Seed and seedling survival of African mahogany (Entandrophragma spp.) in the Central African Republic: Implications for forest management

Hall, Jefferson S.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2007.09.050

Cited by 45 publications

(31 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…For many tree species these transient open habitats allow for successful regeneration and adult replacement (Watt 1947, Hartshorn 1978, Shugart 1984, Denslow 1987. However, both seed predation and seedling herbivory may be more intensive in gaps compared to neighboring closedcanopy conditions, and also dependent on local conspecific adult neighborhoods (Sork 1987, Schupp 1988, Osunkjoya et al 1992, Schnurr et al 2004, Norghauer et al 2006, 2008, possibly countering the beneficial effects of light. While none of the four largescale studies mentioned above showed how canopy cover interacted with seed predation at the population level, they did highlight the importance of considering scale-dependent effects, especially for masting species.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seed fate and seedling dynamics after masting in two African rain forest trees

Norghauer

Newbery

2011

Ecological Monographs

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Abstract. How the effects of biotic factors are moderated by abiotic factors, and their consequences for species interactions, is generally understudied in ecology. A key abiotic feature of forests is regular canopy disturbances that create temporary patches, or ''gaps,'' of above-average light availability. Co-occurring in lowland primary forest of Korup National Park (Cameroon), Microberlinia bisulcata and Tetraberlinia bifoliolata are locally dominant, ectomycorrhizal trees whose seeds share predator guilds in masting years. Here, we experimentally tested the impact of small mammal predators upon seedling abundance, growth, and survivorship. In 2007, we added a fixed density of seeds of each species to exclosures at 48 gap-understory locations across 82.5 ha within a large Microberlinia grove, and at 15 locations outside it.For both species, small mammals removed more seeds in gaps than in understory, whereas this was reversed for seeds killed by invertebrates. Nonetheless, Microberlinia lost twice as many seeds to small mammals, and more to invertebrates in exclosures, than Tetraberlinia, which was more prone to a pathogenic white fungus. After six weeks, both species had greater seedling establishment in gaps than understory, and in exclosures outside compared to exclosures inside the grove. In the subsequent two-year period, seedling growth and survivorship peaked in exclosures in gaps, but Microberlinia had more seedlings' stems clipped by animals than Tetraberlinia, and more than twice the percentage of leaf area damaged. Whereas Microberlinia seedling performance in gaps was inferior to Tetraberlinia inside the grove, outside it Microberlinia had reduced leaf damage, grew taller, and had many more leaves than Tetraberlinia.No evidence was found for ''apparent mutualism'' in the understory as seedling establishment of both species increased away from (.25 m) large stems of either species, pointing to ''apparent competition'' instead. In gaps, Microberlinia seedling establishment was lower near Tetraberlinia than conspecific adults because of context-dependent small mammal satiation. Stage-matrix analysis suggested that protecting Microberlinia from small mammals could increase its population growth rate by 0.06. In the light of prior research we conclude that small mammals and canopy gaps play an important role in promoting species coexistence in this forest, and that their strong interaction contributes to Microberlinia's currently very poor regeneration.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seed fate and seedling dynamics after masting in two African rain forest trees

Norghauer

Newbery

2011

Ecological Monographs

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“…effort has gone into understanding the reasons for consistent regeneration failures after logging (Hall, 2008).…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Light conditions on the ground are dependent on the size of the canopy gap, its shape, the height of the neighbouring forest canopy and the latitude (Canham et al, 1990). The influence of soil characteristics on the growth of some species has also been highlighted (Lopes et al, 2008;Hall, 2008). Coates and Burton (1997) suggested a gap approach for the development of silvicultural systems.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Coates and Burton (1997) suggested a gap approach for the development of silvicultural systems. Enrichment techniques of logging gaps have already been tested in American and Asian tropical forests (Mokhtaruddin et al, 2001;d'Oliveira, 2000;Schulze, 2008;Lopes et al, 2008) but, although previously suggested (Hall, 2008), they have not yet been tested in African rain forests. In this study, the moabi, Baillonella toxisperma Pierre (Sapotaceae), a commercial species with intermediate light requirements also classified as ''struggling gambler'' (Oldeman and Van Dijk, 1991), has been identified as a suitable candidate species for testing enrichment techniques in Central African forests.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Enrichment of logging gaps with moabi (Baillonella toxisperma Pierre) in a Central African rain forest

Doucet

Kouadio

Monticelli

et al. 2009

Forest Ecology and Management

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“…Seed predation on Entandrophragma in the Central African Republic eliminated all seeds when other food sources were in short supply (Hall, 2008). Insect and fungal attack killed the majority of seedlings in more mature, humid forests, and small mammals were the most important mortality agents in young secondary forest.…”

Section: Management Issues-natural Forestsmentioning

confidence: 99%