A ten-year record reveals the importance of tree species’ habitat specialization in driving successional trajectories on Hainan Island, China

•Diameter growth, mortality, and recruitment rates were the highest in young secondary forest and the lowest at the old-growth forest.•The demographic rates increased in a short period due to extreme drought conditions.•The successional trajectories of young secondary forest and old secondary forest showed a slow but directional trend towards the OG.•The five species groups of habitat specialization made different contributions to the successional trajectory.