Understanding how the traits of lineages are related to diversification is key for elucidating the origin of variation in species richness. Here, we test whether traits are related to species richness among lineages of trees from all major biogeographical settings of the lowland wet tropics. We explore whether variation in mortality rate, breeding system and maximum diameter are related to species richness, either directly or via associations with range size, among 463 genera that contain wet tropical forest trees. For Amazonian genera, we also explore whether traits are related to species richness via variation among genera in mean species-level range size. Lineages with higher mortality rates-faster life-history strategies-have larger ranges in all biogeographic settings and have higher mean species-level range sizes in Amazonia. These lineages also have smaller maximum diameters and, in the Americas, contain dioecious species. In turn, lineages with greater overall range size have higher species richness. Our results show that fast life-history strategies influence species richness in all biogeographic settings because lineages with these ecological strategies have greater range sizes. These links suggest that dispersal has been a key process in the evolution of the tropical forest flora.

A Rocha International Cambridge UK

Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux Gabon Libreville Gabon

Agroecology Lab Université Libre de Bruxelles Brussells Belgium

AMAP Lab IRD CIRAD CNRS INRA Université de Montpellier Montpellier France

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Andes to Amazon Biodiversity Program Lima Peru

Balitek KSDA Samboja Indonesia

Biodiversity International Rome Italy

Biological Sciences University of Southampton Southampton SO17 1BJ UK

Biology Department Vancouver Island University Nanaimo BC V9R 5S5 Canada

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Botany and Plant Ecology Laboratory Federal University of Acre Rio Branco Brazil

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CENAREST and ANPN and Stirling University Stirling UK

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Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science College of Science and Engineering James Cook University Cairns QLD 4878 Australia

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College of Agricture and Environmental Studies Makerere University Kampala Uganda

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Czech University of Life Sciences Prague Prague Czechia

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Departamento de Biología Universidad de La Serena La Serena Chile

Departement Hommes Natures Societes Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle 75005 Paris France

Department of Anthropology and Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution Laboratory The University of Texas at Austin Austin USA

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Department of Biology Boston University Boston MA 02215 USA

Department of Biology University of Florence Florence Italy

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Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences Faculty of Science Palacky University Olomouc Czech Republic

Department of Forest and Water Management Laboratory of Wood Technology Ghent University Ghent Belgium

Department of Geography National University of Singapore Singapore Singapore

Department of Geography University College London London WC1E 6BT UK

Department of Green Chemistry and Technology Isotope Bioscience Laboratory ISOFYS Ghent University Ghent Belgium

Department of International Environmental and Development Studies Norwegian University of Life Sciences Ås Norway

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Department of Natural Sciences Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester M1 5GD UK

Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology Harvard University Cambridge MA 02138 USA

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Department of Plant Sciences University of Cambridge Cambridge CB2 3EA UK

Division of Vertebrate Zoology Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History New Haven USA

Environmental and Life Sciences Faculty of Science Universiti Brunei Darussalam Gadong Brunei

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Mendel University in Brno Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology Brno Czech Republic

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New York Botanical Garden Bronx NY 10458 USA

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