BROWN ROOT ROT OF TOMATOES: II. THE FUNGAL FLORA OF THE RHIZOSPHERE

The fungal populations of soil and of the rhizosphere of tomatoes in steamed, fallowed and unsteamed plots were compared. Steaming greatly reduced the numbers of fungi in the soil, but fallowing had little effect. Soil bacteria were greatly reduced by steaming but increased to the level in the unsteamed plots after heavy watering. Outer rhizosphere fungal populations in unsteamed plots in July were larger than in the steamed plots, but by October this difference had disappeared, although roots in the unsteamed soil showed the greater development of disease.
Root surface counts indicated that the populations on actively growing roots in July in steamed and unsteamed plots reached similar levels, and there was a slight fall in numbers in both types of plot in October. Fungal infection of roots increased noticeably in unsteamed plots between July and October, although root surface numbers showed a decrease.
Of the fungal species isolated Colletotrichum atramentarium showed a distribution between soil and root surface which suggested that it was a root inhabiting fungus. Cephalosporium spp. were also found on the root surface and in roots, especially those from steamed soil.     

放牧对短花针茅荒漠草原植物多样性的影响

放牧干扰对草原植物多样性影响机制是放牧生态学研究的核心问题。以内蒙古锡林郭勒盟苏尼特右旗的短花针茅荒漠草原的长期放牧控制实验为平台,系统研究了放牧调控下植物多样性随组织尺度转换的影响,为荒漠草原植物多样性尺度推绎提供理论基础。结果显示:1)现存草地物种数未放牧最高,适度放牧次之,重度放牧最低,差异体现在多年生杂类草和一年生草本2个功能群上,且各功能群的权重基本不受放牧强度影响;2)群落尺度,放牧强度没有显著影响丰富度指数,未放牧小区的植物Simpson生态优势度指数、Shannon-Wiener物种多样性指数与Pielou均匀度指数大于适度放牧小区,显著大于重度放牧小区(P0.05);功能群尺度,多年生禾草与一年生草本的多样性指数对放牧无显著响应,多年生杂类草的多样性指数未放牧小区最高,适度放牧小区次之。3)Godron群落稳定性指数显示,适度放牧的小区稳定性高于未放牧小区和重度放牧小区。研究表明,放牧强度的上升使短花针茅荒漠草原不同组织尺度植物多样性降低,但群落稳定性结果显示适度放牧的草地表现出了更高的稳定性,植物多样性与稳定性的权衡将是合理制定区域科学放牧强度的重要途径。     

Microbial Community Structure and Carbon-Utilization Diversity in a Mine Tailings Revegetation Study

Restoration of metals‐contaminated environments requires a functional microbial community for successful plant community establishment, soil development, and biogeochemical cycling. Our research measured microbial community structure and carbon‐utilization diversity in treatment plots from a mine waste revegetation project near Butte, Montana. Treatments included two controls (raw tailings) either (1) with or (2) without tilling, (3) shallow‐tilled lime addition, (4) deep‐tilled lime addition, (5) lime slurry injection, (6) topsoil addition, and (7) an undisturbed area near the tailings. Microbial community structural differences were assayed by plate counts of heterotrophic bacteria, actinomycetes, fungi, and bacterial endospores, and quantification of arbuscular mycorrhizae colonization. Metabolic diversity differences were assessed by carbon‐utilization profiles generated with Biolog microtiter plates. Heterotrophic bacteria counts were significantly higher in the limed and topsoil treatment plots than the control plots, and the actinomycete and fungal counts increased in the tilled control plot as well. Endospore counts were significantly higher in the topsoil addition and the undisturbed plots than the other treatment plots. Carbon‐utilization activity was very low in untreated plots, intermediate in lime‐treated plots, and very high in topsoil and undisturbed plots. Arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) colonization levels of two grass species showed low levels of colonization on control, shallow‐limed, and lime slurry‐injected plots, and high levels on the deep‐limed and topsoil‐addition plots. Plant and soil system components increased across the treatment plots, but individual components responded differently to changing environmental conditions.     

