Effects of suppression and release on sapling growth for 11 tree species of northern, interior British Columbia

2000 ◽  
Vol 30 (10) ◽  
pp. 1571-1580 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine F Wright ◽  
Charles D Canham ◽  
K D Coates
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Light Level ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Partial Cutting ◽  
Tolerant Species ◽  
Shade Tolerant Species ◽  
Sapling Growth ◽  
Over Time

Saplings of canopy tree species frequently undergo alternating periods of suppression and release before reaching canopy size. In this study, we document the effects of periods of suppression and release on current responses to variation in light by saplings of the 11 major tree species of northwestern, interior British Columbia. We were specifically interested in the degree to which increasing length of suppression had long-term effects on subsequent response to release in gaps or following partial cutting, and the degree to which the effects of suppression were ameliorated with time following release. At least some saplings of all 11 species had undergone alternating periods of suppression and release. The most shade-tolerant species generally did not show either a decline in growth over time during suppression or a gradual increase in growth at a given light level over time during release. The least shade-tolerant species exhibited significant declines in growth rate during suppression; however, in all of the species except trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.), the effects of suppression disappeared over time during release. Failure to account for the effects of past suppression and release leads to significant overestimates of the initial responses of shade-intolerant species to release. Our results suggest that competitive balances between species shift substantially over time as a result of growth history and that these shifts have significant effects on successional patterns.

Small-scale disturbance in a northern hardwoods forest: effects on tree species abundance and distribution

1993 ◽  
Vol 23 (7) ◽  
pp. 1347-1360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan W. McClure ◽  
Thomas D. Lee
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Root Competition ◽  
Northern Hardwoods ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Gap Size ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
Tolerant Species ◽  
Shade Tolerant Species

Sampling of 24-, 34-, and 44-year-old patch cuts (324–2400 m2) in the Bartlett Experimental Forest, New Hampshire, was undertaken to assess the effect of gap size and location within a gap on tree species abundance (relative basal area and relative density). Shade-tolerant species, especially eastern hemlock (Tsugacanadensis (L.) Carr.) and American beech (Fagusgrandifolia Ehrh.), were relatively more abundant in small gaps and gap edges and generally decreased with increasing gap size. Shade-intolerant species, including paper birch (Betulapapyrifera Marsh.) and pin cherry (Prunuspensylvanica L.f.), were relatively more abundant in large gaps and gap centers and increased with increasing gap size. Intermediately shade-tolerant species, especially yellow birch (Betulaalleghaniensis Britt.) and red maple (Acerrubrum L.), were relatively more abundant in gap centers. Striped maple (Acerpensylvanicum L.) was relatively more abundant in gap edges. Many of these relationships were complex due to interactions with gap age and slope. Sugar maple (Acersaccharum Marsh.) relative abundance was not associated with gap size or location within a gap. Analyses isolating irradiance as a factor influencing species composition were inconclusive. Instead, other effects of gap disturbance and characteristics associated with different locations in the gap, such as soil conditions and root competition, may play an important role in the gap dynamics of this northern hardwoods forest. Gap age had a strong effect on species relative abundances and these patterns reflected typical successional sequences in northern hardwood forests. The gap disturbances increased species richness and diversity in this forest. Gaps contained species not present in the old-growth forest, and the species compositional variations among different gap sizes suggest that a forest with a range of gap sizes will have high diversity. Competitive exclusion appeared to be prevented by the gap disturbances, a likely consequence of the release of previously unavailable resources.

Species variability in growth response to light across climatic regions in northwestern British Columbia

1998 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 871-886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elaine F Wright ◽  
K Dave Coates ◽  
Charles D Canham ◽  
Paula Bartemucci
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Shade Tolerance ◽  
Growth Response ◽  
High Light ◽  
Low Light ◽  
Climatic Regions ◽  
Light Levels ◽  
Tolerant Species ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Shade Tolerant Species

We characterize variation in radial and height growth of saplings of 11 tree species across a range of light levels in boreal, sub-boreal, subalpine, and temperate forests of northwestern British Columbia. Shade-tolerant species had the greatest response to an increase in light at low-light levels but had low asymptotic growth at high light. Shade-intolerant species had weaker responses to increases at low light but had the highest growth rates at high light. The effects of climate on intraspecific variation in sapling response to light were also related to shade tolerance: across different climatic regions, the most shade-tolerant species varied in their response to low-light but not high light, while shade-intolerant species varied only in their high-light growth. Species with intermediate shade tolerance varied both their amplitude of growth at high light and the slope of the growth response at low light. Despite the interspecific trade-offs between high- and low-light growth, there was a striking degree of overlap in the light response curves for the component species in virtually all of the climatic regions. Successional dynamics in these forests appear to be more strongly governed by interspecific variation in sapling survival than growth.

