Understanding the mechanisms that promote the coexistence of hundreds of species over small areas in tropical forest remains a challenge. Many tropical tree species are presumed to be functionally equivalent shade tolerant species but exist on a continuum of performance trade‐offs between survival in shade and the ability to quickly grow in sunlight. These trade‐offs can promote coexistence by reducing fitness differences. Variation in plant functional traits related to resource acquisition is thought to predict variation in performance among species, perhaps explaining community assembly across habitats with gradients in resource availability. Many studies have found low predictive power, however, when linking trait measurements to species demographic rates. Seedlings face different challenges recruiting on the forest floor and may exhibit different traits and/or performance trade‐offs than older individuals face in the eventual adult niche. Seed mass is the typical proxy for seedling success, but species also differ in cotyledon strategy (reserve vs. photosynthetic) or other leaf, stem and root traits. These can cause species with the same average seed mass to have divergent performance in the same habitat. We combined long‐term studies of seedling dynamics with functional trait data collected at a standard life‐history stage in three diverse neotropical forests to ask whether variation in coordinated suites of traits predicts variation among species in demographic performance. Across hundreds of species in Ecuador, Panama and Puerto Rico, we found seedlings displayed correlated suites of leaf, stem, and root traits, which strongly correlated with seed mass and cotyledon strategy. Variation among species in seedling functional traits, seed mass, and cotyledon strategy were strong predictors of trade‐offs in seedling growth and survival. These results underscore the importance of matching the ontogenetic stage of the trait measurement to the stage of demographic dynamics. Our findings highlight the importance of cotyledon strategy in addition to seed mass as a key component of seed and seedling biology in tropical forests because of the contribution of carbon reserves in storage cotyledons to reducing mortality rates and explaining the growth‐survival trade‐off among species.
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Abstract Synthesis : With strikingly consistent patterns across three tropical forests, we find strong evidence for the promise of functional traits to provide mechanistic links between seedling form and demographic performance. -
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Abstract The full scope and limitations of the catalytic acylative kinetic resolution of a range of tertiary heterocyclic alcohols (78 examples,
s up to >200) is reported under operationally‐simple conditions, using low loadings of a commercially available Lewis basic isothiourea catalyst, HyperBTM (generally 1 mol %). The protocol is highly effective for the kinetic resolution of 3‐substituted 3‐hydroxyoxindole and α‐substituted α‐hydroxylactam derivatives bearing up to three potential recognition motifs at the stereogenic tertiary carbinol center. The full power of this methodology has been showcased through the synthesis of highly enantioenriched biologically‐active target compounds in both enantiomeric forms. To provide further insight into the reaction mechanism, a detailed kinetic analysis of this Lewis base‐catalyzed acylation of tertiary alcohols is reported using the variable time normalization analysis (VTNA) method. -
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Abstract A combination of experimental and computational studies have identified a C=O⋅⋅⋅isothiouronium interaction as key to efficient enantiodiscrimination in the kinetic resolution of tertiary heterocyclic alcohols bearing up to three potential recognition motifs at the stereogenic tertiary carbinol center. This discrimination was exploited in the isothiourea‐catalyzed acylative kinetic resolution of tertiary heterocyclic alcohols (38 examples,
s factors up to >200). The reaction proceeds at low catalyst loadings (generally 1 mol %) with either isobutyric or acetic anhydride as the acylating agent under mild conditions. -
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Abstract A combination of experimental and computational studies have identified a C=O⋅⋅⋅isothiouronium interaction as key to efficient enantiodiscrimination in the kinetic resolution of tertiary heterocyclic alcohols bearing up to three potential recognition motifs at the stereogenic tertiary carbinol center. This discrimination was exploited in the isothiourea‐catalyzed acylative kinetic resolution of tertiary heterocyclic alcohols (38 examples,
s factors up to >200). The reaction proceeds at low catalyst loadings (generally 1 mol %) with either isobutyric or acetic anhydride as the acylating agent under mild conditions.