Phylogeography of the Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) in northeast Asia: inferences from organelle gene sequences

Range-wide genetic variation of Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) was assessed using maternally inherited mtDNA and paternally inherited cpDNA for 16 natural populations throughout northeast Asia in order to study its phylogeographical history during the Quaternary. The cpDNA variation indicated that there was no difference between populations on the Asian continent and those in the Japanese archipelago. In contrast, the mtDNA variation indicated that there was significant difference between the populations from the two regions, with each region having a different lineage. The continental populations exhibited no diversity in the mtDNA examined despite the species’ current extensive range and large populations. Conversely, while the Korean pine is rare in Japan, the Japanese populations exhibited greater levels of mtDNA diversity (H _T?=?0.502). The higher mtDNA diversity and evidence from numerous Korean pine macrofossil remains dated to the Pleistocene and recovered various sites in Japan suggest that the Japanese archipelago once served as a refugium to a much larger Korean pine population with a more extensive range than is the case today. The presence of the single mtDNA haplotype across the Asian continent suggests that the present widespread populations could have expanded from a single refugium population after the last glacial periods.     

Pteridophyte diversity and species composition in four Amazonian rain forests

Abstract. Local variation in individual density, species composition, species richness and species diversity of terrestrial pteridophytes were studied at four sites in the tropical lowland rain forest of western Amazonia. 15 568 pteridophyte individuals representing 40 species were recorded in four plots. The variability among subplots within the same plot was considerable in all the characteristics measured (number of individuals, number of species, species diversity); the square 1‐ha plot was more homogeneous in these respects than any of the three 5 m by 1300 m transects. Species richness was affected by the density of individuals both within and among plots. Density of individuals was not affected by topographical position within any of the plots, whereas in some of the plots both species richness and species diversity were. Clustering and ordination analyses showed that floristically similar subplots could be found in different plots: although there was a tendency for subplots from the same plot to be floristically similar and therefore to group together, many recognized groups included subplots from two or more plots. Both within and among plots, the floristic differences corresponded to topographic position and were probably related to soil drainage. This was also evident in that the abundance patterns of many species followed the topography.     

Cryptic differentiation and geographic variation in genetic diversity of Hall's Babbler Pomatostomus halli

Sequence variation was examined in domain I of the mitochondrial control region in three Queensland populations of Hall's Babbler Pomatostomus halli , a geographically restricted, monotypic songbird in eastern Australia. Surprisingly, we found that domain I sequences were strongly differentiated into two major clades differing by 3.29%. These two clades exhibited nearly complete geographic concordance with northern and southern populations, except for two haplotypes which were sampled in the north of the range but were phylogenetically allied to the southern clade. We also found a seven-fold higher level of genetic diversity in the northern than in the southern populations. Neutrality and molecular clock tests suggested that selection or differences in substitution rates were not responsible for this difference in diversity. However, a maximum likelihood analysis of gene flow between the north and south suggested that the difference in diversity could be due to both greater population size in the north and asymmetric gene flow dominated by south to north dispersal events. A likelihood ratio test rejected a model in which population sizes were equal and rates of gene flow symmetric, and came close to rejecting a model in which only population sizes were constrained to be equal. These results suggest that different population sizes and asymmetric gene flow could be a major source of differences in genetic variation between populations of Hall's Babbler, although ecological and biogeographic causes for these differences are obscure.     

The impact of sterile populations on the perception of elevational richness patterns in ferns

Dispersal may influence the spatial distribution of species richness through mass or source‐sink effects, but the extent of sink populations at the community level remains largely unknown due to difficulties of identifying such populations. We compared the richness patterns of ferns in 333 plots along six tropical elevational gradients in America, the Mascarenes, and southeast Asia, using sterile populations as an indication of sink populations. First, we tested whether sterile fern records were more common towards the elevational range limits of the individual species, but found this pattern in only one out of ten cases. It is therefore uncertain if sterile records correspond to marginal sink populations. Second, we compared the elevational richness patterns of sterile and fertile species. In several cases, elevational trends for sterile and fertile records were quite similar, but in others they differed distinctly. The percentage of sterile records per plot decreased with elevation among epiphytic ferns along all six transects, whereas terrestrials showed mixed results (decrease, increase, and U‐shaped patterns). The percentage of sterile species records per plot relative to the number of species per plot recovered four significant patterns among the twelve cases analysed: higher percentages at higher species numbers among terrestrial ferns on two transects and lower percentages among epiphytes on two others. Despite the problems with equating sterile records to sink populations, we thus found distinct elevational patterns of sterile records that clearly affected our perception of the overall richness patterns. Ignoring the impact of population dynamics on diversity patterns is thus liable to result in misinterpretations of the diversity patterns.     

