Umaña M. N., Needham J., Fortunel Claire. (2024). From seedlings to adults : linking survival and leaf functional traits over ontogeny. Ecology, [Early access], p. [9 p.]. ISSN 0012-9658.
Titre du document
From seedlings to adults : linking survival and leaf functional traits over ontogeny
Ecology, 2024,
[Early access], p. [9 p.] ISSN 0012-9658
As long-lived tropical trees grow into the multi-layered canopy and face different environmental conditions, the relationships between leaf traits and whole-plant survival can vary over ontogeny. We tested the strength and direction of the relationships between leaf traits and long-term survival data across life stages for woody species from a subtropical forest in Puerto Rico. Trait-survival relationships were largely consistent across ontogeny with conservative traits leading to higher survival rates. The stage-specific relationship R-2 increased by up to one order of magnitude compared to studies not considering ontogenetic trait variations. Stage-specific traits were significant predictors of their corresponding stage-specific survival : Seedlings traits were better predictors of seedling survival than adult traits, and adult traits were better predictors of maximum adult survival than seedling traits. Our results suggest that stage-specific leaf traits reflect different strategies over ontogeny and can substantially improve predictability of survival models in tropical forests.
Plan de classement
Sciences du monde végétal [076]
;
Etudes, transformation, conservation du milieu naturel [082]
