Identifying patterns of trait variation along environmental gradients has provided insights into the community assembly process. On the other hand, most research has focused on interspecific variation on limited number of traits.
　Using 27 Fagaceae species occurring at 13 sites in East Asia, we investigated the coordination of leaf, shoot, and stem traits across species and examined trait−environment relationships at site and within-species level. Traits were chosen to reflect carbon, water, and nutrient use strategies. We also partitioned among site variance into components of species turnover and intraspecific variation.
　Leaf, shoot, and stem traits that reflect resource use strategies in carbon, water, and nutrient were functionally coordinated across species, forming a trade-off between fast/slow resource use strategies. Colder sites were characterized by fast recourse use strategies. On the other hand, trait−temperature relationships within species were not clear in most traits. Variance partitioning analyses showed that species turnover greatly contributes to site-mean trait response to climate than intraspecific variation in most traits, especially in stem vessel traits.
　Our study suggests that temperature drives species turnover and determines tree communities of East Asia along the trade-off between fast/slow resource use strategies.