The soil Acari of barley plots with different cultural treatments

Sixty-four species of Acari were extracted by wet sieving and salt flotation from soil in four barley plots sampled on five occasions between 23 May and 15 August 1975. Over half the species were Prostigmata. The most abundant species wereScutacarus longiusculus (Karafiat) (Scutacaridae, Prostigmata),Bakerdania gracilis (Krczal) (Pygmephoridae, Prostigmata), andTyrophagus longior (Gervais) (Acaridae, Astigmata).Only three species (B. gracilis, T. longior andPseudopygmephorus sellnicki (Krczal) (Pygmephoridae)) contributed more than 2% of the individuals and occurred in more than 25% of the samples in all plots.Mean population densities ranged from 41 to 216 thousand/m², with highest density occurring in a conventionally ploughed and cultivated plot and lowest in a direct drilled plot. Prostigmata accounted for 46–85% of the total populations in the various plots.Twelve species were recorded from decaying crop residues on the soil surface; these included some of the most abundant species recorded from growing barley in a related study. Soil and crop residues were the main sources of most of the dominant species colonizing the growing barley crop.The barley plots had greater numbers of Prostigmata and Astigmata but fewer Cryptostigmata and Mesostigmata than were extracted by a high gradient canister technique from adjacent grass ley pasture sampled in its second and third years (1976 and 1977). Biomass in the older ley was far greater than in the barley. There were higher numbers of species of intermediate relative abundance (0.1–5%) in the ley, indicating more mature communities than in the barley plots.     

Effects of potassium azide on soil microbial populations and soil enzymatic activities.

Preplant applications of potassium azide (KN3) to pine nursery beds were evaluated for effect on the soil microflora and on soil enzyme activity where either plastic-sealing or water-sealing techniques were used. Two weeks after incorporation of azide (0-224 kg/hs), soil samplings revealed reduced populations of bacteria and fungi and a corresponding decline in invertase and amylase activities. These effects were proportionate to the amount of azide used and were more pronounced in plastic-sealed plots. Phosphatase activity was little affected. Five weeks after azide application, bacterial populations were higher in treated plots than in controls. Greater numbers of bacteria were recorded from plastic-sealed plots and highest populations coincided with plots receiving the highest rates of azide, regardless of the sealing technique. Fungal populations at this sampling were generally less in treated plots than in the controls, but were higher under plastic seal. At this time, changes in invertase and amylase activities did not correspond to increased microbial numbers. Sixteen weeks after applications of KN3, bacterial populations in treated plots did not differ significantly from controls, but remained higher in plastic-sealed than water-sealed plots. Fungal populations under plastic seal had changed little and remained significantly lower in treated water-sealed plots than in controls. The earlier recorded reduction in invertase and amylase activities was still evident at the final sampling;     

Quantifying individual‐ and community‐level effects of competition using experimentally‐determined null species pools

Abstract. The effects of competition on individual fitness and species diversity were investigated in a first‐year old field by comparing the natural community to an experimentally‐determined null community. The species pool for the null community was estimated from low‐density plots, and hypothetical sample plots in the null community were constructed by random sampling from the species pool. Individual plants were larger in low‐density plots than control plots, indicating that competition reduced individual fitness. Competition appeared to reduce diversity in half the plots (i.e. species richness and diversity were lower than in hypothetical null community plots with the same number of individuals), but did not affect diversity in the other plots. However, the reduction in diversity could be explained as an artifact caused by spatial aggregation in control plots. The magnitude of the effects of competition on diversity did not change with plot density, and no species consistently increased or decreased in relative abundance as plot density increased. We conclude that competition had no effect on diversity in this community, despite the strong effect on individual growth.     

热带次生林、旱稻种植地和火烧迹地土壤节肢动物群落结构特征及季节变化

通过模拟刀耕火种过程 ,对刀耕火种前后的次生林、旱稻地 (第 2年 )和火烧迹地 (火烧后直接撂荒地第 2年 )土壤节肢动物群落结构特征及季节变化进行了调查研究。结果显示 :3块样地土壤节肢动物群落的优势类群组成相同 ,均为蜱螨目、膜翅目和弹尾目 ,但不同生境样地中各优势类群所占群落总数的比例不同 ,并且 3样地常见和稀有类群的组成差异较大 ;土壤节肢动物类群数、个体数和 DG多样性指数表现为次生林高于其它 2块样地 ,而旱稻地和火烧迹地则无较大差异 ,但一些类群在旱稻地、火烧迹地的数量分布与次生林具有差异 ,且在土壤层的表现较为突出 ;3块样地土壤节肢动物群落具有较好相似性 ,其中旱稻地与火烧迹地达到极相似水平 (D、DS>0 .9)。3种不同类型生境土壤节肢动物群落在类群数、个体数和多样性指数的季节变化总体呈现出雨量少的干季或雨季初末期高于雨量最大的雨季中期 ,与当地降雨量和气温变化有密切关系 ,同时各样地土壤节肢动物群落因生境条件不同及人为活动干扰强弱而形成各自的季节消长特点。研究表明刀耕火种后的旱稻种植对土壤节肢动物群落的恢复和发展在一定限制条件 (面积、周围次生林和坡度 )下无破坏性影响 ,但植被改变、农事活动等对直接撂荒地和旱稻地土壤节肢动物群落的季节消长产生     

