Beyond leaf habit: generalities in plant function across 97 tropical dry forest tree species

 Leaf habit has been hypothesized to define a linkage between the slow-fast plant economic spectrum and the drought resistance-avoidance trade-off in tropical forests (‘slow-safe versus fast-risky’). However, variation in hydraulic traits as a function of leaf habit has rarely been explored for a large number of species. We sampled leaf and branch functional traits of 97 tropical dry forest tree species from four sites to investigate whether patterns of trait variation varied consistently in relation to leaf habit along the ‘slow-safe versus fast-risky’ tradeoff. Leaf habit explained from 0 to 43.69 % of individual trait variation. We found that evergreen and semi-deciduous species differed in their location along the multivariate trait ordination when compared to deciduous species. While deciduous species showed consistent trait values, evergreen species trait values varied as a function of the site. Last, trait values varied in relation to the proportion of deciduous species...已有假说提出，叶习性（Leaf habit）可构建热带森林中植物经济谱（plant economic spectrum）快慢轴与抗旱-避旱权衡间的关联，即所谓"慢安全-快风险"权衡模式。然而，针对大量物种开展的、以叶习性为变量的水力性状（hydraulic traits）变异研究仍较为匮乏。 本研究对来自4个样地的97种热带干旱林（tropical dry forest）乔木树种的叶部与枝条功能性状（functional traits）进行了采样，旨在探究性状变异模式是否沿"慢安全-快风险"权衡轴，随叶习性呈现一致的变化规律。 研究结果显示，叶习性可解释0至43.69%的单个性状变异。我们发现，与落叶种相比，常绿种与半落叶种在多变量性状排序（multivariate trait ordination）轴上的分布位置存在显著差异。落叶种的性状值表现出较高的一致性，而常绿种的性状值则随样地不同产生变异。最后，性状值的变化与样地内落叶种的占比存在关联……