species that may suffer high mortality rates or exhibit exceptionally
slow growth rates. Craven et al. (2011) looked at plasticity
in physiological traits related to photosynthesis and water use
across seasons at a relatively wet and a drought stressed site for
eight species to improve our understanding of the mechanisms
plants use to overcome drought and recommend drought tolerance
as a criterion for species in reforestation projects. Ultimately,
species selected for drought tolerance and water use efficiency
could potentially impact stand level water availability in the dry
season in tropical plantations (Kunert et al., 2010), suggesting the
potential to design plantations to maximize this ecosystem service