Coexistence of understory tree species via architecture differentiation in the Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil

Coexistence of understory tree species via architecture differentiation in the Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Coexistence of understory tree species via architecture differentiation in the Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil Diego Resende Rodrigues, Yves Rafael Bovolenta, Emilio M. Bruna, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7934892/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Resource allocation, plant architecture, and ontogenetic differences are important axes of niche differentiation that promote plant species coexistence in tropical forests, contributing to the high diversity observed in these ecosystems. To test the predictions of species coexistence, differences in tree architecture were compared in a seasonal, semi-deciduous forest throughout the developmental stages. Four 3000 m 2 stands with canopy cover higher than 90% were established in a protected area in southern Brazil. All individuals from three understory species were identified, and their diameter, height, and crown were measured, and comparisons in the architecture of species were made with height-class specific allometric relationships. Inga marginata invested primarily in vertical growth, with pronounced development of crown area and plasticity in crown morphology only in the last height class, while Sorocea bonplandii invested more in lateral growth to ensure mechanical stability, reducing the likelihood of trunk breakage. The same was observed in juveniles of Actinostemon concolor , which maximized investment in crown development after reaching a certain height. Although only three understorey species were studied, understanding how these species coexist is important for providing valuable insights into the mechanism of species coexistence in tropical ecosystems. Despite their location in the understorey stratum, these species play critical roles in structuring and maintaining species diversity in the forest. Focused studies on a smaller number of species can help to understand the underlying mechanisms that regulate coexistence and provide important information for the management and conservation of biodiversity in tropical ecosystems. Actinostemon Atlantic Forest Inga Niche Stratum Sorocea Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files 2.SupplementaryInformation2025.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7934892","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":544410616,"identity":"4add14a4-db02-4d13-932c-995424f417f6","order_by":0,"name":"Diego Resende Rodrigues","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABFUlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDCCwzDGAeaGAx8qbOTA7AfEaWFsPDjjTJoxmJ2AT8sBhJbmw7xthxIbQBx8WviOMx9+8XGHXT7f8YMNh3nOHEifH3b4IdAWOzndBuxaJA+zpVnOPJMMxIkNB+dU3MndeDvNAKgl2djsAHYtBod5zIx525gNDA4kNhx4c+ZZ7sbZCSAtBxK34dTC/w2opd7A4PzDhgO8bYfTDWenfyCghYf5MVClgcENoMOAjAR56Rz8tgD9YsY488xxA8kbDxtAgWy4QTqn4ECCAW6/8J0//PjDxx3VBnznkw9/AEalvPzs9M1Ahp0cLi1AwCbB2IDsVLBKA5zKQYD5A4oW+QYc6kbBKBgFo2DEAgCQP3Y8WQYNEwAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"Universidade Estadual do Norte do Paraná","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Diego","middleName":"Resende","lastName":"Rodrigues","suffix":""},{"id":544410617,"identity":"573310a0-8c94-4214-9b2f-8dd126672798","order_by":1,"name":"Yves Rafael Bovolenta","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Universidade Estadual do Norte do Paraná","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yves","middleName":"Rafael","lastName":"Bovolenta","suffix":""},{"id":544410618,"identity":"1d4ee35d-beb0-43f4-8dd1-e954ab35ffd0","order_by":2,"name":"Emilio M. Bruna","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Florida","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Emilio","middleName":"M.","lastName":"Bruna","suffix":""},{"id":544410619,"identity":"58951268-34a5-44d7-b44b-06b81636c544","order_by":3,"name":"José Antonio Pimenta","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"State University of Londrina","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"José","middleName":"Antonio","lastName":"Pimenta","suffix":""},{"id":544410620,"identity":"aa8478b1-796e-4f84-8811-c2c427fb77ba","order_by":4,"name":"Edmilson Bianchini","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"State University of Londrina","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Edmilson","middleName":"","lastName":"Bianchini","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-10-23 19:23:28","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7934892/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7934892/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":96230289,"identity":"3b82fc02-c166-4388-959c-f4e61b3eb459","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-19 03:35:03","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":222336,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript2025.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7934892/v1/09bcc78c947da0d599e29ba2.docx"},{"id":96230287,"identity":"759d0d4c-62a2-43ae-bb9a-733c7f345dcb","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-19 03:35:03","extension":"json","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":7744,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"e2a8379e5ae04f6c8cef96130e801d25.json","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7934892/v1/7c06cbc7a3f0b6416da20469.json"},{"id":96230294,"identity":"05d6c388-441a-42ab-a250-6577fbbfaaf1","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-19 03:35:03","extension":"docx","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":10129606,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"2.SupplementaryInformation2025.