Recruitment dynamics of the grove-dominant tree <Emphasis Type="Italic">Microberlinia bisulcata</Emphasis> in African rain forest: extending the light response versus adult longevity trade-off concept

In groves of ectomycorrhizal caesalpiniaceous species in the Atlantic coastal forest of Central Africa the dominant tree Microberlinia bisulcata, which is shade-intolerant as a seedling but highly light-responding as a sapling, shows very limited regeneration. M. bisulcata saplings were mapped in an 82.5-ha plot at Korup and found to be located significantly far (>40 m) away from adults, a result confirmed by direct testing in a second 56-ha plot. Sapling growth over 6 years, the distribution of newly emerging seedlings around adults, recruitment of saplings in a large opening and the outward extent of seedlings at the grove edge were also investigated. Two processes appear to have been operating: (1) a very strong and consistent restriction of the very numerous seedlings establishing after masting close to adults, and (2) a strong but highly spatially variable promotion of distant survivors by increased light from the deaths of large trees of species other than M. bisulcata (which itself has very low mortality rate). This leads to an apparent escape-from-adults effect. To maintain saplings in the shade between multiple short periods of release ectomycorrhizal connections to other co-occurring caesalp species may enable a rachet-type mechanism. The recorded sapling dynamics currently contribute an essential part of the long-term cycling of the groves. M. bisulcata is an interesting example of an important group of tropical trees, particularly in Africa, which are both highly light-demanding when young yet capable also of forming very large forest emergents. To more comprehensively explain tropical tree responses, the case is made for adding a new dimension to the trade-off concept of early tree light-response versus adult longevity.     

Herbivores differentially limit the seedling growth and sapling recruitment of two dominant rain forest trees

Resource heterogeneity may influence how plants are attacked and respond to consumers in multiple ways. Perhaps a better understanding of how this interaction might limit sapling recruitment in tree populations may be achieved by examining species’ functional responses to herbivores on a continuum of resource availability. Here, we experimentally reduced herbivore pressure on newly established seedlings of two dominant masting trees in 40 canopy gaps, across c. 80 ha of tropical rain forest in central Africa (Korup, Cameroon). Mesh cages were built to protect individual seedlings, and their leaf production and changes in height were followed for 22 months. With more light, herbivores increasingly prevented the less shade-tolerant Microberlinia bisulcata from growing as tall as it could and producing more leaves, indicating an undercompensation. The more shade-tolerant Tetraberlinia bifoliolata was much less affected by herbivores, showing instead near to full compensation for leaf numbers, and a negligible to weak impact of herbivores on its height growth. A stage-matrix model that compared control and caged populations lent evidence for a stronger impact of herbivores on the long-term population dynamics of M. bisulcata than T. bifoliolata. Our results suggest that insect herbivores can contribute to the local coexistence of two abundant tree species at Korup by disproportionately suppressing sapling recruitment of the faster-growing dominant via undercompensation across the light gradient created by canopy disturbances. The functional patterns we have documented here are consistent with current theory, and, because gap formations are integral to forest regeneration, they may be more widely applicable in other tropical forest communities. If so, the interaction between life-history and herbivore impact across light gradients may play a substantial role in tree species coexistence.     

Comparison of Herbivores and Herbivory in the Canopy and Understory for Two Tropical Tree Species1

