DOI: 10.5061/dryad.1g1jwstss
title: Data From: Contrasting physiological traits of shade tolerance in Pinus and Podocarpaceae native to a tropical Vietnamese forest: Insight from an aberrant flat-leaved pine

description: The absence of pines from tropical forests is a puzzling biogeographical
 oddity potentially explained by traits of shade intolerance. 
 Pinus krempfii, a flat-leaved pine endemic to the Central Highlands of
 Vietnam, provides a notable exception as it seems to successfully compete
 with shade-tolerant tropical species.  Here, we test the
 hypothesis that successful conifer performance at the juvenile stage
 depends on physiological traits of shade tolerance by comparing the
 physiological characteristics of P. krempfii to coexisting species from
 the genus Pinus and from the Podocarpaceae, a relatively abundant and
 shade tolerant conifer family found in pantropical forests.  We
 examined leaf photosynthetic, respiratory and biochemical traits.
  Additionally, we compiled attainable maximum photosynthesis,
 maximum RuBP carboxylation (Vcmax) and maximum electron transport (Jmax)
 values for Pinus and Podocarpaceae species from the literature.
  In our literature compilation, P. krempfii was intermediate
 between Pinus and Podocarpaceae in its maximum photosynthesis and its
 Vcmax.  Pinus exhibited a higher Vcmax than
 Podocarpaceae, resulting in a less steep slope in the linear relationship
 between Jmax and Vcmax.  These results suggest that Pinus may be
 more shade intolerant than Podocarpaceae with P. krempfii falling between
 the two groups.  However, in contrast, Vietnamese conifers’ leaf
 mass per areas and biochemical traits did not highlight the same
 intermediate nature of P. krempfii.  Furthermore, regardless of
 leaf shape or family assignation, all species demonstrated a common carbon
 gain efficiency.  Overall, our findings highlight the importance
 of shade tolerance for conifer survival in tropical forests. 
 However, they also demonstrate a diversity of shade tolerance strategies,
 all of which lead to the persistence of Vietnamese juvenile conifers in
 low-light tropical understories.
description: All data including
 <em>A-C</em><sub>i</sub> curves and light response
 curves (with additional points below 100
 µmol<sub>PAR</sub> m<sup>-2</sup>
 s<sup>-1</sup> for analysis of respiration in the light via
 the Kok method) were collected using an LI-6800 on potted conifer saplings
 growing in a shade house at Bidoup Nui Ba National Park Headquarters in
 the Central Highlands of Vietnam in January 2017.  See publication in Tree
 Physiology for full methods.
description: Each file contains a "metadata" tab with column names,
 descriptions and units, as well as a "data" tab.<br>
  <br> Missing data, or data removed due to measurement error are
 denoted by "NA".
 <strong>SSchmiege_Table1_leaftraits.xlsx</strong><br> All foliar traits included in the analysis. <strong>SSchmiege_Table2_Aci_curves_raw.xlsx</strong><br> Output of the raw LI-6800 Aci curves. <strong>SSchmiege_Table3_LightResponse_curves_raw.xlsx</strong><br> Output of the raw LI-6800 light response curves (modified with additional points below 100 µmol<sub>PAR</sub> m<sup>-2</sup> s<sup>-1</sup> for analysis of respiration in the light via the Kok method). <br>