Long-term permanent plot observations of vegetation dynamics in Budongo, a Ugandan rain forest

2000 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. 865-882 ◽  
Author(s):  
DOUGLAS SHEIL ◽  
STEPHEN JENNINGS ◽  
PETER SAVILL
Keyword(s):  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Series Data ◽  
Forest Plot ◽  
Stem Size ◽  
Tolerant Species ◽  
Large Trees ◽  
Shade Tolerant Species

Species composition and turnover that have occurred in a series of permanent sample plots established during the 1930s and 1940s in Budongo, a semi-deciduous Ugandan forest, are reported. The plots were established as part of a sequence first used to describe forest succession, five of which have been maintained and which were last measured in 1992-1993. One plot (plot 7) provides 53 y of data from old-growth pristine forest. Plot 15 was established in wooded grassland at the forest edge and is now closed high forest. Evaluation of the remaining three plots is complicated by silvicultural interventions carried out in the 1950s. Forty species have been added since the first evaluations and a total of 188 tree species (over 80% of Budongo's forest tree flora, and including two exotics) has now been recorded from within the plots. The pattern of shade-tolerance in the original plot series conforms to patterns expected for succession with an increasing proportion of shade-tolerant species with development, and large stems appearing to ‘lag behind’ smaller stems in this respect. The time series data are less consistent, and while plot 7 increased in the proportion of shade-tolerant stems through time, the proportion of shade-tolerant species actually declines. Stem-turnover (the mean of mortality and recruitment) slowed with implied successional stage. Most species have a higher recruitment than mortality rate and stem numbers have thus increased in all plots. This is most pronounced in the putatively ‘early successional’ plot. Stem size structure has changed within the plots, with an increased proportion of smaller stems. Species show different rates of turnover and these vary from plot to plot and period to period. In plot 7, the overall mortality rate decreased with initial stem size. Estimates imply that some tree species may easily live longer than 500 y after reaching 10 cm DBH, and that 1000 y is possible. The importance of large trees in determining forest dynamics is illustrated by the finding that death of only seven stems in plot 7 contributed over 60% of net basal area losses recorded over the 53-y observation period. Many of the observed patterns were not predicted and could only have been found by long-term studies.

scholarly journals Traits controlling shade tolerance in tropical montane trees

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisée Bahati Ntawuhiganayo ◽  
Félicien K Uwizeye ◽  
Etienne Zibera ◽  
Mirindi E Dusenge ◽  
Camille Ziegler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Shade Tolerance ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Plant Biomass ◽  
Leaf Traits ◽  
Interspecific Variation ◽  
Clear Understanding ◽  
Tolerant Species ◽  
Whole Plant ◽  
Shade Tolerant Species

Abstract Tropical canopies are complex, with multiple canopy layers and pronounced gap dynamics contributing to their high species diversity and productivity. An important reason for this complexity is the large variation in shade tolerance among different tree species. At present, we lack a clear understanding of which plant traits control this variation, e.g., regarding the relative contributions of whole-plant versus leaf traits or structural versus physiological traits. We investigated a broad range of traits in six tropical montane rainforest tree species with different degrees of shade tolerance, grown under three different radiation regimes (under the open sky or beneath sparse or dense canopies). The two distinct shade-tolerant species had higher fractional biomass in leaves and branches while shade-intolerant species invested more into stems, and these differences were greater under low radiation. Leaf respiration and photosynthetic light compensation point did not vary with species shade tolerance, regardless of radiation regime. Leaf temperatures in open plots were markedly higher in shade-tolerant species due to their low transpiration rates and large leaf sizes. Our results suggest that interspecific variation in shade tolerance of tropical montane trees is controlled by species differences in whole-plant biomass allocation strategy rather than by difference in physiological leaf traits determining leaf carbon balance at low radiation.

scholarly journals Leaf optical properties as affected by shade in saplings of six tropical tree species differing in successional status

2003 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rogéria Pereira Souza ◽  
Ivany F. M. Válio
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Chlorophyll Content ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Tropical Tree ◽  
Successional Status ◽  
Tropical Tree Species ◽  
Leaf Chlorophyll ◽  
Tolerant Species ◽  
Leaf Optical Properties ◽  
Shade Tolerant Species