The Janzen–Connell model of tropical forest tree diversity predicts that seedlings and young trees growing close to conspecific adults should experience higher levels of damage and mortality from herbivorous insects, with the adult trees acting as either an attractant or source of the herbivores. Previous research in a seasonal forest showed that this pattern of distance‐dependent herbivory occurred in the early wet season during the peak of new leaf production. I hypothesized that distance‐dependent herbivory may occur at this time because the new foliage in the canopy attracts high numbers of herbivores that are limited to feeding on young leaves. As a consequence, seedlings and saplings growing close to these adults are more likely to be discovered and damaged by these herbivores. In the late wet season, when there is little leaf production in the canopy, leaf damage is spread more evenly throughout the forest and distance dependence disappears. I tested three predictions based on this hypothesis: (1) the same species of insect herbivores attack young and adult trees of a given plant species; (2) herbivore densities increase on adult trees during leaf production; and (3) herbivore densities in the understory rise during the course of the wet season. Censuses were conducted on adults and saplings of two tree species, raribea asterolepis and Alseis blackiana. Adults and saplings of both species had largely the same suite of chewing herbivore species. On adults of Q. asterolepis, the density of chewing herbivores increased 6–10 times during leaf production, but there was no increase in herbivore density on adults of A. blackiana. Herbivore densities increased 4.5 times on A. blackiana saplings and 8.9 times on Q. asterolepis saplings during the wet season, but there were no clear trends on the adults of either species. These results suggest that the potential of adult trees as a source of herbivores on saplings depends on the value of new leaves to a tree species' herbivores, which may differ across tree species.     

The role of the soil seed and seedling bank in the regeneration of diverse plant communities in the subtropical Ailao Mountains,Southwest China

We compared species composition and diversity of the soil seed and seedling banks in three secondary vegetation types (shrubland, Populus bonatii forest, Lithocarpus regrowth forest) and a primary old-growth forest in the subtropical Ailao Mountains of southwestern China to clarify the importance of seed and seedling banks for forest dynamics. The average species richness was the highest in soil samples from the shrubland (26.80 ± 1.98), and the lowest from the primary forest (9.93 ± 0.50). The density of germinable tree seeds increased from the secondary vegetation to the primary forest, and the density of shrub, forb, and graminoid seeds decreased significantly. The most abundant seedlings recorded in soil samples were light-demanding species in the shrubland and Populus bonatii forest. For ground flora, the number of shrub seedlings strongly decreased with the increase in stand age, and shade-tolerant tree seedlings tended to increase. The species similarity between the seed bank and the aboveground vegetation in all sites was low (Sørensen’s index = 0.11–0.33), however, the shrubland had higher similarity compared with the other three plant communities. In the primary forest, light-demanding woody species dominated in soil seed banks, while shade-tolerant species dominated in the overstory and the forest floor. In the primary forest, seedlings of dominant tree species were rare in the understory, and no seeds of the dominant species were found in the soil. Results indicated that the early stages of vegetation recovery should take into account the possibility of recovering soil seed bank processes. However, colonization and establishment of tree seedlings will be difficult once a primary forest is destroyed.     

林隙对香樟和枫香幼苗早期生长阶段功能性状的影响

探究林隙对不同需光性树种早期生长特征和功能性状的影响,对揭示林隙微生境影响次生林内幼苗更新机制具有重要意义。以亚热带次生林中耐荫常绿树种香樟和阳性落叶树种枫香幼苗为试验对象,研究大林隙(D/H介于1.5—2.0)、中林隙(D/H介于1.0—1.5)和小林隙(D/H介于0.5—1.0)对不同需光树种幼苗早期(1—3年生)生长特征和功能性状的影响。结果表明：(1)林隙大小对两种幼苗的生长均有显著影响。其中,中林隙可显著促进香樟2—3年生幼苗的生长,大林隙对枫香1—3年生幼苗的生长均具有显著促进作用。(2)对林隙环境因子与幼苗功能性状的关系进行冗余分析表明,香樟幼苗功能性状的变化与林隙土壤有机质含量、水解性氮含量、酸碱度和有效磷含量密切相关,而枫香幼苗功能性状则主要受林隙土壤酸碱度、有机质含量、水解性氮含量、土壤含水率、冠层透光率和土壤有效磷含量的影响。(3)维持较高的根重比、细根比根长、叶碳氮比和叶碳磷比是幼苗应对林隙环境影响的重要生理生态调节机制。     

Herbivory on Temperate Rainforest Seedlings in Sun and Shade: Resistance,Tolerance and Habitat Distribution

