Phenology, seed dispersal and difficulties in natural recruitment of the canopy tree Pachira quinata (Malvaceae)
Life history and recruitment information of tropical trees in natural populations is scarce even for important commercial species. This study focused on a widely exploited Neotropical canopy species, Pachiraquinata (Malvaceae), at the southernmost, wettest limit of its natural distribution, in the C...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Vicerractoría Investigación
2011-06-01
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| Series: | Revista de Biología Tropical |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-77442011000200030&lng=en&tlng=en |
| _version_ | 1797725511953154048 |
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| author | Maria Clara Castellanos Pablo R. Stevenson |
| author_facet | Maria Clara Castellanos Pablo R. Stevenson |
| author_sort | Maria Clara Castellanos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Life history and recruitment information of tropical trees in natural populations is scarce even for important commercial species. This study focused on a widely exploited Neotropical canopy species, Pachiraquinata (Malvaceae), at the southernmost, wettest limit of its natural distribution, in the Colombian Amazonia. We studied phenological patterns, seed production and natural densities; assessed the importance of seed dispersal and density-dependent effects on recruitment, using field experiments. At this seasonal forest P. quinata was overrepresented by large adult trees and had very low recruitment caused by the combination of low fruit production, high seed predation and very high seedling mortality under continuous canopies mostly due to damping off pathogens. There was no evidence of negative distance or density effects on recruitment, but a clear requirement of canopy gaps for seedling survival and growth, where pathogen incidence was drastically reduced. In spite of the strong dependence on light for survival of seedlings, seeds germinated readily in the dark. At the study site, the population of P. quinata appeared to be declining, likely because recruitment depended on the rare combination of large gap formation with the presence of reproductive trees nearby. The recruitment biology of this species makes it very vulnerable to any type of logging in natural populations. Rev. Biol. Trop. 59 (2): 921-933. Epub 2011 June 01 |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T10:32:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0a0f192a3bdc4565a295ea10abffadce |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0034-7744 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T10:32:19Z |
| publishDate | 2011-06-01 |
| publisher | Vicerractoría Investigación |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Revista de Biología Tropical |
| spelling | doaj.art-0a0f192a3bdc4565a295ea10abffadce2023-09-02T09:07:13ZengVicerractoría InvestigaciónRevista de Biología Tropical0034-77442011-06-01592921933S0034-77442011000200030Phenology, seed dispersal and difficulties in natural recruitment of the canopy tree Pachira quinata (Malvaceae)Maria Clara Castellanos0Pablo R. Stevenson1Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación (CSIC-UV-GV)Universidad de Los AndesLife history and recruitment information of tropical trees in natural populations is scarce even for important commercial species. This study focused on a widely exploited Neotropical canopy species, Pachiraquinata (Malvaceae), at the southernmost, wettest limit of its natural distribution, in the Colombian Amazonia. We studied phenological patterns, seed production and natural densities; assessed the importance of seed dispersal and density-dependent effects on recruitment, using field experiments. At this seasonal forest P. quinata was overrepresented by large adult trees and had very low recruitment caused by the combination of low fruit production, high seed predation and very high seedling mortality under continuous canopies mostly due to damping off pathogens. There was no evidence of negative distance or density effects on recruitment, but a clear requirement of canopy gaps for seedling survival and growth, where pathogen incidence was drastically reduced. In spite of the strong dependence on light for survival of seedlings, seeds germinated readily in the dark. At the study site, the population of P. quinata appeared to be declining, likely because recruitment depended on the rare combination of large gap formation with the presence of reproductive trees nearby. The recruitment biology of this species makes it very vulnerable to any type of logging in natural populations. Rev. Biol. Trop. 59 (2): 921-933. Epub 2011 June 01http://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-77442011000200030&lng=en&tlng=enanemocoriaárbol emergentesupervivencia de plántulasBombacopsis quinataParque Nacional Tinigua |
| spellingShingle | Maria Clara Castellanos Pablo R. Stevenson Phenology, seed dispersal and difficulties in natural recruitment of the canopy tree Pachira quinata (Malvaceae) Revista de Biología Tropical anemocoria árbol emergente supervivencia de plántulas Bombacopsis quinata Parque Nacional Tinigua |
| title | Phenology, seed dispersal and difficulties in natural recruitment of the canopy tree Pachira quinata (Malvaceae) |
| title_full | Phenology, seed dispersal and difficulties in natural recruitment of the canopy tree Pachira quinata (Malvaceae) |
| title_fullStr | Phenology, seed dispersal and difficulties in natural recruitment of the canopy tree Pachira quinata (Malvaceae) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Phenology, seed dispersal and difficulties in natural recruitment of the canopy tree Pachira quinata (Malvaceae) |
| title_short | Phenology, seed dispersal and difficulties in natural recruitment of the canopy tree Pachira quinata (Malvaceae) |
| title_sort | phenology seed dispersal and difficulties in natural recruitment of the canopy tree pachira quinata malvaceae |
| topic | anemocoria árbol emergente supervivencia de plántulas Bombacopsis quinata Parque Nacional Tinigua |
| url | http://www.scielo.sa.cr/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0034-77442011000200030&lng=en&tlng=en |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mariaclaracastellanos phenologyseeddispersalanddifficultiesinnaturalrecruitmentofthecanopytreepachiraquinatamalvaceae AT pablorstevenson phenologyseeddispersalanddifficultiesinnaturalrecruitmentofthecanopytreepachiraquinatamalvaceae |