About Us
News
Announcement
Research
Conservation & Horticulture
Public Education
Graduate Study
Scientist
International Cooperation
Resources
Annual Reports
Publications & Papers
Visit XTBG
Societies
XTBG Seminar
Open Positions
4th XSBN Symposium
CAS-SEABRI
PFS-Tropical Asia
Links
 
   Location:Home > Research > Research Progress
Not all pioneer species can be used to reforest large open areas in tropical rainforest
Author: Uromi M. Goodale
ArticleSource: XTBG
Update time: 2014-03-21
Close
Text Size: A A A
Print

 

Although differences in canopy openness, herbivory and their interaction may promote species coexistence, investigation of growth, survival and defence trade-offs together has not been previously conducted for co-occurring species in the pioneer guild. Dr. Uromi M. Goodale of Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG) and her colleagues conducted a study in southwest Sri Lanka in the Sinharaja World Heritage Forest Reserve (6°21′–25′ N and 80°21′–34′ E). Using six pioneer species distributed along the shade tolerance spectrum from small tree fall gaps to large openings, they investigated the influence of gap microenvironment position and herbivory, and the interaction between these factors, on seedling growth and survival for 550 days.

The six pioneer tree species representing diverse life histories were: Dillenia triquetra (Rottb.) Gilg, Macaranga indica Wight, Macaranga peltata (Roxb.) Muell, Schumacheria castaneifolia Vahl, Trema orientalis (L.) Blume, and Wendlandia bicuspidata Wight and Arn. The seedlings were transplanted and grown within different canopy gap positions.

They tested the hypotheses that in the six pioneer species: (1) seedling growth would be highest in the gap center, where light is less limiting compared with gap edge, forest edge or understory positions; (2) herbivore damage would be higher under shade compared with more open conditions; and (3) some species would outperform others in specific microenvironmental gap positions, as measured by seedling survival and growth, suggesting niche partitioning.

They showed that although pioneer survival between gap center and gap edge were similar, the height growth of those species was highest in the gap edge, indicating that the six species might have a physiological upper limit to growth under high irradiance, even though they are ‘pioneers’. Some pioneer species might need protection from herbivory and some shade at the seedling stage. That result undermined the idea that all pioneer species can be used to reforest large open areas.

The study entitled Differences in Survival and Growth among Tropical Rain Forest Pioneer Tree Seedlings in Relation to Canopy Openness and Herbivory” has been published in Biotropica.

 

 

 

  Appendix Download
Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
Copyright XTBG 2005-2014 Powered by XTBG Information Center