The effects of gastropod shell availability and habitat characteristics on shell utilization by the intertidal hermit crab Pagurus longicarpus Say

The shell utilization patterns of two intertidal populations of the hermit crab, Pagurus longicarpus Say, were studied. The populations differed with respect to the physical characteristics of their habitats and the availability of empty gastropod shells. The first population was in an estuary connected to Narragansett Bay. This population had few, if any. empty shells available in the area. The second population was in a rock-cobble area directly on Block Island Sound. There were large numbers of empty gastropod shells available for this population. The consistently high gastropod mortality on this shore appears to be caused by the animals being washed up on the beach, where they die due to desiccation.Data from samples collected from June to November of both 1974 and 1975 showed that there were distinct differences in the shell utilization patterns of the two populations. A greater proportion of the animals collected from the estuary population inhabited damaged shells and/or shells with symbionts compared to the individuals from the population with large numbers of empty shells available.The results of shell selection experiments indicated that individuals from both populations inhabited less than preferred shells. The population with large numbers of empty shells available was qualitatively shell-limited because of the effect of physical factors on the morphology of the gastropod species of that area. In addition, the shell selection experiments showed that individuals from the two areas had significantly different shell preferences. This result may be explained by the effects of the environment on the growth rates of the hermit crabs and/or as an indication that shell preferences may vary in response to the physical factors of a given habitat.     

Plant species diversity, plant biomass and responses of the soil community on abandoned land across Europe: idiosyncracy or above-belowground time lags

We examined the relationship between plant species diversity, productivity and the development of the soil community during early secondary succession on former arable land across Europe. We tested the hypothesis that increasing the initial plant species diversity enhances the biomass production and consequently stimulates soil microbial biomass and abundance of soil invertebrates. We performed five identical field experiments on abandoned arable land in five European countries (CZ, NL, SE, SP and UK) which allowed us to test our hypothesis in a range of climate, soil and other environmental factors that varied between the experimental sites. The initial plant diversity was altered by sowing seed mixtures of mid-successional grassland species with two or five grass species, one or five legumes and one or five forbs. The results of low and high sown diversity treatments were compared with plots that were naturally colonized by species present in the seed bank. In three out of the five field sites, there was no correlation between plant species number and plant biomass production, one site had a positive and the other a negative relation. Treatments with a high diversity seed mixture had a higher biomass than the naturally colonized plots. However, there was no significant difference between high and low sown diversity plots at four out of five sites. The three-year study did not give any evidence of a general bottom-up effect from increased plant biomass on biomass of bacteria, saprophytic fungi or abundance of microarthropods. The biomass of arbuscular mycorrhizal was negatively related to plant biomass. The abundance of nematodes increased after abandonment and was related to plant biomass at four sites. Our results support the hypothesis that plant species diversity may have idiosyncratic effects on soil communities, even though studies on a longer term could reveal time lags in the response to changes in composition and biomass production of plant communities.     

Inferring trophic transfers from pulse-dynamics in detrital food webs

In semiarid ecosystems, decomposers are active during numerous short periods following rainfall events, and most inactive in the intervening dry periods. Many studies concern season-long dynamics of decomposer populations, but less is known of the short-term dynamics during wet periods. These short-term dynamics may provide the key to understanding interactions between microbes and fauna.The dynamics of populations in the detrital food web were followed after wetting large intact soil cores that had been removed from native shortgrass steppe, winter wheat, and fallow plots. The cores were sampled over a ten day period for bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and various functional groups of microarthropods and nematodes. The native sod had appreciably greater biomass of fungi, nematodes and microarthropods than did the cultivated plots, but there was no difference in bacteria or protozoans. The observed dynamics after wetting were different in two experiments which differed in temperature, soil water level, and the initial sizes of the populations. These results were interpreted in relation to a model of the structure of the detrital food web, and estimates were made of the rates of trophic transfers in the web. Consumption by protozoa was great enough for them to account for bacterial turnover, but consumption by fungivorous nematodes and microarthropods appeared to be too small to account for fungal turnover.Progress in understanding the dynamics of detrital food webs requires a better definition of the functional groups of soil organisms, their resources, predators and population parameters, and the effects of soil structure and water content on trophic relationships.     

