Collaborative Research: Consistencies and contingencies of functional responses to environmental changes in tropical forests

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Tropical forests harbor hundreds of tree species and play a critical role in carbon sequestration and storage. Yet, these systems are also highly sensitive to changes in environmental conditions. Characterizing the diversity of tree species responses to environmental variables will help understand how forests are likely to respond to future conditions. Tree responses are mainly determined by their physiology, which in turn depends on a combination of traits that work together to achieve particular functions. This project examines the integrated effect of multiple traits in trees to understand whole-plant level functionality under a variety of environmental conditions. With this knowledge, it is possible to build realistic models to assess potential changes in forest composition and structure in response to environmental changes. Through the collection of detailed field data on plant functioning, combined with advanced modeling approaches, this study provides a mechanistic understanding of species responses to changing environmental conditions. The project also supports interdisciplinary research training for graduate students and post-docs in cutting edge modeling and field-based techniques, as well as promoting engagement with the public through the publication of field guides. This project uses an integrated and quantitative characterization of tree functionality over hundreds of tree species in neotropical forests. Functional trait data on leaves, stems, and roots are coupled with tree growth information for species distributed across broad environmental gradients to address a series of hypotheses focused on linking tree performance to species responses to current and future environmental variability. The results from this project will: (1) contribute to a generalized mechanistic understanding of how traits modulate species responses to environment; (2) provide information for a highly endangered, but largely unknown and valuable ecosystem in the tropics; and (3) provide predictions of species distributions under future climatic scenarios.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.