Functional Trait Adaptations Drive Enhanced Post‐Hurricane Resilience on Serpentine Soils

Questions Understanding how plant functional traits mediate ecosystem resilience to extreme events is central to predicting ecological responses under variable climates. We asked: does edaphic filtering in serpentine versus volcanic soils shape plant functional composition in ways that determine forest stability (resistance, resilience, temporal stability, and recovery) following a major hurricane (Hurricane Maria)? We hypothesized that stress‐tolerant serpentine plant communities would be more resistant but recover less quickly from environmental disturbances, while volcanic plant communities would show the opposite pattern, less resistance but faster recovery. Location Puerto Rico. Methods We combined trait‐based analyses with remote sensing and environmental data across forest plots spanning serpentine and volcanic soils. We calculated community‐weighted means and functional diversity metrics and analyzed their relationships with soil properties, storm impact (cumulative rainfall and maximum wind), and NDVI‐based forest stability indicators. Results Contrary to expectations, serpentine communities exhibited greater than expected resilience and recovery, whereas volcanic communities exhibited greater than expected resistance after accounting for storm impact. Foliar iron content, functional evenness, and functional dispersion emerged as key correlates of forest stability. Conclusions Our findings suggest that nutrient‐poor serpentine soils select for stress‐tolerant traits that confer greater ecological resilience compared to forests on more fertile volcanic soils, challenging assumptions of serpentine vulnerability and highlighting the role of soil properties and traits in mediating ecosystem responses to extreme climatic events.