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Consequences of variable reproduction for seedling recruitment in three neotropical tree species

Formally Refereed

Abstract

Variable seed production may have important consequences for recruitment but poorly documented for frugivore-dispersed tropical trees. Recruitment limitation may also may be a critical spatial process affectng forest dynamics, but it is rarely assessed at the scale of individual trees. Over an 11-yr period, we studied the consequences of variable seed production for initial seedling recruitment in three shade-tolerant tree species (Quararibea asterolepis, Tetragastris panamensis, and Trichillia tubercuata) on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. We measured annual seed production for a permanent sample of focal trees and censured annual new seedling establishment within a restricted dispersal neighborhood of each tree. We analyzed temporal and spatial variability in recruitment and compared reruitment limitations among species.

Keywords

Barro Colorado Island, Panama, density dependence, Quaraibea asterolepis, recruitment limitation, seed production, seedling demography, Tetragastris panamensis, Trichilia tuberculata, tropical tree demography

Citation

De Steven, Diane; Wright, S. Joesph. 2002. Consequences of variable reproduction for seedling recruitment in three neotropical tree species. Ecology 83(8): 2315-2327
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/20515