Impacts of climate variability on tree demography in second growth tropical forests: the importance of regional context for predicting successional trajectories

Naturally regenerating and restored second growth forests account for over 70% of tropical forest cover and provide key ecosystem services. Understanding climate change impacts on successional trajectories of these ecosystems is critical for developing effective large‐scale forest landscape restoration (FLR) programs. Differences in environmental conditions, species composition, dynamics, and landscape context from old growth forests may exacerbate climate impacts on second growth stands. We compile data from 112 studies on the effects of natural climate variability, including warming, droughts, fires, and cyclonic storms, on demography and dynamics of second growth forest trees and identify variation in forest responses across biomes, regions, and landscapes. Across studies, drought decreases tree growth, survival, and recruitment, particularly during early succession, but the effects of temperature remain unexplored. Shifts in the frequency and severity of disturbance alter successional trajectories and increase the extent of second growth forests. Vulnerability to climate extremes is generally inversely related to long‐term exposure, which varies with historical climate and biogeography. The majority of studies, however, have been conducted in the Neotropics hindering generalization. Effects of fire and cyclonic storms often lead to positive feedbacks, increasing vulnerability to climate extremes and subsequent disturbance. Fragmentation increases forests’ vulnerability to fires, wind, and drought, while land use and other human activities influence the frequency and intensity of fire, potentially retarding succession. Comparative studies of climate effects on tropical forest succession across biogeographic regions are required to forecast the response of tropical forest landscapes to future climates and to implement effective FLR policies and programs in these landscapes.     

Mesoscale Gradients of Herb Richness and Abundance in Central Amazonia1

There are few hypotheses to explain local understory diversity patterns. There is a consensus that climate and soil fertility affect understory density and diversity at large scales, but few studies addressed the mechanisms controlling density and diversity locally. Here, I examine patterns of abundance and diversity of three understory herb groups along gradients of soil nutrients and topography at the mesoscale (64 km²) in a wet tropical forest, and possible factors causing them. Herb richness, diversity, density, and cover were measured in fifty‐nine 250 × 2 m plots systematically distributed over Reserva Ducke, Manaus. Herb groups responded differently to environmental gradients. Whereas density and cover of pteridophytes increased with altitude and slope, Marantaceae density and cover decreased. Density of sedges increased with altitude, but did not vary with slope. Density and cover of Marantaceae and sedges but not pteridophytes increased with the soil cation content. Pteridophyte richness increased with slope whereas Marantaceae richness decreased, richness of both groups increased with cation content. Diversity increased with altitude for Marantaceae and decreased for pteridophytes. Some of these patterns agree with what is expected from herbs, such as the greater abundance of Marantaceae and sedges in flat and low altitude plots, where water availability is higher and probably also light, and the greater richness of Marantaceae and pteridophytes in higher nutrient plots. The unexpected results of higher abundance and richness of pteridophytes in slopes, instead of in bottomlands, suggest that biotic or litter‐mediated controls may be important to set these patterns.     

Diversity and composition of understory vegetation in the tropical seasonal rain forest of Xishuangbanna, SW China

Tropical forests vegetation and community research have tended to focus on the tree component, and limited attention has been paid to understory vegetation. Species diversity and composition of the understory of tropical seasonal rain forest were inventoried in a 625 m2 area (for sapling layer) and a 100 m2 area (for herb/seedling layer) in three 1 ha plots. We found 3068 individuals belonging to 309 species, 192 genera and 89 families. The most important family as determined by the Family Importance Value (FIV) was Rubiaceae in both sapling and herb/seedling layers. In terms of Importance Value Index (IVI), the shrub Mycetia gracilis (Rubiaceae) was the most important species in the sapling layer and the pteridophyte Selaginella delicatula (Selaginellaceae) was the most ecological significant species in the herb/seedling layer. Much more vascular plant species were registered in the understory than in the tree layer totaled among the three plots. The species diversity did not differ significantly among the tree layer, sapling layer and herb/seedling layer. Given that we still know little about the understory plant community for growth forms other than trees, the results from the present study indicate that more attention should be paid to the understory vegetation during the decision-making process for biodiversity conservation in the tropical forests.     

