Relationship between basal area increment and soil water balance during the most influential period for growth.

<p>Basal area increments (means ± 1SE) residuals and seasonal water balances (those selected as the most influential for tree growth during the current year; see <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0073855#pone-0073855-t004" target="_blank">Table 4</a>) are displayed as black and blue lines, respectively. The soil water balance was calculated as the difference between the precipitation (P) and the potential evapotranspiration (PET).</p

Views of the Bolivian Chiquitano tropical dry forest during the dry season.

<p>The inset shows the location of the study site (circle) within Bolivia (green areas correspond to forests).</p

Wood cross-sections with distinct annual rings of studied tree species.

<p>The white triangles mark the annual boundaries corresponding to marginal parenchyma. In the rings the growth direction is from left (pith) to right (bark).</p

Characteristics of trees and species sampled in a Bolivian tropical dry forest.

<p>Values are means ± 1SE. Means sharing a letter were not significantly different using paired Mann-Whitney <i>U</i> tests (<i>P</i>≤0.05).</p

Statistics of the best linear mixed-effects models fitted to basal area increment as a function of soil water balance.

<p>Abbreviations: LD, late dry season; EW, early wet season; W, wet season; LW, late wet season; ED, early dry season; D, dry season. Note the relative probability that the selected model is the best one (<i>Wi</i>) and the basal area increment variance (R²) explained by the models. Bold coefficients are significant (<i>P</i>≤0.05). Means sharing a letter were not significantly different using paired Mann-Whitney <i>U</i> tests.</p

Basal-area increment patterns for the seven tree species from a Bolivian tropical dry forest.

<p>Basal area increments (means ± 1SE) are displayed as a function of tree age (A, C, E, G, I, K, M) and calendar year (B, D, F, H, J, L, N). See also the comparisons among tree species displayed in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0073855#pone-0073855-t003" target="_blank">Table 3</a>.</p

Climatic conditions of the study area.

<p>Data from a nearby Concepción meteorological station (A), and estimated monthly water balance (B). The previous (dashed line) and current (continuous line) growth years correspond to the years when the tree ring formation started and ended, respectively. Abbreviations: LD, late dry season; EW, early wet season; W, wet season; LW, late wet season; ED, early dry season; D, dry season. Values of water balance are means ± 1SE.</p

Wood density is negatively related to growth variability driven by water balance.

<p>The amount of basal area increment variance (R²) explained by the best linear mixed-effects models fitted as a function of soil water balance is shown in the <i>y</i> axis (see <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0073855#pone-0073855-t004" target="_blank">Table 4</a>).</p

Above-ground biomass of Neotropical secondary forests database

This database is the product of the 2ndFOR collaborative research network on secondary forests. The database contains aboveground biomass data (in Mg/ha) for 1334 secondary forest plots differing in time since abandonment. The plots belong to different chonosequence studies in the Neotropics. For a description of the database, see Poorter et al. 2016. Biomass resilience of Neotropical secondary forests. Nature doi:10.1038/nature16512