Succession and micro-elevation effects on seedling establishment of Calophyllum brasiliense Camb. (Clusiaceae) in an Amazonian river meander forest
Biotropica
2003
Journal Article
35
4
462-471
Parque Nacional del Manu Calophyllum brasiliense Clusiaceae Cocha Cashu floodplains herbivory light microhahitat recruitment succession Costa Rica forest dynamics herbivores dispersal herb vegetation understory flooding ecology small spatial scales plants trees seedlings Madre de Dios Bibliography
I investigated the effects of successional stage and micro-elevation on seedling establishment of Calophyllum brasiliense (Clusiaceae), a common canopy tree of seasonally flooded lowland forest along the Manu River meander zone in southeastern Peru. To compare seedling establishment between microhabitat types, I planted C. brasiliense seeds in a fully crossed experimental design of three successional stages (early, mid, and mature) and two micro-elevations (levees and backwaters). Seedling establishment success in this study was affected by both successional stage and microelevation, but micro-elevation was most important in mid-successional habitats. In general, seedlings in early succession experienced better conditions than in mature forest; light levels were higher, herbivory lower, and seedling growth higher. In mid-successional forest, micro-elevation determined habitat quality; back-waters had higher light levels, lower herbivory, and higher seedling growth and survival than levees. Mid-successional backwaters were similar in quality to early successional forest for seedling establishment, while levees in that same successional stage were the poorest microhabitats for establishment. Although mid-successional backwaters are similar to early succession for seedling establishment, in the long run, seedlings that establish in mid-succession have a lower chance of reaching reproductive size before their habitat ages to mature forest than members of their cohort that established in early succession. I hypothesize that successful recruitment for C. brasiliense in the Manu River meander system requires dispersal to early successional habitat.