Résumé
Using measurements in 34 tree species at seven sites across a precipitation gradient in the neotropics, we determined how the maximum sap flux velocity (vmax) and the VPD threshold at which vmax is reached (VPDmax) vary with precipitation regime (long-term annual precipitation, MAP; seasonal drought intensity, PDRY) and two functional traits related to foliar and wood economics spectra (leaf mass per area, LMA; wood specific gravity, WSG). This study demonstrates that long-term precipitation plays an important role in the sapflux response of humid tropical forests to VPD.