Appendix A. A map of the study region, schematic overview of the variables used in the alternative models, and additional statistical details on the structural equation models.

A map of the study region, schematic overview of the variables used in the alternative models, and additional statistical details on the structural equation models

Eigenvector scores of functional traits on the two main principal components for dry forest and for wet forest.

<p>Values in parentheses indicate variance accounted for by each axis.</p><p>^§Variable was ln-transformed.</p><p>Eigenvector scores of functional traits on the two main principal components for dry forest and for wet forest.</p

Correlation coefficients (CC) of all pairwise trait combinations (11 traits, resulting in 55 pairwise trait combinations per forest type, see Table 2) of dry forest species plotted against those of wet forest species.

<p>Correlation coefficients represent Spearman coefficients except when relating binary variables, then the Phi coefficient was used. The pairwise correlation coefficients of dry forest proved to be significantly correlated with those of the wet forest (Pearson product moment correlation [R], P < 0.001), indicating that trait spectra are consistent across the two different forest types.</p

Stand age, basal area and soil PC axes

Stand age, basal area and soil PC axe

Species traits

Species trait

Changes in the dominant plant strategies with succession.

<p>Stand basal area was used to indicate succession; it increased asymptotically with successional age and reflects successional change in vegetation structure. Functional composition was calculated using the community-weighted mean of species scores on the principal component axes. (a) Dry forest succession (open symbols, broken regression line) was characterized by changes along the first PCA axis (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0123741#pone.0123741.g001" target="_blank">Fig 1a</a>) and reflected changes from deciduous species to evergreen species that invest in a secure reproductive strategy. (b) Wet forest succession (filled symbols, continuous regression line) was characterized by changes along the second PCA axis (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0123741#pone.0123741.g001" target="_blank">Fig 1b</a>) and reflected changes from an acquisitive strategy to a conservative strategy. Given is the r², * P < 0.05; ** P < 0.01. See <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0123741#pone.0123741.s002" target="_blank">S1 Fig</a> for the trends with fallow age as an indicator of succession.</p

Spearman coefficients of the pairwise relations between variables and the principal components (Fig 1).

<p>Relations between the binary variables (LC, De and Di) are Phi coefficients.</p><p>^§Variable was ln-transformed. Lower-left half of the matrix corresponds to dry forest species (n = 51), Upper-right half corresponds to wet forest species (n = 81).</p><p>* P < 0.05,</p><p>** P < 0.01,</p><p>*** P < 0.001.</p><p>Spearman coefficients of the pairwise relations between variables and the principal components (<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0123741#pone.0123741.g001" target="_blank">Fig 1</a>).</p

Data from Prado-Junior et al. (2016) - Journal of Ecology

Data of above-ground biomass dynamics over a five-year period in eight seasonal tropical dry forests in Minas Gerais state, Southeastern Brazil. In each forest, 25 permanent sample plots (20 × 20 m) were established totaling one ha per site. Biomass dynamics, structural, floristic, functional and soil variables used in the biomass models are given. AGBi = stand biomass, AGBnet = net biomass change, AGBsurv = biomass growth of surviving trees, AGBmort = biomass mortality, AGBrecr = biomass recruitment, NI = tree-density (ha-1), CWM = community weighed mean, WD = wood density, Dmax = maximum stem diameter, SLA = specific leaf area, Dec = deciduousness, S = rarefied species richness, H’ = Shannon-Wiener index, J’ = Pielou’s index, Fric = functional richness, Feve = functional evenness, Fdiv = functional divergence, P = phosphorous, K = potassium, Ca = calcium, Mg = magnesium, Al = aluminum, CEC = cation exchange capacity

Functional trait data

Functional trait dat

Species abundances

Contains the number of individuals in old-growth and secondary forest for each species at each site