Trait-based community assembly and functional strategies across three subtropical karst forests, Southwestern China

Our findings suggest a change in environmental gradient from deciduous to evergreen forest, together with a shift from acquisitive to conservative traits. Environmental filtering, stochastic processes, niche differentiation, and overdispersion mechanisms together drive community assembly in karst forest landscapes. These findings will contribute to a deeper understanding of the changes in functional traits among karst plants and their adaptive strategies, with important implications for understanding other community assemblies in subtropical forest systems.