Differential herbivory and/or differential plant resistance or tolerance in sun and shade environments may influence plant distribution along the light gradient. Embothrium coccineum is one of the few light-demanding tree species in the temperate rainforest of southern South America, and seedlings are frequently attacked by insects and snails. Herbivory may contribute to the exclusion of E. coccineum from the shade if 1) herbivory pressure is greater in the shade, which in turn can result from shade plants being less resistant or from habitat preferences of herbivores, and/or 2) consequences of damage are more detrimental in the shade, i.e., shade plants are less tolerant. We tested this in a field study with naturally established seedlings in treefall gaps (sun) and forest understory (shade) in a temperate rainforest of southern Chile. Seedlings growing in the sun sustained nearly 40% more herbivore damage and displayed half of the specific leaf area than those growing in the shade. A palatability test showed that a generalist snail consumed ten times more leaf area when fed on shade leaves compared to sun leaves, i.e., plant resistance was greater in sun-grown seedlings. Herbivore abundance (total biomass) was two-fold greater in treefall gaps compared to the forest understory. Undamaged seedlings survived better and showed a slightly higher growth rate in the sun. Whereas simulated herbivory in the shade decreased seedling survival and growth by 34% and 19%, respectively, damaged and undamaged seedlings showed similar survival and growth in the sun. Leaf tissue lost to herbivores in the shade appears to be too expensive to replace under the limiting light conditions of forest understory. Following evaluations of herbivore abundance and plant resistance and tolerance in contrasting light environments, we have shown how herbivory on a light-demanding tree species may contribute to its exclusion from shade sites. Thus, in the shaded forest understory, where the seedlings of some tree species are close to their physiological tolerance limit, herbivory could play an important role in plant establishment.     

Seedling and Sapling Dynamics of Treefall Pits in Puerto Rico1

Seedling and sapling dynamics in a Puerto Rican rain forest were compared between forest understory and soil pits created by the uprooting of 27 trees during Hurricane Hugo. Soil N and P, organic matter, and soil moisture were lower and bulk densities were higher in the disturbed mineral soils of the pits than in undisturbed forest soils ten months after the hurricane. No differences in N and P levels were found in pit or forest soils under two trees with N–fixing symbionts (Inga laurina and Ormosia krugii) compared to soils under a tree species without N–fixing sym–bionts (Casearia arborea), but other soil variables (Al, Fe, K) did vary by tree species. Forest plots had greater species richness of seedlings (<10 cm tall) and saplings (10–100 cm tall) than plots in the soil pits (and greater sapling densities), but seedling densities were similar between plot types. Species richness and seedling densities did not vary among plots associated with the three tree species, but some saplings were more abundant under trees of the same species. Pit size did not affect species richness or seedling and sapling densities. Recruitment of young Cecropia schreberiana trees (>5 m tall) 45 months after the hurricane was entirely from the soil pits, with no tree recruitment from forest plots. Larger soil pits had more tree recruitment than smaller pits. Defoliation of the forest by the hurricane created a large but temporary increase in light availability. Recruitment of C. schreberiana to the canopy occurred in gaps created by the treefall pits that had lower soil nutrients but provided a longer–term increase in light availability. Treefall pits also significantly altered the recruitment and mortality of many understory species in the Puerto Rican rain forest but did not alter species richness.     

Multiple canopy opening effects on recruited saplings in a typhoon-disturbed tropical rainforest,Taiwan

To investigate the influence of multiple canopy openings on the composition and diversity of recruited saplings in a forest frequently disturbed by typhoons. We conducted tree-by-tree censuses (diameter at breast height ≥ 1 cm) and mapped gaps (canopy height < 5 m) in 1993, 2000, 2008, and 2013 in a tropical mountain zonal foothill evergreen broad-leaved forest in Nanjenshan Nature Reserve, Taiwan. We analyzed the composition and diversity of recruited saplings within a 2.1 ha plot (840 sampling quadrats (5 m × 5 m)) with variable numbers of canopy openings recorded during the study period. Composition of recruited saplings was dissimilar between quadrats that stayed opened and those that stayed closed throughout the study period (pairwise similarity estimates C₀₂ = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.38–0.66). The quadrats under closed canopy had high diversity when weighting rare species (species richness), whereas quadrats with one or two gap opening records during the past 20 years had high diversity when weighting the abundance of species. Although canopy openings provided establishment conditions for saplings of some shade-intolerant species, due to the nature of small gap size, such habitats do not favor the dominance of shade-intolerant species. Even in a frequently disturbed forest, species composition and richness of recruited saplings were mainly contributed by shade-tolerant species. Although multiple canopy openings facilitated the establishment of shade-intolerant species, species diversity in the study forests is possibly mainly mediated by coexistence mechanisms of those shade-tolerant species rather than light-gap-related species strategies.     

