Table 1. Study traits and their functional significance.

Trait cluster	Trait	Ecological significance	Main Function	Abbreviation	Unit
Plant size	Plant height	Competitive ability, photosynthetic behaviour, hydraulic limitations and probability of fire escape.	Competitive ability		m
	Crown depth	Magnitude of light capture, competitive vigour, tree growth performance	Competitive ability		m
	Diameter at breast height	Competitive vigour, whole plant fecundity, growth time between disturbances, photosynthetic behaviour and probability of fire escape	Competitive ability	DBH	cm
Stem traits	Bark thickness	Trunk insulation against fire, pathogen, frost and drought, and trunk mechanical strength	Mechanical support		mm
	Stem wood density	Growth-survival trade-off, mechanical resistance, water storage in the trunk, net CO2 assimilation, hydraulic safety and response to precipitation and altitude	Mechanical support	Stem WD	g/cm3
Leaf trait (Leaf morpho-anatomy)	Leaf dry matter content	Structural support of the leaf, anti-herbivory resistance, leaf tissue density, leaf life-span, relative growth rate of the plant	Resource acquisition and conservation	LDMC	mg/g
	Specific leaf area	Resource acquisition, photosynthetic rate, relative growth rate of the plant, shade-tolerance	Resource acquisition and conservation	SLA	mm2/mg
Leaf traits (Leaf chemical composition)	Leaf nitrogen content	Net photosynthetic capacity, relative growth rate and N availability in the soil, leaf life-span and leaf decomposability	Resource acquisition and conservation	% LNC	%
	Leaf carbon content	Leaf palatability, leaf lignin, leaf density, relative growth rates and structural support of the leaf	Resource acquisition and conservation	% LCC	%
	Carbon isotope	Water use efficiency, the ratio of internal to atmospheric CO2 concentration, stomatal conductance, soil moisture, air temperature	Resource acquisition and conservation	δ13C	‰
	Chlorophyll a	Maximize net carbon gain; photosynthetic activity	Resource acquisition and conservation		μg/g
	Chlorophyll b	Maximize net carbon gain; photosynthetic activity	Resource acquisition and conservation		μg/g
	Beta-carotene	Maximize net carbon gain; photosynthetic activity	Resource acquisition and conservation		μg/g