Effects of forest age on fruit composition and removal in tropical bird-dispersed understorey trees

2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (5) ◽  
pp. 515-522 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather A. Lumpkin ◽  
W. Alice Boyle

Abstract:Little is known about how land-use changes affect interspecific interactions such as fruit–frugivore mutualisms. Forest age could affect both fruit sugar concentrations via differences in light availability or disperser abundance, and fruit removal rates via differences in bird and plant community composition. We examined how these two factors are affected by forest age in a Costa Rican rain forest. We compared seven young-secondary forest species, seven old-growth forest species, andMiconia nervosagrowing in both forests. We measured sugar concentrations in fruits and manipulated the location of paired fruiting branches, measuring subsequent fruit removal. Sugar concentration means were on average 2.1 percentage points higher in young-secondary forest species than in old-growth forest species, but did not differ amongMiconia nervosafruits from the two forests. Fruit removal rates were higher in young-secondary forest for 86% of young-secondary forest species, 71% of old-growth forest species, and on average for both young-secondary and old-growth forestMiconia nervosaindividuals. Higher sugar concentrations in young-secondary forest plants could reflect stronger competition for dispersers, while experimental fruit removal results suggests the opposite patterns of competition; fruits are more likely to be removed by dispersers in young-secondary forest independent of fruit nutrient concentration.

1978 ◽  
Vol 56 (13) ◽  
pp. 1505-1509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen A. Whipple

Species of buried, germinating seeds and species occurring in the vegetation are compared for two Colorado subalpine forest stands, one dry and one mesic, both over 325 years old. The total numbers of seeds found were small and the correspondence with species in the vegetation was poor. This is consistent with reports from other old-growth forests and may be accounted for by a combination of low seed input and rapid loss of viable seeds from the soil reservoir for old-growth forest species.


2005 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 397-406 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julieta Benítez-Malvido ◽  
Miguel Martínez-Ramos ◽  
José Luis C. Camargo ◽  
Isolde D. K. Ferraz

In the Central Amazon we investigated whether seedling performance (survival, and relative growth rates in height and leaf numbers) was affected by initial seedling size (height and leaf numbers) in habitats that varied in their degree of human disturbance: cattle pasture, young secondary forest, 1-ha forest fragment and old-growth forest. Additionally, effects of photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), litter standing crop (LSC) and insect herbivory were evaluated 12 mo after transplantation in seedlings from the native canopy trees Chrysophyllum pomiferum, Micropholis venulosa and Pouteria caimito. Seedling performance changed rank across the understorey environment depending on species. Seedlings of Chrysophyllum thrived in all conditions but under high PAR, Micropholis thrived only in intermediate light conditions, whereas Pouteria thrived under high PAR. Effects of initial seedling size, PAR and herbivory after 1 y were specific to species, whereas LSC had no effect on performance. Initially larger seedlings resulted in lower survival for Chrysophyllum and Pouteria. Herbivory affected seedling performance in all species. Negative effects of herbivory were intensified under low PAR. Overall, our results showed that, as seedlings, species of the same family and characteristic of old-growth forests respond differently to the environmental constraints present in contrasting human-disturbed conditions. Larger seedlings may not always present greater tolerance to physical and biotic mortality risks.


2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
pp. 120-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel S. Botting ◽  
Arthur L. Fredeen

The diversity and abundance of terrestrial lichens, mosses, and liverworts were examined and compared between two ages of forest (old-growth and young second-growth) on two dominant soil types (fine- and coarse-textured soils) in subboreal spruce forests in central British Columbia. Major differences in species composition were found between forest ages, with 30% of species found only in old-growth forest and 21% found only in young second-growth forest. Liverworts were much more common in old-growth sites with half the liverwort species found exclusively in old-growth, and 90% of the recorded liverwort observations occurring there. Different moss species assemblages dominated old-growth and second-growth sites, with much of the terrestrial cover of second-growth sites composed of Polytrichum juniperinum Hedw. Young second-growth forest had higher cover of lichen species than old-growth forest. Lichens and bryophytes used different terrestrial substrates in each forest age, with higher cover of mosses and lichens occurring on woody substrates in old-growth, irrespective of substrate availability. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling ordination clearly separated plots by forest age and also showed soil texture to be a defining variable. Though not statistically significant, there was increased bryophyte diversity on coarse-textured soils and increased lichen cover on fine-textured soils.


