Rainfall seasonality and drought performance shape the distribution of tropical tree species in Ghana.

Tree species distribution in lowland tropical forests is strongly associated with rainfall amount and distribution. Not only plant water availability, but also irradiance, soil fertility, and pest pressure covary along rainfall gradients. To assess the role of water availability in shaping species distribution, we carried out a reciprocal transplanting experiment in gaps in a dry and a wet forest site in Ghana, using 2,670 seedlings of 23 tree species belonging to three contrasting rainfall distributions groups (dry species, ubiquitous species, and wet species).