百菌清对落叶松人工防护林土壤微生物群落的影响

利用稀释平板法和Biolog-Eco检测技术,分析了喷施百菌清对落叶松人工防护林土壤微生物群落的影响。结果表明,土壤微生物中细菌数量占据绝对优势,其数量直接影响落叶松人工防护林土壤微生物总量的变化趋势。总体上,百菌清对细菌的数量具有抑制作用。喷洒后0d,仅抑制表层与上层(0-10cm)土壤细菌的增殖;喷洒后2个月,对表层与上层土壤细菌的抑制作用减弱,而喷洒后4个月时,其抑制作用最强。喷洒后0d与2个月时,百菌清对表层与上层土壤真菌数量的增殖均具有促进作用。喷洒后2个月、4个月时均对下层土壤放线菌数量具有抑制作用。将土壤3大类群微生物数量、土壤理化指标及群落多样性指数进行相关分析表明,土壤中有效磷和速效钾与放线菌数量、水解氮与细菌数量存在显著正相关性,而与群落多样性无显著相关性。喷洒百菌清2个月后,对表层土壤微生物群落碳源利用率的影响不显著,而对上层(0-10cm)土壤微生物存在显著影响,下层(10-20cm)土壤微生物群落的碳源利用率在百菌清喷洒2个月与4个月后具有显著差异;而不同土层微生物群落对碳源利用率的差异不显著。微生物群落利用31种碳源的主成分分析表明,喷洒百菌清后,微生物群落利用单一碳源的能力显著提高,且喷洒2个月后微生物群落对某些碳源如肝糖与2-羟基苯甲酸等的利用率明显增加。方差分析表明,喷洒百菌清后,不同作用时间及不同处理,不同土层间土壤微生物对碳源的利用率具有显著差异。喷洒百菌清前(5月)土壤微生物对多聚物与氨基酸、碳水类、芳香类及胺类的利用率差异较大(P<0.05),且对多聚物的利用率最高;处理组的表层土壤微生物对碳源的利用率高于其它处理组;而喷洒2个月后,对胺类、芳香类的利用率与其它4类碳源具有显著差异。     

围栏禁牧对内蒙古典型草原群落特征的影响

采用样方法对内蒙古典型草原区围封26 a(E26)7、a(E7)2、a(E2)和未围封(G)样地的植物多样性、群落高度、盖度、地上与地下生物量进行实地调查分析,以研究围栏禁牧对草原植物群落特征的影响.结果表明:围封26a样地具有最高的丰富度指数和多样性指数,围封相对于放牧在一定程度上可以维持和保护植物多样性和丰富度.围封7 a样地的多样性指数与未围封样地(G)以及围封2 a样地(E2)无显著差异,说明放牧导致了该区植物多样性的降低,但围封并未显示出使其恢复的趋势;从自由放牧样地到围封样地,退化指示植物糙隐子草(Cleistogenessquarrosa)以及一年生植物猪毛菜(Salsola collina)、刺穗藜(Chenopodium aristatum)等的比重和出现频率呈减少的趋势;围封2 a样地的地上现存量显著低于围封7 a样地,而围封26 a样地相对于围封7 a样地又表现出显著减小的结果.说明围封在一定时期内可显著提高草地生产力,但围封时间过长将不利于其维持较高的生产力.     

Pathotypes of Colletotrichum sublineolum in Response to Sorghum Populations with Different Levels of Genetic Diversity in Sete Lagoas‐MG

Sorghum anthracnose is one of the most important and destructive diseases of sorghum. Genetic resistance has been the most efficient strategy to control the disease, but the high variability of the pathogen population in Brazil has resulted in only modest efficacy. Accordingly, we investigated the variability of Colletotrichum sublineolum in response to sorghum populations with three levels of genetic diversity: pure stand, three‐way hybrids and physical mixtures of three‐way hybrids. Six plots of each treatment were planted in different areas and at different dates. A total of 480 isolates, that is 40 single‐conidium isolates per plot, were collected from the field experiment to characterize the variability of the pathogen in each host population. Isolates were inoculated in a greenhouse on a differential line set composed of eight sorghum inbred lines. Our results reveal that the pathogen populations derived from three‐way combinations had higher pathotype diversity than did those derived from pure stand host populations. More complexly, virulent phenotypes were also developed in genetically diverse stands compared to pure stand host populations. The diversification of the host population limits pathogen adaptation, thus resulting in a significantly higher number of pathotypes. The results of this study will improve the management of sorghum anthracnose in the field by helping sorghum breeders maintain disease resistance.     

