Bartholomew, D. C., Banin, L. F., Bittencourt, P. R. L., Suis, M. A. F., Mercado, L. M., Nilus, R., Burslem, D. F. R. P., Rowland, L. R. Differential nutrient limitation and tree height control leaf physiology, supporting niche partitioning in tropical dipterocarp forests; Functional Ecology. This dataset is used for analyses published in Bartholomew et al. (2022) Functional Ecology. The dataset includes the following traits: height Tree Height (m) Asat_area Asat (Photosynthesis under saturating light and ambient CO2) on an area basis (µmol m-2 s-1) Asat_mass Asat (Photosynthesis under saturating light and ambient CO2) on a mass basis (µmol kg-1 s-1) Vcmax_area Vcmax (Maximum rate of carboxylation) on an area basis (µmol m-2 s-1) Vcmax_mass Vcmax (Maximum rate of carboxylation) on a mass basis (µmol kg-1 s-1) Rleaf_area Rleaf (Dark adapted leaf respiration) on an area basis (µmol m-2 s-1) Rleaf_mass Rleaf (Dark adapted leaf respiration) on a mass basis (µmol kg-1 s-1) LMA Leaf mass per area (g m-2) leaf.thickness Leaf thickness (mm) gdark Minimum stomatal conductance (mol m-2 s-1) n.leaf Leaf nitrogen concentration on a mass basis (g kg-1) p.leaf Leaf phosphorus concentration on a mass basis (g kg-1) ca.leaf Leaf calcium concentration on a mass basis (g kg-1) k.leaf Leaf potassium concentration on a mass basis (g kg-1) mg.leaf Leaf magnesium concentration on a mass basis (g kg-1) n.area Leaf nitrogen concentration on an area basis (g m-2) p.area Leaf phosphorus concentration on an area basis (g m-2) ca.area Leaf calcium concentration on an area basis (g m-2) k.area Leaf potassium concentration on an area basis (g m-2) mg.area Leaf magnesium concentration on an area basis (g m-2) The dataset includes information on the location of the tree individuals within the permanent 4ha plots established within the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve, Sabah, Malaysia. The species, forest type, generalist/specialist classification used within the analysis of Bartholomew et al. (2022) are presented. Dates of measurements are included.