Data from: Structural and defensive roles of angiosperm leaf venation network reticulation across an Andes-Amazon elevation gradient

1.The network of minor veins of angiosperm leaves may include loops
(reticulation). Variation in network architecture has been hypothesized to
have hydraulic and also structural and defensive functions. 2.We measured
venation network trait space in eight dimensions for 136 biomass-dominant
angiosperm tree species along a 3,300 m elevation gradient in southeastern
Peru. We then examined the relative importance of multiple ecological, and
evolutionary predictors of reticulation. 3.Variation in minor venation
network reticulation was constrained to three axes. These axes described
branching vs. reconnecting veins, elongated vs. compact areoles, and high
vs. low density veins. Variation in the first two axes was predicted by
traits related to mechanical strength and secondary compounds, and in the
third axis by site temperature. 4.Synthesis. Defensive and structural
factors primarily explain variation in multiple axes of reticulation, with
a smaller role for climate-linked hydraulic factors. These results suggest
that venation network reticulation may be determined more by species
interactions than by hydraulic functions.