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Above- And Below-Ground Functional Trait Coordination In The Neotropical Understory Genus Costus, Eleinis Ávila-Lovera, Gregory R. Goldsmith, Kathleen M. Kay, Jennifer L. Funk

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The study of plant functional traits and variation among and within species can help illuminate functional coordination and trade-offs in key processes that allow plants to grow, reproduce and survive. We studied 20 leaf, above-ground stem, below-ground stem and fine-root traits of 17 Costus species from forests in Costa Rica and Panama to answer the following questions: (i) Do congeneric species show above-ground and below-ground trait coordination and trade-offs consistent with theory of resource acquisition and conservation? (ii) Is there correlated evolution among traits? (iii) Given the diversity of habitats over which Costus occurs, what is the relative contribution of …