Gap-phase regeneration in a tropical montane forest: the effects of gap structure and bamboo species

To study the influence of gap structure and bamboo species on the regrowth of montane Atlantic forest, colonization by plants was characterized in 30 treefall gaps (30.3–500.5 m²). The study was conducted at Santa Virgínia (45°30 W, 23°17 S), a 4970-ha reserve of Atlantic montane forest in southeastern Brazil. Area covered by bamboos ranged from 0% to 100% of gap area. Average height of surrounding canopies ranged from 12 to 30 m. As gap are covered by bamboo and average height of surrounding canopies increased, both density and richness of pioneer woody species decreased. Density and richness of shade-tolerant species were negatively influenced by gap area. Low-light-demanding species of Miconia, Leandra and Rapanea accounted for the majority of both pioneer species and individuals sampled, whereas high-light demanding pioneers of Cecropia, Alchornea and Tibouchina were poorly represented. We suggest that in the Atlantic montane forest bamboo species compete for gaps, excluding other light-demanding pioneers. This results in an overall reduction of pioneer species richness in the Atlantic forest.     

Removal of Nonnative Vines and Post‐Hurricane Recruitment in Tropical Hardwood Forests of Florida1

In hardwood subtropical forests of southern Florida, nonnative vines have been hypothesized to be detrimental, as many species form dense “vine blankets” that shroud the forest. To investigate the effects of nonnative vines in post‐hurricane regeneration, we set up four large (two pairs of 30 X 60 m) study areas in each of three study sites. One of each pair was unmanaged and the other was managed by removal of nonnative plants, predominantly vines. Within these areas, we sampled vegetation in 5 X 5 m plots for stems 2 cm DBH (diameter at breast height) or greater and in 2 X 0.5 m plots for stems of all sizes. For five years, at annual censuses, we tagged and measured stems of vines, trees, shrubs and herbs in these plots. For each 5 X 5 m plot, we estimated percent coverage by individual vine species, using native and nonnative vines as classes. We investigated the hypotheses that: (1) plot coverage, occurrence and recruitment of nonnative vines were greater than that of native vines in unmanaged plots; (2) the management program was effective at reducing cover by nonnative vines; and (3) reduction of cover by nonnative vines improved recruitment of seedlings and saplings of native trees, shrubs, and herbs. In unmanaged plots, nonnative vines recruited more seedlings and had a significantly higher plot‐cover index, but not a higher frequency of occurrence. Management significantly reduced cover by nonnative vines and had a significant overall positive effect on recruitment of seedlings and saplings of native trees, shrubs and herbs. Management also affected the seedling community (which included vines, trees, shrubs, and herbs) in some unanticipated ways, favoring early successional species for a longer period of time. The vine species with the greatest potential to “strangle” gaps were those that rapidly formed dense cover, had shade tolerant seedling recruitment, and were animal‐dispersed. This suite of traits was more common in the nonnative vines than in the native vines. Our results suggest that some vines may alter the spatiotemporal pattern of recruitment sites in a forest ecosystem following a natural disturbance by creating many very shady spots very quickly.     

