2.5 Wood density
To explore whether species with different life-history strategies differ
in their provenance differentiation, we examined the impact of species
wood density, as an important component and continuous variable in theslow-fast life-history continuum (Reich 2014). We assume that
species with higher wood density generally grow more slowly, have longer
lifespans, and exhibit lower mortality rates (Chave et al. 2009,
Liang et al. 2021). We retrieved wood density values for each
species from the global wood density database using the ‘BIOMASS’
package v.2.1.8 (Réjou‐Méchain et al. 2017). Although wood
density data for Australian rainforest species are generally sparse,
with many species having only one or a few data points, (Preece et al.
2015, Ilic et al 2000), we were able to extract species level averages
of wood density for all species based on a sample size of 6 individuals
on average (range 1 to 46). Given our interest in using this trait as an
index of inherent species differences in life history strategies, we
considered the data appropriate for our needs.