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7934892/v1/92150b78b5e880238bd3e37c.docx"},{"id":96252851,"identity":"b1f10aee-0118-4e26-bbbb-cf4395b43cb2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-19 07:41:31","extension":"xml","order_by":3,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":148806,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"e2a8379e5ae04f6c8cef96130e801d251enriched.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7934892/v1/3d1c214f9c1f97edb730dfd9.xml"},{"id":96230290,"identity":"50f1e42f-8b72-41c0-b79a-49719f521112","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-19 03:35:03","extension":"jpeg","order_by":4,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":160608,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"floatimage1.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7934892/v1/df9a35e920459fca0094aa8c.jpeg"},{"id":96230288,"identity":"ca194973-b00a-4338-a19a-f3e360795f6d","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-19 03:35:03","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":56789,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Onlinefloatimage1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7934892/v1/b56b451f0ebeaba4db2611ad.png"},{"id":96230291,"identity":"b493a6cc-a896-4250-8d63-84ff1fed2cfd","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-19 03:35:03","extension":"xml","order_by":6,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":150589,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"e2a8379e5ae04f6c8cef96130e801d251structuring.xml","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7934892/v1/624e409bd0b55b34fa482482.xml"},{"id":96230293,"identity":"4a0c7882-b015-448e-9447-061dca82ed30","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-19 03:35:03","extension":"html","order_by":7,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":159980,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"earlyproof.html","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7934892/v1/8fb4dff4a188b15440d0bd13.html"},{"id":97894583,"identity":"55299aba-97a5-4af6-af48-c877ebde37fe","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-10 15:32:47","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":623773,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript2025.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7934892/v1_covered_5c02c8f7-babf-46be-ad34-7f7c6cf21196.pdf"},{"id":96230295,"identity":"83fbd262-1922-4c3f-b9f2-a16faa3d46d2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-11-19 03:35:03","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":10129606,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"2.SupplementaryInformation2025.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7934892/v1/167171cb312e008f0f36b0d8.docx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Coexistence of understory tree species via architecture differentiation in the Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Actinostemon, Atlantic Forest, Inga, Niche, Stratum, Sorocea","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7934892/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7934892/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eResource allocation, plant architecture, and ontogenetic differences are important axes of niche differentiation that promote plant species coexistence in tropical forests, contributing to the high diversity observed in these ecosystems. To test the predictions of species coexistence, differences in tree architecture were compared in a seasonal, semi-deciduous forest throughout the developmental stages. Four 3000 m\u003csup\u003e2\u003c/sup\u003e stands with canopy cover higher than 90% were established in a protected area in southern Brazil. All individuals from three understory species were identified, and their diameter, height, and crown were measured, and comparisons in the architecture of species were made with height-class specific allometric relationships. \u003cem\u003eInga marginata\u003c/em\u003e invested primarily in vertical growth, with pronounced development of crown area and plasticity in crown morphology only in the last height class, while \u003cem\u003eSorocea bonplandii\u003c/em\u003e invested more in lateral growth to ensure mechanical stability, reducing the likelihood of trunk breakage. The same was observed in juveniles of \u003cem\u003eActinostemon concolor\u003c/em\u003e, which maximized investment in crown development after reaching a certain height. Although only three understorey species were studied, understanding how these species coexist is important for providing valuable insights into the mechanism of species coexistence in tropical ecosystems. Despite their location in the understorey stratum, these species play critical roles in structuring and maintaining species diversity in the forest. Focused studies on a smaller number of species can help to understand the underlying mechanisms that regulate coexistence and provide important information for the management and conservation of biodiversity in tropical ecosystems.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Coexistence of understory tree species via architecture differentiation in the Atlantic Forest of southern Brazil","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-11-19 03:34:58","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7934892/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"24a94c7c-1713-4f52-971e-e2dfcf5f96a2","owner":[],"postedDate":"November 19th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-12-08T11:39:10+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-11-19 03:34:58","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7934892","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7934892","identity":"rs-7934892","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}