Wind Shapes the Growth Strategies of Trees in a Tropical Forest

ABSTRACT In tropical forests, trees strategically balance growth patterns to optimise fitness amid multiple environmental stressors. Wind poses the primary risk to a tree's mechanical stability, prompting developments such as thicker trunks to withstand the bending forces. Therefore, a trade‐off in resource allocation exists between diameter growth and vertical growth to compete for light. We explore this trade‐off by measuring the relative wind mortality risk for 95 trees in a tropical forest in Panama and testing how it varies with tree size, species and wind exposure. Surprisingly, local wind exposure and tree size had minimal impact on wind mortality risk; instead, species wood density emerged as the crucial factor. Low wood density species exhibited a significantly greater wind mortality risk, suggesting a prioritisation of competition for light over biomechanical stability. Our study highlights the pivotal role of wind safety in shaping the life‐history strategy of trees and structuring diverse tropical forests. We estimated wind mortality risk by measuring 95 trees bending in the wind in a tropical forest in Panama. Surprisingly, local wind exposure had minimal impact on relative wind mortality risk; instead, species wood density emerged as the crucial factor. This highlights the pivotal role of wind safety in shaping tropical forest structure.