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Table II
A classification for functional groups of French Guianan trees based on leaf morphology and physiology and nitrogen nutrition status. Also shown are the predicted species properties relevant to ecosystem processes of carbon and nitrogen cycling. The ordination of traits and example species are presented in Figure 1.
| Traits | Light-demandingN-fixers | Light-demanding | Shade-tolerant N-fixers | Shade-tolerant | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leaf Structure | High SLA | High SLA | Low SLA | Low SLA | |
| Leaf Allocation | High Leaf N | High Leaf N | High Leaf N | Low Leaf N | |
| Growth Rate | Fast | Moderate | Moderate | Slow | |
| Biomass Turnover | Rapid | Rapid | Moderate | Slow | |
| Processes | |||||
| Litter Quality | Excellent | Fair | Good | Poor | |
| Nitrogen Availability | High | Moderate | Moderate | Low | |
| Rooting Depth | Shallow | Variable | Shallow | Variable | |
| Species | Inga cayennensis (INc) | Bagassa guianensis (Bg) | Inga rubiginosa (INr) | Eschweilera sagotiana (ESs) | |
| Inga stipularis (INs) | Dicorynia guianensis (Dg) | Swartzia grandifolia (SWf) | Vouacapoua americana (Va) | ||
| Inga thibaudiana (INt) | Hymenaea courbaril (Hc) | Swartzia leblondii (SWl) | Sextonia rubra (Sr) | ||
| Tachigali melinonii (Tm) | Virola surinamensis (Vs) | Swartzia panacoco (SWn) | Eperua falcata (Ef) |