Cultivation of Non‐timber Forest Products Alters Understory Light Availability in a Humid Tropical Forest in Mexico1

The planting of non‐timber forest products (NTFPs) in the understory of tropical forests is promoted in many regions as a strategy to conserve forested lands and meet the economic needs of rural communities. While the forest canopy is left intact in most understory plantations, much of the midstory and understory vegetation is removed in order to increase light availability for cultivated species. We assessed the extent to which the removal of vegetation in understory plantations of Chamaedorea hooperiana Hodel (Arecaceae) alters understory light conditions. We also examined how any changes in light availability may be reflected by changes in the composition of canopy tree seedlings regenerating in understory plantations. We employed a blocked design consisting of four C. hooperiana plantation sites; each site was paired with an adjacent, unmanaged forest site. Hemispherical canopy photographs were taken and canopy tree seedlings were identified and measured within 12 3 × 2 m randomly placed plots in each site for a total of 96 plots (4 blocks × 2 sites × 12 plots). Plantation management did not affect canopy openness or direct light availability but understory plantations had a higher frequency of plots with greater total and diffuse light availability than unmanaged forest. Comparisons of canopy tree seedling composition between understory plantations and unmanaged forest sites were less conclusive but suggest that management practices have the potential to increase the proportion of shade‐intolerant species of tree seedlings establishing in plantations. Given the importance of advanced regeneration in gap‐phase forest dynamics, these changes may have implications for future patterns of succession in the areas of forest where NTFPs are cultivated.     

Indicators of restoration success in riparian tropical forests using multiple reference ecosystems

Forest restoration by planting trees often accelerates succession, but the trajectories toward reference ecosystems have rarely been evaluated. Using a chronosequence (4–53 years) of 26 riparian forest undergoing restoration in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, we modeled how the variables representing forest structure, tree species richness and composition, and the proportion of plant functional guilds change through time. We also estimated the time required for these variables to reach different types of reference ecosystems: old‐growth forest (OGF), degraded forest, and secondary forest. Among the attributes which follow a predictable trajectory over time are: the basal area, canopy cover, density and tree species richness, as well as proportions of shade tolerant and slow growing species or individuals. Most of the variation in density of pteridophythes, lianas, shrubs and phorophythes, proportion of animal‐dispersed individuals, rarefied richness and floristic similarity with reference ecosystems remain unexplained. Estimated time to reach the reference ecosystems is, in general, shorter for structural attributes than for species composition or proportion of functional guilds. The length of this time varies among the three types of reference ecosystems for most attributes. For instance, tree species richness and proportion of shade tolerant or slow growing individuals become similar to secondary forests in about 40 years, but is estimated to take 70 years or more to reach the OGF. Of all the variables considered, canopy cover, basal area, density, and richness of the understory—by their ecological relevance and predictability—are recommended as ecological indicators for monitoring tropical forest restoration success.     

Regeneration of canopy trees in tropical wet forests

The most diverse tree communities on earth, the tropical wet forests, to a large degree remain ecological enigmas. What accounts for the coexistence of 100 or more tree species per hectare, compared to the 15 or fewer found in most temperate forests? What are the lifespans of tropical forest trees? What factors control their populations through time and space? Do the different species have highly individual regeneration patterns, or are many in fact ecological equivalents? Although we are far from having satisfactory answers to these questions, recent studies of regeneration processes are leading toward new interpretations of these complex communities.     

