Ranking species in relation to a continuum of leaf-trait variation can be useful to infer community susceptibility to changes in resource availability and/or environmental conditions over time. Leaves of ten woody restinga species were sampled in February, April and August over a period of 3 years to characterize temporal variability of leaf mass per area (LMA), succulence (SUC), thickness (THI) and density (DEN). The species showed a trend toward higher leaf-trait values in dry months during the three-year study. Based on seasonal and interannual comparison of LMA, SUC, THI and DEN we suggest that plant responses to temporal heterogeneity in water availability were convergent, independent of leaf phenological patterns and phylogeny. Thus, the similarity observed among species in temporal dynamics of leaf traits points to water availability as a limiting factor for the success of sandy-coastal-plain occupation in northeastern Rio de Janeiro.
leaf traits; water availability; restinga; succulence; seasonal variation
