A plant economics spectrum of litter decomposition among coexisting fern species in a sub-tropical forest

The plant economics spectrum theory provides a useful framework to examine plant strategies by integrating the co-ordination of plant functional traits along a resource acquisition-conservation trade-off axis. Empirical evidence for this theory has been widely observed for seed plants (Spermatophyta). However, whether this theory can be applied to ferns (Pteridophyta), a ubiquitous and ancient group of vascular plants, has rarely been evaluated so far. We measured 11 pairs of plant functional traits on leaves and fine roots (diameter