DOI: 10.5061/dryad.cq47n7s
title: Data from: An extensive suite of functional traits distinguishes wet and dry Hawaiian forests and enables prediction of species vital rates

description: 1. The application of functional traits to predict and explain plant
 species’ distributions and vital rates has been a major direction in
 functional ecology for decades, yet numerous physiological traits have not
 yet been incorporated into the approach. 2. Using commonly measured traits
 such as leaf mass per area (LMA) and wood density (WD), and additional
 traits related to water transport, gas exchange and resource economics,
 including leaf vein, stomatal, and wilting traits, we tested hypotheses
 for Hawaiian wet montane and lowland dry forests (MWF and LDF
 respectively): (1) forests would differ in a wide range of traits as
 expected from contrasting adaptation; (2) trait values would be more
 convergent among dry than wet forest species due to the stronger
 environmental filtering; (3) traits would be inter-correlated within
 “modules” supporting given functions; (4) relative growth rate (RGR) and
 mortality rate (m) would correlate with a number of specific traits, with
 (5) stronger relationships when stratifying by tree size, and (6) RGR and
 m can be strongly explained from trait-based models. 3. The MWF species’
 traits were associated with adaptation to high soil moisture and nutrient
 supply and greater shade tolerance whereas the LDF species’ traits were
 associated with drought tolerance. Thus, on average, MWF species achieved
 higher maximum heights than LDF species and had leaves with larger
 epidermal cells, higher maximum stomatal conductance and CO2 assimilation
 rate, lower vein lengths per area, higher saturated water content and
 greater shrinkage when dry, lower dry matter content, higher phosphorus
 concentration, lower nitrogen to phosphorus ratio, high chlorophyll to
 nitrogen ratio, high carbon isotope discrimination, high stomatal
 conductance to nitrogen ratio, less negative turgor loss point, and lower
 WD. Functional traits were more variable in the MWF than LDF, were
 correlated within modules, and predicted species’ RGR and m across
 forests, with stronger relationships when stratifying by tree size. Models
 based on multiple traits predicted vital rates across forests (R2 =
 0.70-0.72; P &lt; 0.01). 4. Our findings are consistent with a
 powerful role of broad suites of functional traits in contributing to
 forest species’ distributions, integrated plant design, and vital rates.
description: Medeiros_Hawaii_plant_functional_traits_processedTrait values with units for all traits measured in 3 individuals per species in 20 species from the MWF (Montane Wet Forest; Laupahoehoe) and 15 species from the LDF (Lowland Dry Forest; Palamanui) plots in Hawaii.Medeiros_Hawaii_plant_traits_sp_meansSpecies mean trait values (with units; n = 3) for all traits measured in 20 species from the MWF (Montane Wet Forest; Laupahoehoe) and 15 species from the LDF (Lowland Dry Forest; Palamanui) plots in Hawaii.Medeiros_Hawaii_plant_functional_traits_rawTrait values with units for all traits measured in all sampled individuals (N between 1 and 8) in 20 species from a MWF (Montane Wet Forest; Laupahoehoe) and 15 species from a LDF (Lowland Dry Forest; Palamanui) in Hawaii.