Species-Specific Growth Responses to Climate Variations in Understory Trees of a Central African Rain Forest

Basic knowledge of the relationships between tree growth and environmental variables is crucial for understanding forest dynamics and predicting vegetation responses to climate variations. Trees growing in tropical areas with a clear seasonality in rainfall often form annual growth rings. In the understory, however, tree growth is supposed to be mainly affected by interference for access to light and other resources. In the semi-deciduous Mayombe forest of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the evergreen species Aidia ochroleuca, Corynanthe paniculata and Xylopia wilwerthii dominate the understory. We studied their wood to determine whether they form annual growth rings in response to changing climate conditions. Distinct growth rings were proved to be annual and triggered by a common external factor for the three species. Species-specific site chronologies were thus constructed from the cross-dated individual growth-ring series. Correlation analysis with climatic variables revealed that annual radial stem growth is positively related to precipitation during the rainy season but at different months. The growth was found to associate with precipitation during the early rainy season for Aidia but at the end of the rainy season for Corynanthe and Xylopia. Our results suggest that a dendrochronological approach allows the understanding of climate–growth relationships in tropical forests, not only for canopy trees but also for evergreen understory species and thus arguably for the whole tree community. Global climate change influences climatic seasonality in tropical forest areas, which is likely to result in differential responses across species with a possible effect on forest composition over time.     

Allometric constraints and competition enable the simulation of size structure and carbon fluxes in a dynamic vegetation model of tropical forests (LM3PPA‐TV)

Tropical forests are a key determinant of the functioning of the Earth system, but remain a major source of uncertainty in carbon cycle models and climate change projections. In this study, we present an updated land model (LM3PPA‐TV) to improve the representation of tropical forest structure and dynamics in Earth system models (ESMs). The development and parameterization of LM3PPA‐TV drew on extensive datasets on tropical tree traits and long‐term field censuses from Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama. The model defines a new plant functional type (PFT) based on the characteristics of shade‐tolerant, tropical tree species, implements a new growth allocation scheme based on realistic tree allometries, incorporates hydraulic constraints on biomass accumulation, and features a new compartment for tree branches and branch fall dynamics. Simulation experiments reproduced observed diurnal and seasonal patterns in stand‐level carbon and water fluxes, as well as mean canopy and understory tree growth rates, tree size distributions, and stand‐level biomass on BCI. Simulations at multiple sites captured considerable variation in biomass and size structure across the tropical forest biome, including observed responses to precipitation and temperature. Model experiments suggested a major role of water limitation in controlling geographic variation forest biomass and structure. However, the failure to simulate tropical forests under extreme conditions and the systematic underestimation of forest biomass in Paleotropical locations highlighted the need to incorporate variation in hydraulic traits and multiple PFTs that capture the distinct floristic composition across tropical domains. The continued pressure on tropical forests from global change demands models which are able to simulate alternative successional pathways and their pace to recovery. LM3PPA‐TV provides a tool to investigate geographic variation in tropical forests and a benchmark to continue improving the representation of tropical forests dynamics and their carbon storage potential in ESMs.     

Nature and Age of Neighbours Matter: Interspecific Associations among Tree Species Exist and Vary across Life Stages in Tropical Forests

Detailed information about interspecific spatial associations among tropical tree species is scarce, and hence the ecological importance of those associations may have been underestimated. However, they can play a role in community assembly and species diversity maintenance. This study investigated the spatial dependence between pairs of species. First, the spatial associations (spatial attraction and spatial repulsion) that arose between species were examined. Second, different sizes of trees were considered in order to evaluate whether the spatial relationships between species are constant or vary during the lifetime of individuals. Third, the consistency of those spatial associations with the species-habitat associations found in previous studies was assessed. Two different tropical ecosystems were investigated: a montane cloud forest and a lowland moist forest. The results showed that spatial associations among species exist, and these vary among life stages and species. The rarity of negative spatial interactions suggested that exclusive competition was not common in the studied forests. On the other hand, positive interactions were common, and the results of this study strongly suggested that habitat associations were not the only cause of spatial attraction among species. If this is true, habitat associations and density dependence are not the only mechanisms that explain species distribution and diversity; other ecological interactions, such as facilitation among species, may also play a role. These spatial associations could be important in the assembly of tropical tree communities and forest succession, and should be taken into account in future studies.     