Herbivores limit the population size of big‐leaf mahogany trees in an Amazonian forest

The Janzen–Connell hypothesis proposes that specialized herbivores maintain high numbers of tree species in tropical forests by restricting adult recruitment so that host populations remain at low densities. We tested this prediction for the large timber tree species, Swietenia macrophylla, whose seeds and seedlings are preyed upon by small mammals and a host‐specific moth caterpillar Steniscadia poliophaea, respectively. At a primary forest site, experimental seed additions to gaps – canopy‐disturbed areas that enhance seedling growth into saplings – over three years revealed lower survival and seedling recruitment closer to conspecific trees and in higher basal area neighborhoods, as well as reduced subsequent seedling survival and height growth. When we included these Janzen–Connell effects in a spatially explicit individual‐based population model, the caterpillar's impact was critical to limiting Swietenia's adult tree density, with a > 10‐fold reduction estimated at 300 years. Our research demonstrates the crucial but oft‐ignored linkage between Janzen–Connell effects on offspring and population‐level consequences for a long‐lived, potentially dominant tree species.     

Environmental Correlates of Tree and Seedling–Sapling Distributions in a Mexican Tropical Dry Forest

Bray and Curtis ordination was used to explore which environmental variables explained importance values and the presence–absence of tropical tree seedlings, saplings and adults in La Escondida-La Cabaña, Sierra de Manantlán, Jalisco, Mexico. The diameters of trees ≥2.5 cm DBH and the presence and height of seedlings and saplings were measured in nine 0.1 ha sites. Four matrices including presence–absence data and importance value indices for trees and seedlings and saplings were analyzed through Bray and Curtis ordination. The matrices were based on density, frequency, and dominance of adult trees as well as seedlings and saplings. The environmental matrix consisted of 18 variables, including elevation, slope, canopy gaps, disturbance, and soil variables. We recorded 63 tree species and 38 seedling and sapling species in the nine sites. The ordination explained 70.9% of the variation in importance value data for trees and 62.6% for seedlings and saplings. The variation explained in presence–absence data for trees was 67.1 and 77.4% for seedlings and saplings. The variance in the ordination axes of seedlings and sapling presence–absence data was poorly explained by the number of gaps in the tree, shrub, or herb layer, suggesting little light specialization by seedlings and saplings. Habitat specialization for soil nutrients appears to be important in explaining the presence–absence of seedlings and saplings. Seedling and sapling specialization along different soil microsites could promote species coexistence in this forest, while heterogeneity in light conditions may instead determine differences in growth and, thus, importance value of trees. We hypothesize that in tropical dry forest in Jalisco, Mexico, a habitat specialization for soil resources is likely more importance at early stages in tree life histories than in later life history.     

Disturbance Level Determines the Regeneration of Commercial Tree Species in the Eastern Amazon

The effects of reduced‐impact logging (RIL) on the regeneration of commercial tree species were investigated, as long‐term timber yields depend partly on the availability of seedlings in a managed forest. On four occasions during a 20‐month period in the Tapajós National Forest (Eastern Amazon, Brazil), seven commercial tree species were assessed as follows: the long‐lived pioneers Bagassa guianensis and Jacaranda copaia; the partially shade‐tolerant Hymenaea courbaril, Dipteryx odorata, and Carapa guianensis; and the totally shade‐tolerant Symphonia globulifera and Manilkara huberi. In 2439 10 × 10 m plots, all individuals < 20 cm diameter at breast height (dbh) were assessed over three intervals, before, during, and after the forest being logged. Before logging, the density of seedlings and saplings of the seven species did not change. Logged trees were spatially aggregated, with 9.2 percent of the plots being heavily impacted by logging. After logging, the recruitment rate increased more than the mortality rate, so that post‐harvesting densities of seedlings and saplings increased. The increase in density was concentrated in logged plots with more disturbances. It is concluded that post‐harvesting heterogeneity of micro‐environments created by RIL may be an important component to be taken into account for sustainable forest management and conservation of commercial species.     

