Functional trait strategies of trees in dry and wet tropical forests are similar but differ in their consequences for succession

• Published in: PloS one 2015-04, Vol.10 (4), p.e0123741
• Main Authors: Lohbeck, Madelon, Lebrija-Trejos, Edwin, Martínez-Ramos, Miguel, Meave, Jorge A, Poorter, Lourens, Bongers, Frans
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Abandonment; Adaptation, Biological; Availability; Axes (reference lines); Coniferous forests; Deciduous forests; dispersal; Drought; Droughts; Dry forests; Ecological succession; Ecosystems; Environmental changes; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Filters; Forests; leaf life-spans; Light; Mexico; neotropical forests; Plant communities; plant economics spectrum; Plant resources; Precipitation (Meteorology); Rain; secondary succession; seed size; Seeds; shade-tolerance; Species; Spectra; trade-off; Tradeoffs; Trees - classification; Trees - physiology; Tropical Climate; Tropical forests; Water; Water availability; woody-plants
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0123741

Global plant trait studies have revealed fundamental trade-offs in plant resource economics. We evaluated such trait trade-offs during secondary succession in two species-rich tropical ecosystems that contrast in precipitation: dry deciduous and wet evergreen forests of Mexico. Species turnover with succession in dry forest largely relates to increasing water availability and in wet forest to decreasing light availability. We hypothesized that while functional trait trade-offs are similar in the two forest systems, the successful plant strategies in these communities will be different, as contrasting filters affect species turnover. Research was carried out in 15 dry secondary forest sites (5-63 years after abandonment) and in 17 wet secondary forest sites (