2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 301-311 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julieta Benítez-Malvido ◽  
Miguel Martínez-Ramos

Abstract:Plant survival and growth in tropical rain forest are affected by different biotic and abiotic forces. As time elapses and plants grow the relative importance of such forces as regeneration inhibitors and/or facilitators may change according to habitat and species. To detect within- and among-species divergences in performance over time in different habitats we followed, for nearly a decade, the survival, growth and herbivory of seedlings of the native tree species: Chrysophyllum pomiferum, Micropholis venulosa and Pouteria caimito. In Central Amazonia, young seedlings were planted into old-growth and secondary forests dominated by Vismia spp. One year after planting, C. pomiferum ranked first (i.e. fast growth, fewer dead and less herbivory) for both habitats, followed by M. venulosa and P. caimito. Initial trends changed over time. In the long term, M. venulosa ranked first for both habitats, followed by C. pomiferum and P. caimito ranked consistently lowest. Within-species divergences in growth and herbivory were greater in secondary forest. Initial seedling responses cannot always be used to predict species persistence in the long term. Contrary to previous estimations, old-growth-forest species can persist under Vismia spp. stands, at least when planted.


Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
Marconi Campos-Cerqueira ◽  
W. Douglas Robinson ◽  
Gabriel Augusto Leite ◽  
T. Mitchell Aide

The effects of forest degradation, fragmentation, and climate change occur over long time periods, yet relatively few data are available to evaluate the long-term effects of these disturbances on tropical species occurrence. Here, we quantified changes in occupancy of 50 bird species over 17 years on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama, a model system for the long-term effects of habitat fragmentation. The historical data set (2002–2005) was based on point counts, whereas the contemporary data set (2018) was based on acoustic monitoring. For most species, there was no significant change in occupancy; however, the occupancy of four species (Tinamus major, Polioptila plumbea, Myiarchus tuberculifer, and Ceratopipra mentalis) increased significantly, and the occupancy of three species (Saltator grossus, Melanerpes pucherani, and Cyanoloxia cyanoides) decreased significantly. Forest age explained the majority of occupancy variation and affected the occupancy of more bird species than survey period or elevation. Approximately 50% of the species seem to favor old-growth forest, and 15 species (30%) had a significantly higher occupancy in old-growth forest sites. Elevation had no significant impact on the occupancy of the majority of bird species. Although BCI has been a protected reserve for approximately 100 years, land-use legacies (i.e., forest age) continue to influence bird distribution.


2018 ◽  
Vol 24 (10) ◽  
pp. 1416-1425 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise Mair ◽  
Mari Jönsson ◽  
Minna Räty ◽  
Lars Bärring ◽  
Gustav Strandberg ◽  
...  

2001 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Atte Komonen ◽  
Juha Siitonen ◽  
Marko Mutanen

This paper describes insect communities inhabiting two old-growth forest polypores Amylocystis lapponica and Fomitopsis rosea (Polyporaceae). Basidiocarps of both species were collected from old-growth forests in southern and eastern Finland and Russia. Samples of A. lapponica and F. rosea basidiocarps revealed insect communities of more than 50 species each, including many rare old-growth forest species. Here we report the rearing results and discuss the biology of the beetle Hallomenus sp. (Melandryidae) inhabiting A. lapponica and the beetle Cis dentatus (Cisidae), the moth Agnathosia mendicella (Tineidae) and the fly Elfia cingulata (Tachinidae) inhabiting F. rosea. Distribution maps of C. dentatus and A. mendicella in Finland are given.


Author(s):  
Charlotte C. Smith ◽  
John Healey ◽  
Erika Berenguer ◽  
Paul J. Young ◽  
Ben Taylor ◽  
...  

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document