Seed predation, pathogens and germination in primary vs. secondary cloud forest at Maquipucuna Reserve, Ecuador

Because the fate of the seed rain has long been shown to be critical to understanding forest recruitment and regeneration, seed predation, seed pathogens and germination among different species was examined in primary (closed-canopy vs. tree-fall gap) and in secondary (banana vs. sugarcane vs. seeded pasture) cloud forest at Maquipucuna Reserve, Ecuador. I found (1) seed predation took more seeds than either seed pathogenic disease or germination for all tree seed species and in both forests, where the level of seed loss to predation was greatest in the closed-canopy primary forest, second largest in the tree-fall gaps and less in recovering banana, sugarcane and pasture; (2) for pathogens these trends were reversed; and (3) most seeds, that were not taken by predators or pathogens, germinated. Cecropia sp. seeds in the tree-fall gaps and Otoba gordoniifolia seeds in both closed-canopy forest and tree-fall gaps were the most significantly different among all treatments in primary forest and Solanum ovalifolia seeds in banana fields and Piper aduncum in all fields were the most significantly different among all treatments in secondary forest. I conclude that forests may recover faster after human disturbance (here agriculture) than after natural disturbances (here tree-fall).

Long-Term Data from Fields Recovering after Sugarcane, Banana, and Pasture Cultivation in Ecuador

I report here on an ongoing permanent plot study in areas recovering from agriculture in Ecuador. These plots were set up in 1995 at Maquipucuna Reserve where the forest is tropical lower montane. The study consists of replicate fields in three past crop types (Sugarcane, Banana, and Pasture) for a total of six fields. Each field was first divided into 25 continuous 2 m × 5 m subplots which together form a 10 m × 25 m plot with the longest side bordering the adjacent forest. Then starting in 1996, and continuing annually every year since, each subplot has been sampled for percent cover of all plants and diameter at breast height (dbh) for all trees whose dbh is greater than or equal to 1 cm. I have used that data in these published studies: (1) species composition and life form, richness, and basal area trends, (2) computation of all positive and negative pairwise species associations, (3) relationships between richness and productivity over time, (4) dominance-diversity curves, and (5) definition and quantification of old field plant communities. Finally with the help of the LTER program in Puerto Rico, this sampling continues, with 2012 marking the sixteenth year of continuous annual sampling.