Data from: Using functional trait diversity patterns to disentangle the scale-dependent ecological processes in a subtropical forest

1. Disentangling ecological processes that influence community assembly
and species diversity across spatial scales remains a major goal of
community ecology. Community assembly processes influence spatial patterns
of species diversity through their interactions with key functional
traits. Hence, quantifying spatial patterns of functional trait diversity
(FD) represents a useful tool for disentangling the relative importance of
abiotic filtering, biotic interactions, random assembly, and dispersal
limitation across spatial scales. 2. Here we measured 12 traits of 112
study species in a 20-ha fully-mapped subtropical forest plot. The
individuals of the 112 study species account for 99% of all living stems
with diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 1 cm. We studied important
functional traits related to physiological processes of plants including
resource acquisition (e.g., CO2 assimilation rate and leaf nutrient
concentration) and drought tolerance (e.g., stem hydraulic conductivity
and leaf turgor loss point) are measured. Additionally, species abundance,
spatial locations (x- and y- coordinate for each individual of the 112
study species), as well as topographic and soil variables that represent
potentially important attributes of the physical environment of the plot,
were also included in our dataset. 3. We employed two FD-based tests
(comparing FD within communities to those from random communities,
distance- based Moran’s eigenvector maps (MEM) and redundancy analysis
based variance partitioning), and one spatial analysis (inhomogeneous
bivariate pair correlation analysis) to quantify the spatial patterns of
FD of the plot at multiple spatial scales (400, 900, 1600, 2500, and 10000
m2). 4. We demonstrate that abiotic filtering is the major determinant
responsible for trait convergence at relatively small scales (400, 900
and1600 m2), whereas dispersal limitation becomes dominant, causing the
weakening of trait convergence at relatively large scales (2500 and 10000
m2). 5. Our results highlight the relative contributions of different
ecological processes to community assembly at different spatial scales,
which can be distinguished using the diversity patterns of key functional
traits. Also, our integrated approaches constitute a useful study design
to disentangle variable ecological processes in shaping community assembly
across spatial scales.