Polyploidy (or whole genome duplication) is common in vascular plants and is thought to be an important driver of evolution by facilitating species diversification. Classic theoretical models of polyploid establishment and persistence make clear predictions that polyploid ecological success is strongly impacted by organismal and ecological traits of polyploids. However, the empirical patterns of polyploid organismal and ecological traits are diverse and mixed; thus, the mechanisms that underlie the ecological success of wild polyploid individuals remain poorly understood. Here, I use a powerful model to intuitively interpret ecological and functional patterns in polyploid biology, which I call the Transgression Index (TI). I use this simple model to test classic polyploid ecology theoretical predictions across scales including the population, landscape, and global scales, using case studies and a large set of polyploid complexes. I show that the function and physiology of polyploids can predict co-occurrence patterns, range-wide niche occupancy, and the global distribution of polyploids when using the TI framework. The results of my analyses and using the TI framework represent a new tool to reconcile patterns of polyploid ecological niche and trait patterns observed in the wild polyploid taxa.