Functional traits acclimation and growth in surviving trees of fragmented forests in central Amazonia

Résumé fourni par la source

Large tracts of continuous tropical forests are constantly facing forest loss, creating forest fragments with altered microclimates. Changes in species composition due to microclimatic changes are well documented in forest fragments, but the intraspecific functional strategies and growth responses of surviving trees remain poorly understood. We investigated intraspecific differences in functional traits and growth rates among 146 individuals of eight abundant tree species co-occurring in continuous mature forests (CF) and mature forest fragments (FF) in the Central Amazon. We measured 10 relevant leaf, branch, stem, and whole-plant traits and monitored diametric growth over 26 months to assess if the responses vary within species according to habitat and climatic seasonality. Sapwood area proportion (SAP) and specific leaf area (SLA) were 22% and 25.4% higher, respectively, in FF surviving individuals compared to those of the same species in CF, indicating acclimation to the FF microclimate’s conditions. Patterns varied, but no consistent differences were found in annual and seasonal diameter growth rates (GRa and GRs), biomass growth rates (BGRa and BGRs), or relative growth rates (RGRa and RGRs) between habitats.

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