Pinus taiwanensis leaf traits

Abstract

The dataset contains Pinus taiwanensis leaf trait measurements collected from samples across an elevation gradient in the Central Mountain Range of Taiwan. The following traits were measured; leaf length, thickness, area, number of stomatal rows, wet weight and dry weight. Site coordinates, elevation, terrain slope and aspect are also included. These data were used in the paper “High intraspecific trait variation results in a resource allocation spectrum of a subtropical pine across an elevational gradient”, which is currently in the final stages of processing with Journal of Biogeography. In the manuscript, we show that substantial intraspecific trait variation is possible for a single species across its elevational distribution, here likely driven by temperature differences and additional biotic and abiotic drivers across the elevational range. These results provide improved understanding of the extent of intraspecific variability, which is necessary for reliable quantifications and predictions of the impacts of environmental change, especially in understudied, hyper-diverse ecosystems such as tropical forests. This dataset was collected during PhD fieldwork by Kirsten O’Sullivan.