Emma Grover

Many tropical forests are experiencing changes in rainfall and insolation patterns due to human-induced climate change. To better predict the community resiliency of these forest ecosystems, better knowledge regarding the adaptive capacity of tropical plant species is needed. Exploring associations between leaf morphology and environmental variables can illuminate the patterns that drive leaf trait selection, and thus the species that might be favored in hotter and drier forests. I propose a community-wide study in Yasuní National Park to assess variation in drip-tips (long leaf apices). These leaf traits are commonly found in plants of wet tropical forests and are thought to aid the removal of water from the leaf surface, enabling a rapid return to photosynthesis. However, we lack a concrete understanding of how environmental conditions influence drip-tip incidence, abundance, and form. My proposed study will assess how a plant’s access to light, developmental stage, and life-history strategy drive variation in drip-tips both within and across species.