DOI: 10.5061/dryad.89g40
title: Data from: Weak whole-plant trait coordination in a seasonally dry South American stressful environment

description: A core question involving both plant physiology and community ecology is
 whether traits from different organs are coordinated across species,
 beyond pairwise trait correlations. The strength of within-community trait
 coordination has been hypothesized to increase along gradients of
 environmental harshness, due to the cost of adopting ecological strategies
 out of the viable niche space supported by the abiotic conditions. We
 evaluated the strength of trait relationship and coordination in a
 stressful environment using 21 leaf and stem traits of 21 deciduous and
 evergreen woody species from a heath vegetation growing on coastal sandy
 plain in northeastern South America. The study region faces marked dry
 season, high soil salinity and acidity, and poor nutritional conditions.
 Results from multiple factor analyses supported two weak and independent
 axes of trait coordination, which accounted for 25%–29% of the trait
 variance using phylogenetically independent contrasts. Trait correlations
 on the multiple factor analyses main axis fit well with the global plant
 economic spectrum, with species investing in small leaves and dense stems
 as opposed to species with softer stems and large leaves. The species’
 positions on the main functional axis corresponded to the
 competitor-stress-tolerant side of Grime's CSR triangle of plant
 strategies. The weak degree of trait coordination displayed by the heath
 vegetation species contradicted our expectation of high trait coordination
 in stressful environmental habitats. The distinct biogeographic origins of
 the species occurring in the study region and the prevalence of a regional
 environmental filter coupled with local homogeneous conditions could
 account for prevalence of trait independence we observed.
description: Mean trait values and
 the CSR ecological strategiesThis file contains the
 mean trait values for leaf morphology, litterfall productivity, stem
 morphology, stem anatomy and the CSR ecological strategies of 33 Restinga
 species at Parnamirim, Northeastern Brazil. Leaf and stem samplings were
 collected from 80 25-m² plots distributed along 16 transects of 100 m-long
 (five plots per transect). Whenever possible, we collected the organs from
 the same individuals. Traits and abbreviations: Leaf dry mass (Ldmass),
 leaf area (Larea), specific leaf area (SLA), leaf moisture (Lmois), stem
 moisture (Smois), bark (Bark), stem density (Sdens), vessel diameter
 (Vdiam), vessel density (Vdens), vulnerability index (Vindex), stem length
 (Slength), stem diameter (Sdiam), litter production (Litter), variability
 in litter production (Vlitter), leaf-shedding behavior (Lshed)
 [E=evergreen, SD= semi-deciduous, D=deciduous], and the CSR plant
 strategy.traits_33_species.csvMean trait values of leaf anatomy and biochemistryThis file contains the mean trait values of leaf anatomy and biochemistry from 21 Restinga species. Five fully expanded sun leaves with little to no damage were collected from 5 mature individuals per species. Leaves were collected from individuals occurring across 80 25-m² plots distributed along 16 transects of 100 m-long (five plots per transect) in Northeastern Brazil. Leaves were collected within a two-month interval to reduce temporal variation in leaf biochemistry. Traits and abbreviations: Mesophyll thickness (Meso), cuticle thickness (Cuticle), palisade layer per spongy parenchyma layer (P/S), mesophyll layer per total leaf thickness (M/T), starch content (Starch), sucrose content (Sucrose), and total soluble protein (TSP).traits_21_species.csv