1. Abstract <span style=font-size:10.0pt;font-family: times= new= roman,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:times= roman;mso-fareast-language:= zh-cn=>1.1. Background and Objective: Functional attributes of plants in tropical deciduous forests (TDFs) are significantly affected by variations in soil moisture content (SMC), some exhibit positive relationship, while others have negative associations. In this study, we have measured SMC in a TDF and have observed the relationships of SMC with leaf life-span (LL), and the association of LL with wood specific gravity (WSG), leaf area index (LAI) and relative growth rate (RGR) of the dominant tree species of TDF located in the Vindhyan Highlands, India. <span style=font-size:10.0pt;font-family: times= new= roman,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:times= roman;mso-fareast-language:= zh-cn=>1.2. Methodology: We marked five individuals in each of the 44 dominant tree species in the TDF region for the measurement of SMC and functional attributes. On each selected individual we measured SMC, LL and RGR over the two year period. LAI and WSG were measured once in the month of September. Relationships of SMC with LL and the association of LL with functional attributes were analyzed, and graphs were plotted with the help of Sigma plot, version 12.5. <span style=font-size:10.0pt;font-family: times= new= roman,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:times= roman;mso-fareast-language:= zh-cn=>1.3. Result: T <span style=font-size:10.0pt;font-family: times= new= roman,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:times-roman=>here was significant positive relationship of leaf life span (LL) with SMC for the dominant tree <span style=font-size:10.0pt; font-family: times= new= roman,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:times-roman=> species of the TDF. We observed significant positive relationship of LL with LAI and WSG, while significant negative relationship with RGR. <span style=font-size:10.0pt;font-family: times= new= roman,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:times= roman;mso-fareast-language:= zh-cn=>1.4. Conclusion: TDF species evidently maintain a set of functional attributes which are responsible for their survival in seasonal drought conditions by conserving water. Tree species growing in TDF may achieve this by decreasing their LL and modulating important functional attributes in such a way that a maximum photosynthesis rate is maintained during the short period of water availability which is favorable for the functioning of essential physiological processes. <span style=font-size:10.0pt;font-family: times= new= roman,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:times= roman;mso-fareast-language:= zh-cn=>2. Keywords: Leaf Area Index; Leaf Life-Span; Relative Growth Rate; Soil Moisture Content; Tropical Deciduous Forest; Wood Specific Gravity