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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Contrasting structure and composition of the understory in species-rich tropical rain forests
Ecology, Volume 87, No. 9, Year 2006
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Description
In large samples of trees ≥1 cm dbh (more than 1 million trees and 3000 species), in six lowland tropical forests on three continents, we assigned species with >30 individuals to one of six classes of stature at maturity (SAM). We then compared the proportional representation of understory trees (1-2 cm dbh) among these classes. The understory of the three Asian sites was predominantly composed of the saplings of large-canopy trees whereas the African and American sites were more richly stocked with trees of the smaller SAM classes. Differences in class representation were related to taxonomic families that were present exclusively in one continent or another. Families found in the Asian plots but not in the American plot (e.g., Dipterocarpaceae, Fagaceae) were predominantly species of the largest SAM classes, whereas families exclusive to the American plots (e.g., Melastomataceae sensu stricto, Piperaceae, and Malvaceae [Bombacacoidea]) were predominantly species of small classes. The African plot was similar to Asia in the absence of those American families rich in understory species, while similar to America in lacking the Asian families rich in canopy species. The numerous understory species of Africa were chiefly derived from families shared with Asia and/or America. The ratio of saplings (1-2 cm dbh) to conspecific canopy trees (>40 cm dbh) was lower in American plots than in the Asian plots. Possible explanations for these differences include phenology, moisture and soil fertility regimes, phyletic constraints, and the role of early successional plants in forest development. These results demonstrate that tropical forests that appear similar in tree number, basal area, and the family taxonomy of canopy trees nonetheless differ in ecological structure in ways that may impact the ecology of pollinators, dispersers, and herbivores and might reflect fundamental differences in canopy tree regeneration. © 2006 by the Ecological Society of America.
Authors & Co-Authors
LaFrankie, James V.
Singapore, Singapore City
National Institute of Education
Ashton, Peter Shaw
United States, Cambridge
Harvard University
Chuyong, George Bindeh
Cameroon, Buea
University of Buea
Co, Leonardo
Philippines, Quezon City
Conservation International Philippines
Condit, Richard S.
United States, Washington, D.c.
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Davies, Stuart James
United States, Cambridge
Harvard University
Foster, Robin B.
United States, Chicago
Field Museum of Natural History
Hubbell, Stephen P.
United States, Athens
University of Georgia
Kenfack, David
United States, St. Louis
Missouri Botanical Garden
Lagunzad, Daniel
Philippines, Manila
University of the Philippines Manila
Losos, Elizabeth C.
United States, Washington
Center for Tropical Forest Science
Nor, Noor Supardi Md
Malaysia, Sandakan
Forest Research Centre - Sandakan
Tan, Sylvester Kheng San
Malaysia, Sarawak
Agriculture Research Center
Thomas, Duncan W.
United States, Corvallis
Oregon State University
Valencia, Renato L.
Ecuador, Quito
Pontificia Universidad Católica Del Ecuador
Villa, Gorky
Ecuador, Quito
Pontificia Universidad Católica Del Ecuador
Statistics
Citations: 71
Authors: 16
Affiliations: 14
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1890/0012-9658(2006)87[2298:CSACOT]2.0.CO;2
ISSN:
00129658
e-ISSN:
00129658
Research Areas
Sexual And Reproductive Health