The data were used to evaluate long-term (~10,000 y) changes in the functional composition of tree communities in Amazonian and Andean forests, and how these changes are explained by climate change, droughts, and disturbances. The dataset contains community-weighted means (CWM) over time of four traits: wood density, seed mass, leaf area and adult tree height. Traits were weighted by taxon abundances derived from fossil pollen records. The dataset also contains data on climate (d18O), temperature, droughts (El Niño frequency), fire disturbance (from charcoal abundance), and other general disturbances (from Cecropia abundance).