Functional traits explain plasticity of growth rates in tropical tree species

Background/Question/Methods

Relationships between functional traits and average or potential demographic rates have provided insight into the functional constraints and trade-offs underlying life-history strategies of tropical tree species. We extend this framework by decomposing growth of ~130,000 trees of 171 Neotropical tree species into intrinsic growth rates and the plasticity of growth with respect to light and size. We relate these growth characteristics to multiple functional traits (wood density, adult stature, seed mass, leaf traits) in a hierarchical Bayesian model that accounts for measurement error and intraspecific variability of functional traits.

Results/Conclusions

Wood density was the most important trait determining all three growth characteristics. Intrinsic growth rates were additionally strongly related to adult stature, while all traits contributed to light plasticity. Our analysis yielded a predictive model which allows estimation of growth characteristics for rare species on the basis of few easily measurable morphological traits.