Species richness, functional traits and climate interactively affect tree survival in a large forest biodiversity experiment

Tree survival affects forest biodiversity, structure and functioning. However, little is known about feedback effects of biodiversity on its dependence functional traits interannual climatic variability. With an individual-based dataset from a large subtropical experiment, we evaluated how species richness, time-dependent covariates affected annual tree rates age 3–12 (years) after planting 39 across diversity gradient 1 to 2, 4, 8 16 species. We found that overall marginally increased with at the plot level, variation among plots within levels. Significant in responses changes these were related conditions. Generally, conservative (evergreen, late-successional thick leaves high carbon nitrogen ratio but low specific leaf area, phosphorus hydraulic conductivity) diversity, yearly precipitation, whereas acquisitive showed opposite responses. Synthesis. Our results indicate interactions between conditions can balance diverse forests. Planting mixtures differ afforestation projects may lead positive loop where maintains together previously reported beneficial ecosystem