广东亚热带森林木本植物幼苗生长特性研究

研究了广东亚热带42种木本植物幼苗的生长及其与物种的生态特性、生活型、种子大小的相互关系.较强光下(H,66.8 μmol m-2s-1)乔木幼苗的茎高和茎生物量显著高于灌木幼苗的相应值,但在较低光下(L,33.7 μmol m-2s-1)两者无显著差异.而阳性植物、耐阴植物和中间型植物之间,茎高和茎生物量无显著差别.乔木幼苗的叶面积和叶生物量比灌木幼苗大,但灌木幼苗的叶片数较乔木幼苗多.大种子种和小种子种幼苗之间,阳性植物、耐阴植物和中间型植物幼苗之间的叶片数和叶面积一般无显著差异.阳性植物幼苗比耐阴植物幼苗侧根数多.乔木幼苗的根生物量和根/茎比显著高于灌木幼苗在较高光下,阳性植物幼苗的根/茎比较耐阴植物幼苗高,但在较低光下无明显差异.45 d幼苗的根生物量与种子重量呈显著的正相关,而90 d幼苗无明显的相关.乔木幼苗个体生物量显著高于灌木幼苗.幼苗相对生长率和叶面积比的大小呈现如下顺序阳性植物＞中间型植物＞耐阴植物,但只有阳性植物和耐阴植物之间有显著差异.阳性植物、中间型植物和耐阴植物幼苗之间的单位叶率无显著差异.     

Do vine species in neotropical forests see the forest or the trees?

Questions: Is the occurrence of vine species in neotropical rain forests primarily determined by properties of the forest (environmental factors), by properties of the trees (tree species or tree size) or are vines randomly distributed? Location: Maya Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala. Methods: In five 1‐ha plots that span variation from unlogged forest to forest impacted by recurrent human disturbance we recorded the presence of all climbing vine species on every tree. The presence of all free standing vine species and 11 environmental variables were recorded in 100‐m² subplots. The relationship of host tree diameter and host tree identity on single tree vine species richness was investigated by GLM modelling. Partial redundancy analyses were used to partition the variation in vine species composition on two sources: environmental factors and tree species identity. Results: Single tree vine richness increased with increasing host tree DBH and differed significantly among host species. For climbing vines, the ratio of variation in subplot presence explained by tree species and by environmental variables was ca. 4:1 (in the most disturbed logged plots slightly lower), for free standing vines this ratio varied from 1:2 in the most disturbed logged plots to 9:1 in reserve plots, while a ratio of ca. 1:1 was found for all plots analysed together. Conclusion: Different tree species have different probabilities of being infested by vines. Vines see both the forest and the trees; the environment is more important in earlier developmental stages, properties of individual trees become more important from the time vines start to climb.     

Ecological filtering by a dominant herb selects for shade tolerance in the tree seedling community of coastal dune forest

The regeneration niche is commonly partitioned along a gradient from shade-tolerant to shade-intolerant species to explain plant community assembly in forests. We examined the shade tolerance of tree seedlings in a subtropical coastal forest to determine whether the ecological filtering effect of a dominant, synchronously monocarpic herb (Isoglossa woodii) selects for species at either end of the light response continuum during the herb’s vegetative and reproductive phases. Photosynthetic characteristics of seedlings of 20 common tree species and the herb were measured. Seedlings were grown in the greenhouse at 12–14% irradiance, and their light compensation points measured using an open-flow gas exchange system. The light compensation points for the tree species were low, falling within a narrow range from 2.1 ± 0.8 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ in Celtis africana to 6.4 ± 0.7 μmol m⁻² s⁻¹ in Allophylus natalensis, indicating general shade tolerance, consistent with a high and narrow range of apparent quantum yield among species (0.078 ± 0.002 mol CO₂ mol⁻¹ photon). Rates of dark respiration were significantly lower in a generalist pioneer species (Acacia karroo) than in a forest pioneer (C. africana), or in late successional phase forest species. We argue that the general shade tolerance, and phenotypic clustering of shade tolerance, in many tree species from several families in this system, is a result of ecological filtering by the prevailing low light levels beneath the I. woodii understorey, which excludes most light-demanding species from the seedling community.     

