One-third of all Neotropical forests are secondary forests that regrow naturally after
agricultural use through secondary succession. We need to understand better how and why
succession varies across environmental gradients and broad geographic scales. Here, we
analyze functional recovery using community data on seven plant characteristics (traits) of
1,016 forest plots from 30 chronosequence sites across the Neotropics. By analyzing
communities in terms of their traits, we enhance understanding of the mechanisms of …

One-third of all Neotropical forests are secondary forests that regrow naturally after
agricultural use through secondary succession. We need to understand better how and why
succession varies across environmental gradients and broad geographic scales. Here, we
analyze functional recovery using community data on seven plant characteristics (traits) of
1,016 forest plots from 30 chronosequence sites across the Neotropics. By analyzing
communities in terms of their traits, we enhance understanding of the mechanisms of …