Effective population size (Ne) is a pivotal evolutionary parameter with crucial implications in conservation practice and policy. Genetic methods to estimate Ne have been preferred over demographic methods because they rely on genetic data rather …
Somatic mutations potentially play a role in plant evolution, but common expectations pertaining to plant somatic mutations remain insufficiently tested. Unlike in most animals, the plant germline is assumed to be set aside late in development, …
Even where Reduced-Impact Logging (RIL) practices are applied, selective logging causes substantial damage to tropical forests. To further reduce selective logging damage, the practices that cause the most damage need to be identified and …
Tree growth is key to species performance. However, individual growth variability within species remains underexplored for a whole community, and the role of species evolutionary legacy and local environments remains unquantified. Based on 36 years …
A central challenge in ecology is understanding the emergence of patterns as the result of interactions among individuals. Dynamic forest models can provide a fine-scale description of the ecological, physiological and environmental processes that …
Background and Aims. Intraspecific variability in leaf water-related traits remains little explored despite its potential importance in the context of increasing drought frequency and severity. Studies comparing intra- and interspecific variability …
Mutation, the source of genetic diversity, is the raw material of evolution; however, the mutation process remains understudied, especially in plants. Using both a simulation and reanalysis framework, we set out to test the performance of two types …
Tropical forest dynamics are driven by growth and survival strategies of tree species in relation to treefall gaps; however, the ecological and evolutionary roles of intraspecific variation in the response to forest gaps remain unexplored. Here, we …
The dry and wet seasons in the Neotropics have strong effects on soil water and nutrient availability, as well as on forest dynamics. Despite these major effects on forest ecology, little is known on how leaf traits vary throughout the seasons in …
Questions: Changes in the functional composition of tree communities along resource availability gradients have received attention, but it is unclear whether understorey and canopy guilds respond similarly to different light, biomechanical, and …