Vertical stratification drives divergent spatial trade-offs among xylem cell types in angiosperm trees of a mountain forest in eastern China

Trade-offs among vessels, fibers, and parenchyma fractions shift with different forest vertical strata, driven by changes in the relative demands and limitations associated with light availability, water transport, and mechanical support. Specifically, we predicted that in the canopy stratum, where high demands exist for efficient hydraulic conductance and robust mechanical support, the primary trade-off involves balancing investment between vessels and fibers. Conversely, we expected that in the subcanopy and understory strata, characterized by greater resource limitation (particularly light), and heightened vulnerability to physical disturbances, pest, and pathogen attacks, the dominant trade-off occurs between fibers and parenchyma.
This dataset contains fractions of three different cell types (vessels, fibers, ray parenchyma) in the xylem for 119 individuals across 39 species from the mountainous areas of eastern China. The variable level represents the vertical strata classification, VF denotes vessel fraction, FF denotes fiber fraction, and RAPF denotes ray parenchyma fraction.
The code analyzes the trade-offs between vessel and fiber fractions, as well as between parenchyma and fiber fractions, and examines the differences in these trade-offs between different vertical strata.