island characteristics influence trait syndromes in a predictable manner. We are convinced that implementing trait-based comparative approaches would considerably further our understanding of plant ecology and evolution in insular systems.

岛状系统的研究在生态学和生物地理学上有着悠久的历史。岛屿植物通常与非岛屿植物明显不同，构成了探索生态进化过程的绝佳模型。基于特征的方法可以帮助回答岛屿生物地理学中的重要问题，但对岛屿上的植物性状模式仍未深入研究。我们讨论了将功能生态学与岛屿生物地理学联系起来的三个关键假设：（i）岛屿系统中的植物具有明显的功能性状综合症（与非岛屿环境相比）；（ii）这些综合症在真实岛屿和陆地生境岛屿之间有所不同；（iii）岛屿特征以可预测的方式影响特质综合症。