Wind acclimation in a subtropical forest: trees on wind-exposed slopes are shorter with smaller crowns.

Tree architecture is an important component of forest community dynamics - taller trees with larger crowns often outcompete their neighbors, but they are generally at higher risk of wind-induced damage. Yet, we know little about wind impacts on tree architecture in natural forest settings, especially in complex tropical forests. Here, we use airborne light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and 30 yr of forest inventory data in Puerto Rico to ask whether and how chronic winds alter tree architecture.