Tree seedling growth and survival over 6 years across different microsites in a temperate rain forest

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (4) ◽  
pp. 910-918 ◽  
Author(s):  
P J Bellingham ◽  
S J Richardson
Keyword(s):  
Seedling Growth ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Tree Regeneration ◽  
High Light ◽  
Tree Seedling ◽  
Tree Fern ◽  
Foliar N ◽  
Light Levels ◽  
Tree Ferns

We investigated whether canopy tree seedlings have different growth and mortality rates on different microsites in montane rain forests of the western South Island, New Zealand. Seedling relative height growth rates of three species, Podocarpus hallii, Quintinia acutifolia, and Weinmannia racemosa, were very low (mean = 0.037 cm·cm–1·year–1). Seedling growth rates were higher on logs than on the ground at high light levels, but the probability of seedling death on logs was also greater at high light levels. Seedling foliar N and P concentrations were generally not different between logs and the ground. Growth rates and foliar N concentrations of Quintinia and Weinmannia were greater for seedlings on tree fern trunks than for seedlings on the ground. Mortality rates did not differ between seedlings on tree fern trunks and seedlings on the ground. Seedling densities of Quintinia and Weinmannia were greater on logs and tree ferns than on the ground. Podocarpus densities were not different between logs and the ground, and this species did not occur on tree ferns. Quintinia and Weinmannia benefit from establishment on elevated microsites but this is not clearly the case for Podocarpus. Tree regeneration niches for such slow-growing species can only be determined through long-term studies.

Effects of sudden exposure to high light levels on two tree fern species Dicksonia antarctica (Dicksoniaceae) and Cyathea australis (Cyatheaceae) acclimated to different light intensities

2009 ◽  
Vol 57 (7) ◽  
pp. 562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liubov Volkova ◽  
Lauren T. Bennett ◽  
Michael Tausz
Keyword(s):  
Light Level ◽  
High Light ◽  
Dynamic Responses ◽  
Photosynthetic Parameters ◽  
Tree Fern ◽  
Stress Effects ◽  
Light Levels ◽  
Tree Ferns ◽  
Fern Species ◽  
Variable Light

We examined the responses of two tree fern species (Dicksonia antarctica and Cyathea australis) growing under shade or variable light (intermittent shade) to sudden exposure to high light levels. Steady-state gas exchange as well as dynamic responses of plants to artificial sunflecks indicated that difference in growth light environment had very little effect on the tree ferns’ capacities to utilise and acclimate to prevailing light conditions. Two weeks of exposure to high light levels (short-term acclimation) led to decreases in all photosynthetic parameters and more negative predawn frond water potentials, mostly irrespective of previous growth light environments. After 3months in high light levels (long-term acclimation), D. antarctica fully recovered, while C. australis previously grown under variable light, recovered only partially, suggesting high light level stress effects under the variable light environments for this species.

The influence of the bamboo Yushania microphylla on regeneration of Abies densa in central Bhutan

1999 ◽  
Vol 29 (10) ◽  
pp. 1518-1527 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Gratzer ◽  
P B Rai ◽  
G Glatzel
Keyword(s):  
Forest Floor ◽  
Height Growth ◽  
Tree Regeneration ◽  
Average Height ◽  
Seedling Density ◽  
Tree Seedling ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Light Levels ◽  
Gap Fraction ◽  
The Impact

To assess the impact of a dense understory of the bamboo Yushania microphylla Munro on tree regeneration in monospecific Abies densa Griff. stands of the central Bhutan Himalayas, the age-class distribution of fir regeneration, the microsite preferences, and height growth as well as the relationship between height of the bamboo, gap fraction, and tree seedling density were studied. Seedling densities were much lower on sites with bamboo. Recruitment was more or less continuous, and there was no indication of overall synchronized single-cohort regeneration in bamboo plots. On sites with bamboo understory, the light regime at the forest floor is strongly influenced by the height of the bamboo. A large portion of the variance of tree seedling density could be explained by the height of the bamboo. The mortality of fir seedlings is considerably reduced at elevated microsites. Fir establishment on the forest floor is restricted to sites where bamboo density is low and light levels are higher. On sites with dense, unbrowsed bamboo, light levels are too low for long-term survival of fir seedlings, resulting in a lack of suppressed regeneration with minimal height growth. Because of the absence of this fraction, the average height increment of fir seedlings is higher on sites with bamboo.