Improving predictions of tropical forest response to climate change through integration of field studies and ecosystem modeling

Tropical forests play a critical role in carbon and water cycles at a global scale. Rapid climate change is anticipated in tropical regions over the coming decades and, under a warmer and drier climate, tropical forests are likely to be net sources of carbon rather than sinks. However, our understanding of tropical forest response and feedback to climate change is very limited. Efforts to model climate change impacts on carbon fluxes in tropical forests have not reached a consensus. Here, we use the Ecosystem Demography model (ED2) to predict carbon fluxes of a Puerto Rican tropical forest under realistic climate change scenarios. We parameterized ED2 with species‐specific tree physiological data using the Predictive Ecosystem Analyzer workflow and projected the fate of this ecosystem under five future climate scenarios. The model successfully captured interannual variability in the dynamics of this tropical forest. Model predictions closely followed observed values across a wide range of metrics including aboveground biomass, tree diameter growth, tree size class distributions, and leaf area index. Under a future warming and drying climate scenario, the model predicted reductions in carbon storage and tree growth, together with large shifts in forest community composition and structure. Such rapid changes in climate led the forest to transition from a sink to a source of carbon. Growth respiration and root allocation parameters were responsible for the highest fraction of predictive uncertainty in modeled biomass, highlighting the need to target these processes in future data collection. Our study is the first effort to rely on Bayesian model calibration and synthesis to elucidate the key physiological parameters that drive uncertainty in tropical forests responses to climatic change. We propose a new path forward for model‐data synthesis that can substantially reduce uncertainty in our ability to model tropical forest responses to future climate.     

热带森林植物多样性及其维持机制

热带森林具有地球上最丰富的植物多样性。关于热带森林植物多样性的维持机制,虽有众多假说,但均未形成完善的理论体系。不同的学者从不同的角度出发得出了许多结论,但也引起了不少争议。本文主要简述了4种经常被用来解释热带森林高植物多样性的机制：生态位分化、取食压力、生活史负相关和随机竞争,每一种机制都有大量的证据支持。热带森林植物沿微环境梯度的非随机空间分布表明其生态位分化很明显,并对其多样性起重要作用。动物的取食降低母树周围同种幼苗的生长率和存活率,为其他物种存活提供了机会,这就是取食压力假说,这是一个极有前景但仍需大量实验验证的假说。生活史负相关使得热带森林的许多植物能够共存。冠层植物的抑制使得随机性在林下植物的建立过程中起决定作用。     

森林生态系统中草层植物的生态功能

综述了过去20年国内外有关森林生态系统中草层植物的生态功能研究。森林生态系统中的草层植物是指活的草本类植物及在一定高度（通常40cm)以下的乔灌木幼苗的总和,它和枯落物以及林下土壤共同构成森林生态系统中的林下层亚生态系统。森林生态系统中的草层植物具有明显增加生物多样性,防止水土流失,改良土壤结构,保持和提高土壤肥力,促进林木生长,改善林地小气候,加速生态恢复等方面的功效。其功能是相当强大且多种多样的,我国南亚热带森林生态系统中的草层植物研究应在以下方面进一步加强：1）草层植物与枯落物各自的生态功能与生态效益;2）人工林下的草层植物发生与演替规律;3）林下幼苗的更新演替规律;4）草层植物在复合农林业生态系统中的生态功能及其机理;5）加强草层植物的良种的选育和应用研究等。     

Conifer tree plantations for land rehabilitation: an ecological‐functional evaluation