Host plant growth form and diversity: Effects on abundance and feeding preference of a specialist herbivore,Acalymma vittata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Summary Abundances of the specialist herbivore, Acalymma vittata (Fab.) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), were assessed in small experimental plots with three levels of plant diversity (cucumber monoculture, cucumber/corn, and cucumber/tomato) and two levels of host plant growth form (horizontal on the ground and vertical, staked up or growing up other plant species). Host plant growth form more strongly affected beetle abundances than did plant diversity; greater numbers were found on vertically growing than on horizontally growing cucumber plants. The combination of cucumber monoculture and vertical growth form supported significantly greater herbivore abundances than did any other type of plot, emphasizing a strong interaction between diversity and growth form. Beetles were not more common in monocultures with horizontal growth forms than in mixed species plots, and beetles did not respond differently to plots with corn and plots with tomatoes.Feeding experiments demonstrated that the plant diversity under which a host plant is grown strongly influenced herbivore feeding preference. Beetles given a choice of cucumber leaves grown in monoculture and in plots with tomatoes exhibited individual differences in their food selection behavior, however, a significantly greater number of beetles preferred monoculture leaves. Those individuals preferring monoculture leaves and those individuals preferring leaves from plots with tomatoes did not differ in either absolute or relative amounts of feeding damage per leaf.Neither plant size nor the date on which plots were colonized by beetles explained the differences in herbivore abundance. It is suggested that differences in movement patterns and plant quality contributed to the greater numbers of beetles on plants growing vertically in monocultures.     

西双版纳热带山地雨林群落乔木树种多样性研究

根据块样地资料对西双版纳热带山地雨林树种多样性特征进行了分析.结果表明,在2 500m²的样地上,随着起测胸径递增,各样地乔木个体数和树种丰富度均表现为依次递减;低海拔带上(850～1000 m)的山地雨林(1、2号样地)的各指数值无一定变化规律,较高海拔带上(1200～2000 m)的山地雨林(3～6号样地)的Shannon-Wiener指数和Simpson指数均表现为依次递减,而Pielou均匀度指数则呈依次递增的趋势.较高海拔带上的山地雨林在较小乔木起测胸径(≥2 cm、≥5 cm、≥10 cm)的树种丰富度、多样性和均匀度指数均要明显大于低海拔带上的山地雨林,而两者在较大乔木起测胸径(≥20 cm、≥30 cm、≥50 cm)的各指数值无明显差异.随着取样面积的递增,各样地树种丰富度、多样性和均匀度指数在取样面积递增到2 000m²处均已趋于平缓.     

Similar non-random processes maintain diversity in two tropical rainforests.

Quadrat-based analysis of two rainforest plots of area 50 ha, one in Panama (Barro Colorado Island, BCI) and the other in Malaysia (Pasoh), shows that in both plots recruitment is in general negatively correlated with both numbers and biomass of adult trees of the same species in the same quadrat. At BCI, this effect is not significantly influenced by treefall gaps. In both plots, recruitment of individual species is negatively correlated with the numbers of trees of all species in the quadrats, but not with overall biomass. These observations suggest, but do not prove, widespread frequency-dependent effects produced by pathogens and seed-predators that act most effectively in quadrats crowded with trees. Within-species correlations of mortality with numbers or biomass are not found in either plot, indicating that most frequency-dependent mortality takes place before the trees reach 1 cm in diameter. Stochastic effects caused by BCI's more rapid tree turnover may contribute to a larger variance in diversity from quadrat to quadrat at BCI, although they are not sufficient to explain why BCI has fewer than half as many tree species as Pasoh. Finally, in both plots quadrats with low diversity show a significant increase in diversity over time, and this increase is stronger at BCI. This process, like the frequency-dependence, will tend to maintain diversity over time. In general, these non-random forces that should lead to the maintenance of diversity are slightly stronger at BCI, even though the BCI plot is less diverse than the Pasoh plot.