Tree-allometry, growth-longevity and xylem traits of a commercial tree species differ across contrasting Neotropical vegetation and soil types

Evaluating how tropical tree growth, longevity, wood density and hydraulic functioning vary across environmental gradients is essential to understand forest dynamics and to support species-specific forest management. Here, we address this for a commercially important neotropical tree species: Hymenaea courbaril L. We combined tree-allometry, tree-ring, wood-density and xylem functional-trait data from two seasonally-dry Neotropical vegetation types occurring on contrasting soils under similar annual precipitation: a Cerrado savanna and an Evergreen Forest. Across populations, we found differences in growth and xylem traits consistent with a growth–longevity trade-off. Compared to the Evergreen Forest, Cerrado trees were shorter-lived (maximum age: 78 vs . 171 years), presented a stouter allometry (lower height for a given diameter), and faster juvenile growth rates. Xylem functional traits revealed a contrasting anatomical configuration: under the same carbon density (no wood density differences), Cerrado trees produced xylem that was both hydraulically safer (higher vessel frequency, lower vulnerability index) and more efficient (higher theoretical hydraulic conductivity). At the plot level, soil phosphorus was positively associated with tree growth, whereas soil texture (clay content) correlated with xylem anatomical traits representing hydraulic safety and efficiency. These results suggest that soil properties contribute to shaping both growth patterns and xylem structure, potentially influencing the growth–longevity trade-off. By integrating tree performance, longevity, allometry, wood density and xylem functioning, our results help improve the representation of carbon-storage and -dynamics in tropical forests and can be used to guide sustainable species-specific forest management practices. • Tree-allometry, growth, and xylem traits differ across contrasting vegetation types. • Cerrado trees grow faster, live shorter, and show higher hydraulic conductivity. • Phosphorus is the main soil nutrient influencing H. courbaril tree growth. • Clay content mediates xylem structure and vessel arrangement. • Variation in xylem anatomical traits may underpin growth–longevity trade-offs.