Plantations of exotic fast‐growing tree species have been widely used for maintaining or restoring ecosystem functions. Despite this, in tropical countries with high biodiversity, these plantations have been the subject of heated debate. We evaluated the long‐term effect of coniferous tree plantations (Cupressus lusitanica, Pinus patula, Pinus elliottii) on the ecological rehabilitation of the Andean highlands in Colombia. To determine degree of rehabilitation, we assessed whether there were differences in the structure or density of native understory vegetation or soil ecological properties between plots established within tree plantations and plots established within other vegetation cover types (secondary forests, ferns, pastures, and abandoned mining areas). Measured variables were combined to create an index of ecological rehabilitation (ERI). We found significant differences in the ERI values among vegetation cover types: secondary forest (11.78) > conifer plantations (P. elliottii: 6.23, P. patula: 5.33, C. lusitanica: 5.24) > ferns (4.16) > pasture (2.50) > abandoned mining areas (0.43). The results obtained showed that, from the structure of native understory vegetation and soil ecological properties, conifer plantations favored the rehabilitation process. However, among them, it was highlighted that the P. elliotii plantations showed significant differences in the density of native understory species, their values being 1.7 and 2.1 times higher than those corresponding to P. patula and C. lusitanica, respectively. Thus, unlike these plantations that could represent an ecological barrier over time, P. elliottii plantations have enabled the advancement of natural succession, showing a high diversity of native species.     

林火干扰对北方针叶林林下植被的影响

林下植被在北方针叶林植被群落中的物种多样性最高, 且具有较高的生物量周转率和地上部分净初级生产力, 对北方针叶林生态系统功能起着重要作用。火干扰是决定北方针叶林林下植被结构与功能的一个重要景观过程。该文综述了火干扰是如何通过与地形、火前林冠组成的交互作用而影响环境资源和林下植被的。最近的研究表明: 林下植被能够影响火后树木更新苗的定植、重建速率及森林演替轨迹; 林下植被还会通过影响元素的生物地球化学过程(凋落物降解和养分循环)影响林下环境资源的数量与异质性。因此, 研究火后初期北方针叶林林下植被的动态变化, 对于物种多样性保护和森林管理具有重要意义。     

The inability of tropical cloud forest species to invade grasslands above treeline during climate change: potential explanations and consequences

The upper elevational range edges of most tropical cloud forest tree species and hence the ‘treeline’ are thought to be determined primarily by temperatures. For this reason, the treeline ecotone between cloud forests and the overlying grasslands is generally predicted to shift upslope as species migrate to higher elevations in response to global warming. Here, we propose that other factors are preventing tropical trees from shifting or expanding their ranges to include high elevation areas currently under grassland, resulting in stationary treelines despite rising mean temperatures. The inability of cloud forest species to invade the grasslands, a phenomenon which we refer to as the ‘grass ceiling’ effect, poses a major threat to tropical biodiversity as it will greatly increase risk of extinctions and biotic attrition in diverse tropical cloud forests. In this review, we discuss some of the natural factors, as well as anthropogenic influences, that may prevent cloud forest tree species from expanding their ranges to higher elevations. In the absence of human disturbances, tropical treelines have historically shifted up‐ and down‐slope with changes in temperature. Over time, increased human activity has limited forests to lower elevations (i.e. has depressed treelines), and often broken the equilibrium between species range limits and climate. Yet even in areas where anthropogenic influences are halted, cloud forests have not expanded to higher elevations. Despite the critical importance of understanding the distributional responses of tropical species to climate change, few studies have addressed the factors that influence treeline location and dynamics, severely hindering our ability to predict the fate of these diverse and important ecosystems.     