Distribution and abundance of vines along the light gradient in a southern temperate rain forest

Question: Are vines light‐demanding species? Location: Temperate evergreen rain forest of southern Chile (40°39′S, 72°11′W). Methods: In 45 plots of 25 m² distributed in treefall canopy gaps, secondary forest stands and old‐growth forest (15 plots per light environment), all climbing and non‐supported vines were counted and identified to species level, and canopy openness was quantified using hemispherical photographs. Vine abundance and diversity (species richness and Simpson's index) were compared in the three light environments and similarity between vine communities was estimated using Jaccard's similarity coefficient. We also determined the relationship between light niche breadth and local dominance at the species level. Results: In total there were 2510 vine individuals of 14 species. Canopy openness was significantly different in the three light environments. Species richness, diversity, community composition and density of vines were similar in treefall gaps, secondary and old‐growth forest. Of the seven more common vine species, which accounted for 91% of all vines, three had even distribution, two were more abundant in the shaded understorey, and two had higher density in well‐lit sites. Local dominance of vine species and niche breadth were not significantly associated. Conclusions: Our study in a temperate rain forest questions the widespread notion of vines as pioneer‐like species, which may be a consequence of the abundance of some lianas in disturbed sites of tropical forests. Functional arguments are needed to justify a general hypothesis on light requirements of vines, which constitute a vast group of species.     

Tree seedling development in tropical dry abandoned pasture and secondary forest in Costa Rica

Development of planted seedlings of four canopy tree species in recently abandoned pastures (mown and unmown) and in ca. 40-yr old secondary dry forest in Guana-caste National Park, Costa Rica, was studied from July 1989–June 1992. The species were the light-demanding Cedrela odorata and Swietenia macrophylla, and the shade-tolerant Hymenaea courbaril and Manilkara chicle. Seedling mortality was high and primarily correlated with dry season drought. After the first dry season, M. chicle and C. odorata showed < 5 % survival in the pasture and 20 % in the forest, but after 3 yr survival had decreased to 3% in all plots. Survival of S. macrophylla was highest in the mown pasture (45 % after 3 yr) and lowest in the forest (10 %). For H. courbaril, survival was 40–55 % under all three conditions. Growth rates were low, with a height increment of < 15 cm/yr, possibly due to low precipitation in 1990 and 1991. All species grew taller in the pasture than in the forest. Differences in soil depth, texture and drainage appeared to contribute to variation in the results both within and between plots. Herbivory contributed to the lower survival of C. odorata and S. macrophylla in the forest.     

Abundance of climbing plants in a southern temperate rain forest: host tree characteristics or light availability?

Question: In a southern temperate rain forest, we addressed three questions: (1) Does the abundance of climbing plants increase with light availability? (2) Do host tree species differ in their susceptibility to vine infestation? (3) How does the relationship between host tree trunk diameter and relative abundance of vines vary with their climbing mechanism? Location: Two sites in the temperate evergreen rain forest of southern Chile: Puyehue (40°39′S, 72°09′W; 350 m a.s.l.) and Pastahue (42°22′S, 73°49′W; 285 m a.s.l.). Methods: We sampled vines in 60 25‐m² plots, with 20 plots in each of three light environments: mature forest, forest edges and canopy gaps. In each plot, for every tree ≥1.50‐m tall of any diameter we counted and identified all climbing plant individuals at a height of 1.30 m. We also counted, measured (trunk diameter at 1.30 m) and identified all these trees, and determined prevalence of vine infestation for each tree species. Results: Light availability in forest plots did not affect vine abundance when the number and size of host trees was taken into account. Overall, vine abundance increased with host tree trunk diameter. Tree species did not differ in the prevalence of vine infestation. The relative abundance of stem twiners and adhesive climbers decreased and increased with trunk diameter, respectively. The densities of stem twiners and adhesive climbers were negatively correlated across the forest. Conclusion: We provide further evidence that the pattern of vine abundance is independent of light availability in southern temperate rain forests, in contrast to results commonly reported for tropical rain forests. We also show that support suitability across the forest varies with the mechanism by which vines climb, probably due in part to biomechanical constraints and in part to vine interspecific competition, a virtually unexplored ecological factor.