Tropical dry forests (TDFs) are characterized by pronounced seasonality in precipitation, with several months of prolonged drought, 80% of annual precipitation occurring during a four- to six-month rainy season, and high interannual rainfall variability. Surprisingly, there are relatively few studies addressing patterns of functional trait in tropical dry forest (TDF) ecosystems. Functional trait analysis across plant species and the environment is a rapidly developing research field with many possible applications for forest restoration practice. Trait-based ecological research within TDFs will advance our understanding of how these ecosystems interact with and differ from other tropical ecosystems.
Open questions in understanding the adaptive significance of plant functional trait variation within a single lineage