Overstory-Understory Relationships along Forest Type and Environmental Gradients in the Spring Mountains of Southern Nevada, USA

Isolated forested mountains in deserts have numerous ecological and societal values, but land-management practices (e.g., fire-regime alteration) and climate change can affect forest composition. We analyzed tree overstory-understory relationships on 123 sites in the Spring Mountains within the Mojave Desert near Las Vegas, Nevada, USA to assess three hypotheses. We hypothesized that: the tree species comprising understories are less tolerant of fire than species in overstories, reflecting land-management practices of fire exclusion; mid-elevation forests have the lowest overstory:understory similarity because this zone could have maximum species mixing; and overstory:understory similarity is correlated with environmental gradients (consisting of 14 topographic and soil variables). We found that Pinus monophylla comprised greater relative canopy cover in understories of juniper (32% relative cover) and pinyon-juniper (78%) forests than it did in overstories of these forests (0% and 53%). Similarly, fire-intolerant Abies concolor had 6-fold greater understory than overstory cover in forests with overstories dominated by the fire-tolerant Pinus ponderosa. Overstory:understory S?rensen similarity averaged 43%?77% among six forest types, and there was little support for the supposition that similarity was lowest in mid-elevation forests. Distributions of individual overstory and understory species more closely corresponded with environmental gradients than did overstory:understory similarity. Results suggest that there is high potential for change in at least two of the six dominant forest types of the Spring Mountains. The direction of change (species of moist, higher elevation sites establishing in understories of drier forests) is the opposite of what would be expected for forest adaptation to the warmer, drier, more fire-prone conditions projected for the next century in the southwestern USA.     

Effects of Forest Type and Human Presence on Bonobo (Pan paniscus) Density in the Salonga National Park1

Our study elucidates how forest type characteristics and human presence influence bonobo (Pan paniscus) densities and assesses whether the Salonga National Park harbors a substantial bonobo population. We searched 11 locations in the Salonga for the presence of bonobos and sampled 9 study sites using line transects to estimate relative bonobo nest density, the proportion of forest types, and the intensity of human activity. We classified forests into broad types by overstory and understory composition, canopy cover, and hydrology, and calculated encounter rates for bonobo, human, and large mammal signs. Bonobo signs occurred in 8 of 11 locations but varied widely in frequency. Mean density was 0.72 nest-builders/km², but density was not uniform across sites (range=0–2.8 nest-builders/km²). Of 11 forest types encountered, the most common were mixed mature forest with an herbaceous (Marantaceae) understory (36.8%), with a woody understory (23.6%), and old secondary forest with a Marantaceae understory (10.5%). Nest sites occurred only in these forest types, called nest-forest types. Bonobo density was highest in locations comprising >80% nest-forest types. Nests occurred more frequently in the mixed mature/Marantaceae forest. Nest-site density correlates positively with the nest-forest patch length we encountered on transects, implying that forest patch size and consistency may influence bonobo density. Mean nest group size correlates positively with proportion of nest-forest types found at a site, suggesting that increased resource availability—nesting sites and food—allows larger group size. A significant inverse association existed between bonobo density and human presence. An erratum to this article can be found at     

吉林东部天然林林下光质分布特征

天然林林下光质对乔木幼苗以及灌草的组成与更新具有重要的生态学意义。但目前对于林下光质的研究仍然有限。以吉林东部地区天然林为例,通过调查乔木数据和林下光质数据,基于移动窗口法分析不同空间尺度森林冠层结构与林下光质的关系。结果表明：不同林型下红光光子通量密度(R)与蓝光光子通量密度(B)存在差异。其中沙松-千金榆-花楷槭混交林林下蓝光光子通量密度最小,而沙松-紫椴-臭冷杉混交林和长白落叶松纯林林下最大。随着尺度的增大,天然林乔木胸高断面积与R/PFD(红光/光子通量密度比值)和B/PFD(蓝光/光子通量密度比值)的比值呈显著正相关(P<0.05)。并且随着尺度的增加,相关系数总体逐渐增大,在35m处达到峰值。在此基础上在南向、东向和西向各延伸10m时呈现显著正相关(P<0.05)。在该尺度下分析优势树种对林下R/PFD和B/PFD比值的影响时发现：R/PFD与B/PFD比值随着针叶林胸高断面积的增加而增加。相对于阔叶林来说,多数林型针叶林下的冠层结构与林下R/PFD和B/PFD比值之间显著正相关(P<0.05)。在不同树种下,乔木冠层结构对R/PFD和B/PFD比值的影响...     