Tree species differing in successional status may present different responses to shade. Adjustments at leaf level may affect their optical properties, leading to changes in PAR (photosynthetically active radiation) absorbance. The aim of this study was to evaluate leaf optical properties as affected by understory shade in saplings of six tropical tree species differing in successional status and degree of shade tolerance. Chlorophyll content and specific leaf area (SLA) were also evaluated. The effects of shade on leaf optical properties and chlorophyll content differed among the studied species, whereas increased SLA was a common response for all species, reflecting the occurrence of thinner leaves under shade. The three studied shade-tolerant species - Esenbeckia leiocarpa, Myroxylon peruiferum and Hymenaea courbaril - presented a greater PAR absorbance under shade. The response of the shade-intolerant species was varied. While Schizolobium parahyba also showed a greater PAR absorbance under shade, Chorisia speciosa did not alter its spectral properties and Cecropia pachystachya presented an opposite pattern, with smaller absorbance under shade. Increases in leaf chlorophyll content were significant in the shade-tolerant species, whereas they were absent or of small magnitude in the shade-intolerant ones. Although the shade-induced decrease of leaf reflectance was the only response that safely discriminated tolerant from intolerant species, the adjustments in leaf chlorophyll content and optical properties were more consistent for the tolerant species.

scholarly journals Northern White-Cedar Regeneration Dynamics on the Penobscot Experimental Forest in Maine: 40-Year Results

2010 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Larouche ◽  
Laura S. Kenefic ◽  
Jean-Claude Ruel
Keyword(s):  
Population Densities ◽  
Partial Cutting ◽  
Thuja Occidentalis ◽  
White Cedar ◽  
Sapling Growth ◽  
Northern White Cedar ◽  
And Control ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Measurement Period

Abstract The objective of this study was to assess the long-term dynamics of northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis L.) seedling and sapling growth and mortality on the Penobscot Experimental Forest in Maine. Data collected between 1965 and 2005 in four twice-replicated partial cutting treatments were analyzed. White-cedar seedlings established in all treatments despite relatively high white tailed-deer (Odocoileus virginianus Zimmerman) population densities. However, although it appears that regeneration cohorts of associated softwoods increased in size over time, the white-cedar cohort did not. Ingrowth of white-cedar from the seedling to sapling stage was lower than the combined rates of sapling mortality and recruitment to the pole stage; sapling density of this species in 2005 was >80% less than it was at the start of the measurement period. Sapling mortality was high, and recruitment to larger size classes was low, although mortality decreased and recruitment increased as sapling size increased. Browsing was prolific; 90% of white-cedar seedlings and small saplings showed signs of browse in 2005. Overall, white-cedar sapling growth was slow, with an estimated 100 years needed to grow from small sapling to merchantable size in the study stands. Efforts to release white-cedar saplings through precommercial treatment and control of browsing pressure are recommended.

scholarly journals Growth of Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine, and ponderosa pine seedlings underplanted in a partially-cut, dry Douglas-fir stand in south-central British Columbia

2006 ◽  
Vol 82 (5) ◽  
pp. 723-732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Vyse ◽  
Christine Ferguson ◽  
Suzanne W Simard ◽  
Tamaki Kano ◽  
Pasi Puttonen
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Pinus Ponderosa ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Light Level ◽  
Douglas Fir ◽  
Partial Cutting ◽  
South Central

The effects of partial cutting on seedling growth of three conifer species were studied at a very dry, hot interior Douglas-fir site near Kamloops, British Columbia. Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco), lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.), and ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex. P. & C. Laws.) seedlings were planted in mechanically prepared 50 cm × 50 cm patches under different canopy conditions created by harvesting 60% of the original stand volume. The prepared areas were selected to represent canopy closures from open to closed, slopes from 0 to 60%, and all aspects. After six years, survival of Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine and ponderosa pine was 78%, 76% and 70%, respectively. Light level had a strong influence on survival and condition. Growth of all species increased linearly with light, and was greatest for lodgepole pine, followed by ponderosa pine and Douglas-fir. Multiple regression analysis showed that six-year seedling size was most significantly affected by total light, and only occasionally by aspect, slope, or crown closure. The best models explained 53%, 47% and 42% of the variation in diameter of lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, and Douglas-fir, respectively. Natural abundance 13C was positively correlated with light and soil moisture availability, reflecting higher photosynthetic capacity of all species in the wetter, open canopy conditions. Patterns in isotopic discrimination also indicated greater water use efficiency of Douglas-fir and ponderosa pine than lodgepole pine under low light conditions. Underplanting stands thinned to a basal area of less than 15m2 per ha offers a solution to regeneration difficulties on hot, dry Interior Douglas-fir sites. Key words: partial cutting, Douglas-fir, lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, light, soil moisture, 13C, growth, survival, Opax Mountain Silvicultural Systems Project

scholarly journals HEIGHT STRUCTURE AND SPATIAL PATTERN OF FIVE TROPICAL TREE SPECIES IN TWO SEASONAL SEMIDECIDUOUS FOREST FRAGMENTS WITH DIFFERENT CONSERVATION HISTORIES

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 395-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego Resende Rodrigues ◽  
Yves Rafael Bovolenta ◽  
José Antonio Pimenta ◽  
Edmilson Bianchini
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Pattern ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Forest Fragments ◽  
Semideciduous Forest ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
Tolerant Species ◽  
Shade Tolerant Species ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Height Data ◽  
Seasonal Semideciduous Forest

