Flowering Patterns in a Seasonal Tropical Lowland Forest in Western Amazonia |
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Authors: | Pablo R Stevenson Maria Clara Castellanos Ana Isabel Cortés Andrés Link |
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Institution: | Centro de Investigaciones Ecológicas La Macarena (CIEM), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de los Andes. Cr. 1a No. 18A-12, Bogotá, Colombia;Centro de Investigaciones sobre Desertificación-CIDE- (CSIC/UV/GV), Apartado Oficial 46470 Albal, Valencia, Spain;Center for the Study of Human Origins (CSHO), Department of Anthropology, New York University, 25 Waverly Place, New York City, New York 10003, U.S.A. |
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Abstract: | The phenological behavior of many tropical plant species is highly dependent on rainfall, but these plants may also respond to changes in photoperiod. Without a better knowledge of the proportion of species responding to different factors, it is difficult to predict how global climate change may affect natural ecosystem processes. The aim of this study was to describe flowering patterns for more than 100 species in Tinigua Park, Colombia, and to propose which factors may trigger flower production ( e.g. , rainfall, temperature, cloud cover, and photoperiod). Data gathered in 5.6 km of phenological transects during 4 yr and complementary information indicated that the vast majority of species showed intraspecific synchronization, and annual production was the most common pattern, followed by episodic frequency. The annual patterns were common in tree species, while episodic patterns were common in lianas. Simple and multiple regression analyses suggested several aspects of photoperiod as the most likely triggers for flowering in most species. However, the fact that many of these species produce flowers in different periods each year, suggests that the proportion of species responding to photoperiodic cues is less that 23 percent in this community. The flowering times of taxonomically related species seldom showed significantly staggered distributions; however they do not necessarily occur at the same time, suggesting that flowering patterns are not strongly constrained by phylogeny. |
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Keywords: | flowering frequency phenology photoperiod plant habits proximate factors Tinigua National Park tropical seasonal forest |
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