Reproductive Phenology and Growth of Riparian Species along Phra Prong River, Sa Kaeo Province, Eastern Thailand

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the duration of flowering and fruiting and the growth of riparian species in the natural forest along Phra Prong River, Watthana Nakhon District, Sa Kaeo province. The occurrence of flowering and fruiting was recorded every month from February 2015 to January 2016 (12 months) along a 7km distance of the riversides. Sixty six species belonging to 36 families were seen flowering and fruiting in this study. They were observed during February – April. The peak of flowering and fruiting occurred in March (early summer). Hydnocarpus anthelminthicus, Uvaria rufa, and Combretum latifolium had a long lasting flowering and fruiting period. Oxystelma esculentum, Capparis micracantha, Connarus cochinchinensis, Derris scandens, and Ficus racemosa produced flowers and fruits more than once a year. Those species may play an important role in availability of food resources for animals in the riparian forest. The appropriate time to collect seeds in Phra Prong riparian forest starts from February and lasts until August. The germination test indicated that Xanthophyllum lanceatum and Crateva magna had a high germination rate, about 70%. Growth of some riparian species, including Cinnamomum iners, Dipterocarpus alatus, Hydnocarpus anthelminthicus and Hopea odorata was monitored every three months from July 2015 to June 2016. Diameter growth of D. alatus was significantly higher during the wet season (Jul-Sep) than other seasons. In contrast, the rest of the species showed no significant differences among monitoring periods. Height growth rate of C. iners was significantly highest late in the dry period (Jan-Mar).

Effects of ENSO events on the intensity, seasonality, and diversity of reproductive phenology of Miconia (Melastomataceae) species in tropical rainforest

“…The seasonality of fruiting of sympatric species of Miconia reinforces the view that both the formation and attractiveness of these types of fruits are favored by the availability of plentiful water supplies (Brito et al, 2017;Moungsrimuangdee et al, 2017;Sierra and Blanco, 2021). Furthermore, the production of mature fruits during the rainy season, as seen with M. alborufescens and M. prasina, is considered crucial for seed germination and seedling establishment (Moungsrimuangdee et al, 2017). The intensity and periodicity of the phenologies of tropical forest plants can vary during different years as a function of global climatic phenomena such as El Niño and La Niña (Chang-Yang et al, 2016;Menezes et al, 2017;Chapman et al, 2018;Gateau-Rey et al, 2018).…”

“…Several other studies have reported segregated fruiting patterns of fleshy-fruited species of Melastomataceae, mainly those belonging to the Miconieae tribe, in low, seasonal forests, as listed by Brito et al (2017). The seasonality of fruiting of sympatric species of Miconia reinforces the view that both the formation and attractiveness of these types of fruits are favored by the availability of plentiful water supplies (Brito et al, 2017;Moungsrimuangdee et al, 2017;Sierra and Blanco, 2021). Furthermore, the production of mature fruits during the rainy season, as seen with M. alborufescens and M. prasina, is considered crucial for seed germination and seedling establishment (Moungsrimuangdee et al, 2017).…”

Responses to Flooding of Two Riparian Tree Species in the Lowland Tropical Forests of Thailand

“…(Polygalaceae) were selected in this study. They are commonly found, and classified as dominant trees in the riparian forests of Phra Prong River according to our previous studies (Moungsrimuangdee et al, 2015;Nawajongpan and Moungsrimuangdee, 2016;Moungsrimuangdee et al, 2017a). In addition, both species often grow in the freshwater swamp forest of Thailand (Santisuk, 2012).…”

“…Riparian forests occur along bodies of water, such as streams, lakes, and rivers, and they play an important role by providing environmental services to both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems (Broadmeadow and Nisbet, 2004;Gunderson et al, 2010) . Particularly, riparian vegetation is crucial for freshwater landscape by regulating flow of sediment and nutrients (Luke et al, 2007;Mayer et al, 2007) , moderating light and temperature for aquatic life (Broadmeadow and Nisbet, 2004), filtering the heavy metals from agricultural land (Zhang et al, 2010;Pavlovic et al, 2016), providing habitat for forest species (Waiboonya et al, 2016;Moungsrimuangdee et al, 2017a) and reducing soil erosion and stabilizing the stream banks (USDA National Agroforestry Center, 1997).…”

Biogeographical Distribution Model of Flowering Plant Capparis micracantha Using Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Generalized Linear Model (GLM) and its Ex-situ Conservation Efforts

“…The period of flowering and fruiting this species has been observed throughout the year. In its natural habitat, it is known that this species is capable of flowering more than once a year [50]. This species has two type of flowers including complete flower and incomplete flower.…”