ABSTRACT Anthropogenic disturbances in forests modify survival conditions and development of plants, which has direct effect on the height and spatial structure of tree populations. This study aimed to compare the height structure and spatial pattern of five tree species in two distinct fragments of seasonal semideciduous forest with different histories of conservation. We studied shade-intolerant (Astronium graveolens Jacq., Gallesia integrifolia (Spreng.) Harms) and shade-tolerant species (Chrysophyllum gonocarpum (Mart. & Eichler ex Miq.) Engl., Euterpe edulis Mart. and Holocalyx balansae Micheli). Sixty plots of 100 m2 (10 m x 10 m) were allocated, being 30 contiguous plots in each fragment. All individuals of five species were marked, assessed for total height data and mapped using Cartesian coordinates. We observed differences in height structure between fragments. All populations had a random spatial pattern, except to H. balansae in the less conserved fragment and E. edulis in the conserved fragment that showed a clumped spatial pattern. There were evidences of forest regeneration due to the establishment of shade-tolerant species in less conserved fragment and coexistence of functional groups in both fragments. The height structure and spatial pattern analyses indicating that anthropogenic exploitation changed the environment and population structure in the less conserved area when compared to conserved area. The anthropic exploitation was ceased few years ago, so it is expected that the less conserved fragment reach the stability of an old-growth forest.

Spatial patterns of tropical forest trees in Western Polynesia suggest recruitment limitations during secondary succession

2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Franklin ◽  
Sergio J. Rey
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Secondary Succession ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
Abiotic Factors ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Forest Community ◽  
Primary Forest ◽  
Tolerant Species ◽  
Shade Tolerant Species

Spatial analysis can be used to relate the patterns of tree species to their regeneration syndromes – pioneer to late-successional – and is a first step in refining hypotheses about the species traits and biotic and abiotic factors that give rise to forest community dynamics. This study examines the spatial pattern of the most abundant trees in three 0.45-ha plots in species-poor lowland rain forests on oceanic islands in Tonga, Western Polynesia, that experience frequent natural disturbance and have a 3000-y history of shifting cultivation. We contrast secondary vs. remnant late-successional forest, with particular attention paid to the spatial dispersion and clustering of tree species, and the presence of spatial dependence in the density of seedlings and saplings. Shade-tolerant species were not strongly clustered at any scale. They did not appear to be dispersal limited, in late successional forest, and only some showed patterns consistent with density-dependent mortality (more clumped when small). Shade-tolerant species were more clumped in secondary forest, and may be dispersal-limited there because vertebrate dispersers prefer primary forest. Shade-intolerant species were clumped in gaps in late-successional forest, but some were also clumped in secondary forest, indicating that they too may be dispersal limited during secondary succession. We also compared the species composition of seedlings and saplings in the centre of plots with trees in the surrounding area and inferred that active dispersal (by vertebrate frugivores) contributed as much as 50% to site species richness.

Partitioning of understorey light and dry-season soil moisture gradients among seedlings of four rain-forest tree species in Madagascar

2007 ◽  
Vol 23 (5) ◽  
pp. 569-579 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roland C. de Gouvenain ◽  
Richard K. Kobe ◽  
John A. Silander
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Light Availability ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Tree Regeneration ◽  
Resource Gradients ◽  
Tolerant Species ◽  
Shade Tolerant Species ◽  
Species Performance

Resource partitioning has been hypothesized to play a role in the maintenance of tree diversity in tropical forests. We looked for evidence of light and soil moisture partitioning among seedlings of four native Malagasy tree species, the pioneer, gap-adapted species Harungana madagascariensis and the three shade-tolerant species Ocotea cymosa, Stephanostegia capuronii and Uapaca ferruginea. Four hundred and eighty seedlings were transplanted in experimental plots in the Tampolo coastal forest and grown for 2 y. Growth rates increased with increasing light availability for all species, and with increasing dry-season soil moisture for H. madagascariensis. With increasing light availability, survival increased for H. madagascariensis, S. capuronii and U. ferruginea but decreased for O. cymosa. While dry-season soil moisture did not influence the growth or survival of the shade-tolerant species, it interacted with understorey light in its effect on the performance of H. madagascariensis, which performed better in wet soils at high light than in dry soils in shade. Rank reversals in species performance suggested that three of the four tree species partition resource gradients as seedlings, mostly light and secondarily dry-season soil moisture. There was only partial agreement between the performance of transplanted seedlings and the distribution of natural seedlings of the same four species with respect to light and soil moisture, suggesting that the success of tropical tree regeneration can only be partly accounted for by seedling performance across resource gradients.

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