Successional syndromes of saplings in tropical secondary forests emerge from environment-dependent trait–demography relationships

Hao Ran Lai*, Dylan Craven, Jefferson S. Hall, Francis K.C. Hui, Michiel van Breugel*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    11 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Identifying generalisable processes that underpin population dynamics is crucial for understanding successional patterns. While longitudinal or chronosequence data are powerful tools for doing so, the traditional focus on community-level shifts in taxonomic and functional composition rather than species-level trait–demography relationships has made generalisation difficult. Using joint species distribution models, we demonstrate how three traits—photosynthetic rate, adult stature, and seed mass—moderate recruitment and sapling mortality rates of 46 woody species during secondary succession. We show that the pioneer syndrome emerges from higher photosynthetic rates, shorter adult statures and lighter seeds that facilitate exploitation of light in younger secondary forests, while ‘long-lived pioneer’ and ‘late successional’ syndromes are associated with trait values that enable species to persist in the understory or reach the upper canopy in older secondary forests. Our study highlights the context dependency of trait–demography relationships, which drive successional shifts in sapling's species composition in secondary forests.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1776-1787
    Number of pages12
    JournalEcology Letters
    Volume24
    Issue number9
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Sept 2021

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Successional syndromes of saplings in tropical secondary forests emerge from environment-dependent trait–demography relationships'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this