Water availability mediates functional shifts across ontogenetic stages in a regenerating seasonally dry tropical forest

Questions Community assembly in regenerating forests is a key topic in ecology. Most studies examine the assembly process, assessing adult individuals along the forest succession. Although the adult stage is the final outcome of the assembly process, both abiotic and biotic filters can affect community assembly during early ontogenetic stages. Here, we investigate whether the functional composition and trait assembly patterns (trait convergence...