中国东北森林生长演替模拟模型及其在全球变化研究中的应用

 NEWCOP模型是一个新的适于模拟东北森林的种类组成动态的林窗类计算机模拟模型,它通过模拟在每一个林分斑块上的每株树木的更新、生长和死亡的全过程来反映森林群落的中长期生长和演替动态。由于 NEWCOP模型是一个由气候变量驱动的生态系统模型,故可用于评价气候变化对东北森林生长和演替的影响。在东北大兴安岭、小兴安岭和长白山地区对NEWCOP模型进行了验证和校准。沿环境梯度对NEWCOP模型的数字模拟实验表明：它能准确地再现顶极森林中树种组成及其在东北地区的垂直分布规律和水平分布规律;能准确地再现大兴安岭、小兴安岭和长白山的主要类型森林的生长和演替规律;在一定的场合NEWCOP还可反映林分的径级结构;NEWCOP模型还具有对现有森林的跟踪模拟能力。应用NEWCOP模型评估了东北森林生态系统对可能气候变化的敏感性。在GFDL 2×CO2和GISS 2×CO2气候变化情景下,东北森林的种类组成将发生很大变化,落叶阔叶树将取代目前长白山、小兴安岭的红松(Pinus koraiensis)和大兴安岭的兴安落叶松(Larix gmelinii)成为东北森林主要树种,而针叶树将在地带性森林中占很小的比重,阔叶树中蒙古栎(Quercus mongolica)将是最重要的树种,它将成为小兴安岭和大兴安岭最主要树种;东北地区适于森林生长的区域将大幅度减少,这些变化主要发生在气候变化过渡期。东北森林对不同的气候变化情景有不同响应。但是,总的趋势是未来东北森林中落叶阔叶树的比重将大幅度增加。这些结论对在全球气候变化背景下,我国东北合理地选择造林树种和制定现有森林的保护经营策略具有一定参考价值。     

Resilience of tropical dry forests – a meta‐analysis of changes in species diversity and composition during secondary succession

Assessing the recovery of species diversity and composition after major disturbance is key to understanding the resilience of tropical forests through successional processes, and its importance for biodiversity conservation. Despite the specific abiotic environment and ecological processes of tropical dry forests, secondary succession has received less attention in this biome than others and changes in species diversity and composition have never been synthesised in a systematic and quantitative review. This study aims to assess in tropical dry forests 1) the directionality of change in species richness and evenness during secondary succession, 2) the convergence of species composition towards that of old‐growth forest and 3) the importance of the previous land use, precipitation regime and water availability in influencing the direction and rate of change. We conducted meta‐analyses of the rate of change in species richness, evenness and composition indices with succession in 13 tropical dry forest chronosequences. Species richness increased with succession, showing a gradual accumulation of species, as did Shannon evenness index. The similarity in species composition of successional forests with old‐growth forests increased with succession, yet at a low rate. Tropical dry forests therefore do show resilience of species composition but it may never reach that of old‐growth forests. We found no significant differences in rates of change between different previous land uses, precipitation regimes or water availability. Our results show high resilience of tropical dry forests in term of species richness but a slow recovery of species composition. They highlight the need for further research on secondary succession in this biome and better understanding of impacts of previous land‐use and landscape‐scale patterns. Synthesis Secondary forests account for an increasing proportion of remaining tropical forest. Assessing their resilience is key to conservation of their biodiversity. Our study is the first meta‐analysis of species changes during succession focussing on tropical dry forests, a highly threatened yet understudied biome. We show a gradual species accumulation and convergence of composition towards that of old‐growth forests. While secondary tropical dry forests offer good potential for biodiversity conservation, their capacity for recovery at a sufficient rate to match threats is uncertain. Further research on this biome is needed to understand the effect of land use history and landscape processes.