Extensive knowledge exists on plant-species traits and functions, but we understand less about how population- or community-level emergent traits influence ecosystem functioning. This knowledge gap is important for ecosystems like peatlands, arid drylands, salt marshes, seagrass meadows, and mangroves, where emergent traits of plant communities can create plant-environment feedbacks that amplify or dampen ecosystem processes. Recent insights from restoration ecology suggest that these feedbacks