Community assembly and functional diversity along succession post-management

1. Despite extensive development of successional theory, few empirical studies have evaluated whether existing models are applicable to human-modified landscapes. Seasonally dry tropical forests are experiencing widespread transformation, and represent a critical system to assess in a successional framework to infer the mechanisms that shape assembly of secondary forests post-management. 2. We used a functional trait-based approach to assess changes in community assembly mechanisms along succession in secondary dry forests of varying stages following abandonment of cattle activity, as well as nearby old-growth forests. We evaluated whether re-assembly proceeded consistent with existing theory, in early successional stages via habitat filtering, leading to reduced trait range, and via competitive exclusion in later stages, leading to increased trait evenness. Using three orthogonal traits and two functional diversity indices we tested for evidence of assembly mechanisms along resource ax...