Herbivores equalize the seedling height growth of three dominant tree species in an African tropical rain forest

2013 ◽  
Vol 310 ◽  
pp. 555-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julian M. Norghauer ◽  
David M. Newbery
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Tropical Rain Forest ◽  
Height Growth ◽  
Seedling Height

La phénologie des arbres caducifoliés en forêt guyanaise (5° de latitude nord) : illustration d'un déterminisme à composantes endogène et exogène

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (12) ◽  
pp. 1843-1857 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis Loubry
Keyword(s):  
Key Words ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Tropical Rain Forest ◽  
French Guiana ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Deciduous Tree ◽  
Leaf Fall

The French Guianan forest is an evergreen rain forest that contains approximately 100 deciduous tree species. The taxonomical distribution of the deciduous character is widely spread, and its presence or absence among some taxa, as well as its ancient origin, are arguments in favour of an endogenous origin. Leaf-fall periodicity was studied on a sample of 500 trees during a 2-year period. Periodicity is annual and seasonal. It is not correlated to rainfall and not linked to the occurrence of a dry season. It seems closely correlated to photoperiodical variations, even though those variations are weak (35 min at latitude 5°30′N). However, each tree has its own periodicity for leaves shedding. Therefore, there is a paradox between seasonality and individual periodicity of leaf fall. The existence of this paradox leads us to consider the hypothesis of an integration of endogenous and exogenous components in the determination of leaf-fall periodicity. Key words: deciduousness, French Guiana, phenology, photoperiodism, tree, tropical rain forest.

Change in leaf structure in relation to crown position and size class for tree species within a Sri Lankan tropical rain forest

Botany ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
pp. 633-640 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A.K.A.K. Panditharathna ◽  
B. M.P. Singhakumara ◽  
H. P. Griscom ◽  
M. S. Ashton
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Tropical Rain Forest ◽  
Size Class ◽  
Leaf Structure ◽  
Sri Lankan ◽  
Size Classes ◽  
Canopy Trees ◽  
Crown Position ◽  
Closed Canopy

The purpose of our study was to examine change in leaf structure (anatomy and morphology) through different phases of tree size and crown position within a Sri Lankan rain forest. We selected four late-successional canopy species that represented dominant genera ( Shorea , Mesua ) within an Asian tropical rain forest. All are considered shade-tolerant and capable of growing to maturity beneath closed-canopy late-successional forests. Species within each genus were either restricted to seepages and bottom slopes (valley species) or to upper slopes and ridges (ridge species). The size classes represented (i) seedlings, (ii) saplings, (iii) poles growing beneath closed-canopy conditions, and (iv) trees of the rain forest canopy. Between size classes, leaves were thicker and with higher stomatal densities for canopy trees than for seedling, sapling, and pole size classes. Plasticities for measures of leaf structure were greater for ridge species than valley species; except for cuticle thickness, which showed the opposite trend (valley > ridge). Area, length, and width of leaves attained maxima for the sapling size class for all species. Drip-tip lengths were greatest for seedlings of all species, and least for canopy trees. Trends in leaf structure and morphology dimensions across size classes for late-successional canopy tree species are the same as those trends reported between rain forest species of different habitat strata (e.g., understory shrubs versus upper canopy trees). Our results suggest leaf dimensions could provide robust measures of environment, irrespective of species, or size class of tree.

scholarly journals A weak relationship between crown architectural and leaf traits in saplings of eight tropical rain-forest species in Indonesia

2008 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 425-432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Koichi Takahashi ◽  
Yumi Mikami
Keyword(s):  
Life Span ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Tropical Rain Forest ◽  
Leaf Size ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Height Growth ◽  
Leaf Life Span ◽  
Degree Of Branching ◽  
Leaf Mass ◽  
Assimilation Capacity

AbstractThere are two trade-offs at the levels of leaves and crowns, i.e. assimilation capacity per leaf mass is greater for shorter-lived leaves, and unbranched species grow faster in height by allocating carbon more to trunk than to leaves and branches compared with highly branched species. The hypotheses were tested that the degree of branching (LTB) correlates with leaf traits and that height growth rate is negatively correlated with the degree of branching and leaf life span (LLS) by examining saplings of five canopy and subcanopy species, two shrub species and one invasive subshrub species (Clidemia hirta) in a tropical rain forest, West Java, Indonesia. Of the eight species, the most and least branched species wereCastanopsis acuminatissimaandMacaranga semiglobosa, respectively. Leaf traits examined were leaf size, LLS, leaf mass per area (LMA), leaf nitrogen concentration per mass (Nmass) and per area. LLS tended to be positively correlated with LMA, and negatively correlated withNmass. Leaf size was negatively correlated withLTB, but the other leaf traits were not correlated withLTB. The height growth of the eight species was low, irrespective ofLTBand LLS, for understorey individuals. The height growth of gap individuals was negatively correlated with LLS for the eight species, and also negatively withLTBfor the seven species other than one subshrub species. Thus, the degree of branching was correlated with leaf size only among the five leaf traits, and both leaf life span and the degree of branching affected the height growth of gap individuals, except for the subshrub species.

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