PATTERNS AND RELATIONSHIPS OF PLANT TRAITS, COMMUNITY STRUCTURAL ATTRIBUTES, AND ECO-HYDROLOGICAL FUNCTIONS DURING A SUBTROPICAL SECONDARY SUCCESSION IN CENTRAL YUNNAN (SOUTHWEST CHINA)

Abstract

Abstract —Human-induced changes in land use lead to major changes in plant community composition and structure which have strong effects on eco-hydrological processes and functions. We here tested the hypothesis that changes in traits of living plants have resulted in changes in structural attributes of the community that influenced eco-hydrological functions by altering eco-hydrological processes. This was done in the context of a subtropical secondary forest succession following land abandonment in Central Yunnan (Southwest China). During the succession, species with hig