Leaf respiration in the light (R light) is crucial for understanding the net CO2 exchange of individual plants and entire ecosystems. However, R light is poorly quantified and rarely discussed in the context of the leaf economic spectrum (LES), especially among woody species differing in plant functional types (PFTs) (e.g. evergreen vs. deciduous species). To address this gap in our knowledge, R light, respiration in the dark (R dark), light-saturated photosynthetic rates (A sat), leaf dry mass per unit area (LMA), leaf nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations, and maximum carboxylation (V cmax) and electron transport rates (J max) of 54 representative subtropical woody evergreen and deciduous species were measured. With the exception of LMA, the parameters quantified in this study were significantly higher in deciduous species than in evergreen species. The degree of light inhibition did not significantly differ between evergreen (52%) and deciduous (50%) species. R light was significantly correlated with LES traits such as A sat, R dark, LMA, N and P. The R light vs. R dark and N relationships shared common slopes between evergreen and deciduous species, but significantly differed in their y-intercepts, in which the rates of R light were slower or faster for any given R dark or N in deciduous species, respectively. A model for R light based on three traits (i.e. R dark, LMA and P) had an explanatory power of 84.9%. These results show that there is a link between R light and the LES, and highlight that PFTs is an important factor in affecting R light and the relationships of R light with R dark and N. Thus, this study provides information that can improve the next generation of terrestrial biosphere models (TBMs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]