Interference of Pteridium arachnoideum (Kaulf.) Maxon. (Dennstaedtiaceae) on the establishment of rainforest trees

Abstract

In order to identify the effect of P. arachnoideum, we studied 11 native tree species commonly used in reforestation projects. Bioassays were conducted in laboratory to evaluate the effect of bracken leachate on the germination and morphology of seedlings. Juveniles of some of these species were planted in two adjacent but contrasting areas in relation to the dominance of P. arachnoideum. The evaluation of growth and survivorship was performed after six and twelve months. This study reveals that for some pioneer and secondary trees P. arachnoideum leachate exerted an inhibitory effect on seed germination and seedling morphology. Field experiments revealed that pioneers are apparently more resistant to P. arachnoideum leachate than secondary species.Keywords: invasive species, Pteridium arachnoideum, tropical trees, bracken, germination, seedlings. Interferência de Pteridium arachnoideum (Kaulf.) Maxon. (Dennstaedtiaceae) no estabelecimento de árvores tropicais ResumoNa tentativa de identificar o efeito de P. arachnoideum, estudamos 11 espécies nativas comumente utilizadas em projetos de reflorestamento. Bioensaios foram conduzidos em laboratório para avaliar o efeito do extrato aquoso do samambaião sobre a germinação e morfologia de plântulas. Plantas jovens de algumas destas espécies foram plantadas em duas áreas adjacentes, porém contrastantes em relação à dominância de P. arachnoideum. A avaliação do crescimento e sobrevivência foi realizada após seis e doze meses. Este estudo revela que, para algumas espécies pioneiras e secundárias tropicais, P. arachnoideum exerce um efeito inibidor sobre a germinação de sementes e a morfologia de plântulas. Experimentos de campo mostram que as espécies pioneiras são aparentemente mais resistentes ao P. arachnoideum do que as espécies secundárias.

Plant Species Composition and Their Conspecific Association in Natural Tropical Rainforest, South Papua

“…Besides that, the seed size is small, bringing about the seeds are easier to be dispersed by the animals (Seidler & Plotkin, 2006;Theimer, Gehring, Green, Connell, & Theimer, 2016). Probably, there are other reasons to explain the phenomena like allelopathic potential in inhibiting growth of other plants including their young individuals (Cummings, Parker, & Gilbert, 2012;Ladwig, Meiners, Pisula, & Lang, 2013;Silva Matos & Belinato, 2010;Zhang & Fu, 2009), but we did not observe during research. Hence, more details of discussion are not presented in this paper.…”

Understory fern community structure, growth and spore production responses to a large-scale hurricane experiment in a Puerto Rico rainforest

“…Ferns can have a significant role in shaping the trajectory of forest development after a disturbance (Walker and Sharpe, 2010); thicket-forming fern species can increase soil organic matter (Walker, 1994) or physically inhibit forest recovery on landslides (Walker et al, , 2013. Such filtering effects, where fern species alter plant communities and/or ecosystem processes, have been reported widely: Polystichum montevidense and Blechnum penna-marina in Argentina (Enrico et al, 2004); Pteridium arachnoideum in Brazil (Silva Matos and Belinato, 2010); Blechnum discolor in New Zealand (Dearden and Wardle, 2008); and Sticherus bifidus, Gleicheniella pectinata and Cyathea arborea in Puerto Rico (Walker, 1994;. Studies of the magnitude and timing of responses to recent hurricanes in Puerto Rico have shown some of the potential impacts on ferns.…”

<b>Ferns influence on the woody species seedling bank in semi-deciduous forest, Southern Brazil

“…Silva Matos & Belinato, 2010;Gallegos et al, 2015), in this study, removing of fronds only affected the vital rates of Guarea kunthiana and Inga marginata and the recruitment of Euterpe edulis.…”

“…Maxon. (Silva Matos & Belinato, 2010;Gallegos et al, 2015) and P. aquilinum (L.) Kuhn (Marrs & Watt, 2006) are aggressive competitor species. This dominance is due to the allelopathic substances that inhibit germination and growth of other plants (Dolling, Zackrisson, & Nilsson, 1994) and reduces the number of propagules that reach the ground, holding them in their biomass (Marrs & Watt, 2006).…”

“…Several studies on the impact of ferns on plant communities have been carried out in the world (George & Bazzaz, 1999;Walker et al, 2010;Gallegos et al, 2015), but almost nothing was published about this subject in Brazil (Silva & Silva Matos, 2006;Silva Matos & Belinato, 2010;Guerin & Durigan, 2015), specially in seasonal semideciduous forest (SSF). Knowledge about the influence of herbaceous stratum on tree regeneration is essential for conservation and reforestation programmes of these forests.…”