Aspidosperma polyneuron is a Tropical Dry Forest endangered species. Knowledge on its requirements to grow and its responses to multiple stresses is important in order to develop effective strategies for its propagation and restauration. We evaluated the morpho-functional and plastic response of two populations of A. polyneuron seedlings along an experimental gradient of light (100, 55 and 10%) and water (field capacity, 60% and drought, 20%). We measured 16 morphological and biomass allocation traits associated to the plant's performance. Survival results showed that the negative effects of drought are less in conditions of intermediate irradiation and become more severe at higher or lower light levels. Morpho-functional and plastic responses supported the existence of complex syndromes that point to an enhanced water uptake and drought tolerance. Furthermore, seedlings from Luriza (low soil storage capacity for resources) expressed a greater magnitude in morphological traits whereas Tocagua (high soil storage capacity) showed higher values in biomass allocation traits. They also differed in their phenotypic response to light and the magnitude and pattern of plasticity in multiple traits. These distinctions are possibly the result of phenotypic differences driven by process of local specialization.

Aspidosperma polyneuron是一种热带干旱森林濒危物种。了解其生长要求及其对多种压力的反应对于制定有效的繁殖和恢复策略很重要。我们评估了两个A. 多神经元群体的形态功能和塑性反应沿着光（100%、55% 和 10%）和水（田间持水量，60%，干旱，20%）的实验梯度培育幼苗。我们测量了与植物性能相关的 16 个形态和生物量分配性状。生存结果表明，干旱的负面影响在中等照射条件下较小，在较高或较低的光照水平下变得更加严重。形态功能和塑性反应支持复杂综合征的存在，这些综合征表明水分吸收和耐旱性增强。此外，来自 Luriza（低土壤资源储存能力）的幼苗在形态性状方面表现出更大的幅度，而 Tocagua（高土壤储存能力）在生物量分配性状方面表现出更高的价值。它们对光的表型反应以及多个性状的可塑性的大小和模式也不同。这些差异可能是由地方专业化过程驱动的表型差异的结果。