scholarly journals Nutrient deposition enhances post-fire survival in non-N-fixing savanna tree seedlings

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Varun Varma ◽  
Mahesh Sankaran
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Seedling Growth ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Seedling Survival ◽  
Tropical Dry Forest ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Tree Seedlings ◽  
Tree Seedling ◽  
Nutrient Deposition

AbstractNutrient deposition can modify plant growth rates and potentially alter the susceptibility of plants to disturbance events, while also influencing properties of disturbance regimes. In mixed tree-grass ecosystems, such as savannas and tropical dry forests, tree seedling growth rates strongly influence the ability of seedlings to survive fire (i.e. post-fire seedling survival), and hence, vegetation structure and tree community composition. However the effects of nutrient deposition on the susceptibility of recruiting trees to fire are poorly quantified. In a field experiment, seedlings of multiple N-fixing and non-N-fixing tropical dry forest tree species were exposed to nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fertilisation, and fire. We quantified nutrient-mediated changes in a) mean seedling growth rates; b) growth rates of the fastest growing individuals and c) post-fire seedling survival. N-fixers had substantially higher baseline post-fire seedling survival, that was unaffected by nutrient addition. Fertilisation, especially with N, increased post-fire survival probabilities in non-N-fixers by increasing the growth rates of the fastest growing individuals. These results suggest that fertilisation can lead to an increase in the relative abundance of non-N-fixers in the resprout community, and thereby, alter the community composition of tropical savanna and dry forest tree communities in the long-term.

Growth of planted tree seedlings in response to ambient light levels in northwestern interior cedar-hemlock forests of British Columbia

1999 ◽  
Vol 29 (9) ◽  
pp. 1374-1382 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Dave Coates ◽  
Philip J Burton
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rates ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
High Light ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Ambient Light ◽  
Growth Strategies ◽  
Light Levels ◽  
Whole Plant

Insights into field-planted conifer seedling growth were gained by fitting height and diameter growth to relative irradiance over the growing season using Michaelis-Menten functions. There was little difference among tree species (Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt., Picea glauca (Moench) Voss × Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr., Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud., Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don, Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) in response to ambient light. No significant differences in whole-plant compensation points were observed among species but the ranking of species' compensation points was consistent with their shade-tolerance ranking. Five years after planting, total size and recent growth rates varied little among species from low to high light, implying an absence of trade-offs in low- and high-light growth strategies. Thuja plicata had the greatest response to increased light under deep shade (<20% relative irradiance). All species increased growth above 40% relative irradiance, with no clear whole-plant light saturation point evident under field conditions. Growth rates at high light were broadly overlapping and varied considerably within species. As expected,Pinus contorta growth exceeded that of other species above 70% relative irradiance, but it also exhibited high growth rates at low light. Greatest variability among species was at intermediate light levels (30-70% relative irradiance) where careful matching of tree species to light environment can maximize growth rates.

scholarly journals Effects of mycorrhizal fungi on tree seedling growth: quantifying the parasitism–mutualism transition along a light gradient

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-57 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inés Ibáñez ◽  
Sarah McCarthy-Neumann
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
High Light ◽  
Competitive Interactions ◽  
Tree Seedlings ◽  
Tree Seedling ◽  
Low Light ◽  
Light Levels ◽  
Light Gradient ◽  
Tree Seedling Growth

Mycorrhizal fungi colonize tree seedlings shortly after germination, and the nature of this relationship (mutualistic to parasitic) has been reported to vary as a function of resources; however, this transition has rarely been quantified. Using a light gradient, we grew seedlings of eight tree species in soils that were cultivated by several co-existing species of trees. We used data on root mycorrhizal fungi to quantify colonization along the gradient of light. We then analyzed plant growth as a function of both the light gradient and the extent of mycorrhizal colonization. Mycorrhizal fungi colonization varied among species but was not correlated with the species’ seed sizes or shade tolerances. Within a species, colonization varied among soil sources, but those differences followed neither the conspecific–heterospecific dichotomy, nor the soil host’s arbuscular–ectomycorrhizal associations commonly reported. At high light levels, seedlings growth increased with increasing levels of colonization for seven species, and at low light levels, the effect of colonization was negative for five species. We also quantified the light threshold at which the plant – mycorrhizal fungi relationship shifted from neutral to positive (four species), from negative to neutral (one species), and from neutral to negative (one species), documenting differences among species that could exacerbate competitive interactions during recruitment.

