Density-dependent survival varies with species life-history strategy in a tropical forest

Species coexistence in diverse communities likely results from multiple interacting factors. Mechanisms such as conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD) and varying life-history strategies related to resource partitioning are known to influence plant fitness, and thereby community composition and diversity. However, we have little understanding of how these mechanisms interact and how they vary across life stages. Here, we document the interaction between CNDD and life-history strategy, based on growth-mortality trade-offs, from seedling to adult tree for 47 species in a tropical forest. Species’ life-history strategies remained consistent across stages: fast-growing species had higher mortality than slow-growing species at all stages. In contrast, mean CNDD was strongest at early life stages (i.e. seedling, sapling). Fast-growing species tended to suffer greater CNDD than slow-growing species at several, but not all life stages. Overall, our results demonstrate that coexistence mechanisms interact across multiple life stages to shape diverse tree communities.