Evolutionary constraints on tree size and aboveground biomass in tropical dry forests

1. The extent (or lack) of phylogenetic signal for key ecological traits reveals the role of evolutionary processes on present-day ecosystem function and hints on future ecological trends under climate change scenarios. This approach has been applied to South American tropical moist forests, but not to the highly threatened seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTF), despite acknowledgement of their unique evolutionary history. To fill this knowledge gap, we investigated the legacy of evolutionary processes on vital ecological characteristics among SDTF trees: regional dominance, tree size and soil preference.

2. We used tree community data on 313 plots of SDTF (12.52 hectares) and locally collected soil data in central-eastern Brazil. For each assessed trait (three for regional dominance, three for tree size and nine for soil preference), we investigated the legacy of evolution using two different approaches: calculating the extent of phylogenetic signal and comparing the fit of four di...