Change of color appearance due to extremely high light level: corresponding colors under 100 and 3000 cd/m2

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 (1) ◽  
pp. 320-325 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenyu Bao ◽  
Minchen Wei
Keyword(s):  
Light Level ◽  
Limited Range ◽  
High Light ◽  
Color Preference ◽  
Color Appearance ◽  
Appearance Model ◽  
Color Matching ◽  
Light Levels ◽  
Appearance Models ◽  
Psychophysical Study

Great efforts have been made to develop color appearance models to predict color appearance of stimuli under various viewing conditions. CIECAM02, the most widely used color appearance model, and many other color appearance models were all developed based on corresponding color datasets, including LUTCHI data. Though the effect of adapting light level on color appearance, which is known as "Hunt Effect", is well known, most of the corresponding color datasets were collected within a limited range of light levels (i.e., below 700 cd/m2), which was much lower than that under daylight. A recent study investigating color preference of an artwork under various light levels from 20 to 15000 lx suggested that the existing color appearance models may not accurately characterize the color appearance of stimuli under extremely high light levels, based on the assumption that the same preference judgements were due to the same color appearance. This article reports a psychophysical study, which was designed to directly collect corresponding colors under two light levels— 100 and 3000 cd/m2 (i.e., ≈ 314 and 9420 lx). Human observers completed haploscopic color matching for four color stimuli (i.e., red, green, blue, and yellow) under the two light levels at 2700 or 6500 K. Though the Hunt Effect was supported by the results, CIECAM02 was found to have large errors under the extremely high light levels, especially when the CCT was low.

scholarly journals Effects of Soil Abiotic and Biotic Factors on Tree Seedling Regeneration Following a Boreal Forest Wildfire

Ecosystems ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Theresa S. Ibáñez ◽  
David A. Wardle ◽  
Michael J. Gundale ◽  
Marie-Charlotte Nilsson
Keyword(s):  
Boreal Forest ◽  
Betula Pendula ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Tree Regeneration ◽  
Soil Biota ◽  
Fire Disturbance ◽  
Burn Severity ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Tree Seedling ◽  
Seedling Regeneration

AbstractWildfire disturbance is important for tree regeneration in boreal ecosystems. A considerable amount of literature has been published on how wildfires affect boreal forest regeneration. However, we lack understanding about how soil-mediated effects of fire disturbance on seedlings occur via soil abiotic properties versus soil biota. We collected soil from stands with three different severities of burning (high, low and unburned) and conducted two greenhouse experiments to explore how seedlings of tree species (Betula pendula, Pinus sylvestris and Picea abies) performed in live soils and in sterilized soil inoculated by live soil from each of the three burning severities. Seedlings grown in live soil grew best in unburned soil. When sterilized soils were reinoculated with live soil, seedlings of P. abies and P. sylvestris grew better in soil from low burn severity stands than soil from either high severity or unburned stands, demonstrating that fire disturbance may favor post-fire regeneration of conifers in part due to the presence of soil biota that persists when fire severity is low or recovers quickly post-fire. Betula pendula did not respond to soil biota and was instead driven by changes in abiotic soil properties following fire. Our study provides strong evidence that high fire severity creates soil conditions that are adverse for seedling regeneration, but that low burn severity promotes soil biota that stimulates growth and potential regeneration of conifers. It also shows that species-specific responses to abiotic and biotic soil characteristics are altered by variation in fire severity. This has important implications for tree regeneration because it points to the role of plant–soil–microbial feedbacks in promoting successful establishment, and potentially successional trajectories and species dominance in boreal forests in the future as fire regimes become increasingly severe through climate change.

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