Structure of the advanced regeneration community in tropical rain forest fragments of Los Tuxtlas, Mexico

Sánchez-Gallén, Irene; Álvarez-Sánchez, Francisco Javier; Benítez‐Malvido, Julieta

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2010.05.021

Cited by 15 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…, Sánchez‐Gallen et al . ) and in northeast Costa Rica (Bouroncle & Finegan , for seedling and saplings). This study, however, suggests that changes in seedling assemblages may be more drastic and persistent than previously reported.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Nature of Seedling Assemblages in a Fragmented Tropical Landscape: Implications for Forest Regeneration

et al. 2012

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Whether aging forest fragments are able to recover original assemblages or progressively move toward impoverished successional stages remains as an open question. This study tested the hypothesis that seedling assemblages in forest fragments differ from those across mature forest stands and examined to what extent the uncovered patterns supported the notion that edge‐affected habitats tend to support impoverished tree assemblages dominated by pioneer species. We contrasted a series of small forest remnants (3–91 ha) to old‐growth stands located in the largest (ca 3500 ha) and best preserved forest remnant in northeastern Brazil and found that tree seedling assemblages inhabiting forest fragments exhibited reduced species richness (up to 50%) at different spatial scales in comparison to seedling assemblages in mature forest and adult assemblages in both fragments and mature forest stands. Moreover, ordination analyses clearly segregated fragment seedling assemblages in taxonomic/functional terms and segregation correlated to the richness of pioneer species. Seedlings of pioneer species and those bearing medium‐sized seeds (0.6–1.5 cm) increased in fragments, whereas large‐seeded species (1.5–3.0 cm) were reduced by more than a half. Such a multiple‐scale replacement of the old‐growth flora by pioneers was also confirmed by an indicator species analysis and the resulting pioneer indicator species. Our results suggest that small forest fragments support impoverished and distorted seedling assemblages. This floristic/functional drift implies that forest remnants or edge‐affected habitats tend to be dominated by a small set of pioneer tree species rather than supporting a substantial portion of the old‐growth flora as do mature forest stands.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Nature of Seedling Assemblages in a Fragmented Tropical Landscape: Implications for Forest Regeneration

et al. 2012

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“…We established ten 1-m 2 plots arranged in a stratified random manner across a 1-ha block within each forest patch. We placed 1-m 2 plots at least 100 m away from patch edges to avoid strong edge effects as much as possible [22,41]. Thereafter, within each plot we counted and identified all tree seedlings (10-100 cm height).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Landscape structure shapes tree seedlings’ diversity at multiple spatial scales in a fragmented tropical rainforest

Nicasio-Arzeta

Ie²,

Maza-Villalobos

et al. 2019

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Biotic-dispersed tree seedling species are fundamental for the maintenance of the structure and function of forest patches in fragmented rainforest landscapes. Nonetheless, the effects of landscape structure and the spatial scale at which operates on seedling α- and β-diversity is unknown. Using a multi-scale approach, we assessed the relative effect of landscape composition (i.e., percentage of old-growth/secondary forest cover), configuration (i.e., aggregation/density of forest patches) and connectivity (i.e., structural and functional) on α- and β-diversity of biotic-dispersed seedlings in 16 forest patches in the Lacandona rainforest, Mexico. We assessed these effects at 13 spatial scales (from 300 to 1500 m radius, at 100 m intervals) for three α- and β-diversity orders (rare, common and dominant species). We found that patch aggregation increased species richness and reduced β-diversity of common and dominant species at similar spatial scales (500 to 600 m). Additionally, functional connectivity had a positive effect on the β-diversity of rare species in the 800 m spatial extent. These effects suggest that landscape configuration and functional connectivity sustain seedling diversity by preserving seed rain richness and the presence of large terrestrial herbivorous mammals. In contrast, the percentage of secondary forest matrix was detrimental for all α-diversity orders and the β-diversity of common and dominant species. Forthcoming conservation strategies should prevent deforestation, increase habitat amount and promote functional connectivity of forest-dependent fauna through matrix management actions.

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“…Read and Lawrence (2003) reinforced these findings; shifting cultivation created large areas of secondary forest, reduced basal area, above ground biomass and tree densities, increased the number of stumps, and led to changes in diversity and species composition. While at fine spatial scales, local species richness and natural regeneration might benefit from the development of forest gaps (Sánchez-Gallén et al 2010), these gaps also open the way for other disturbance types such as fire (Toledo-Aceves et al 2009). …”

Section: Natural and Anthropogenic Disturbances Shaping The Mexican Lmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attributing changes in land cover using independent disturbance datasets: a case study of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

et al. 2014

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Detailed observations of natural and anthropogenic disturbance events that impact forest structure and the distribution of carbon are essential to estimate changes in terrestrial carbon pools and the associated emissions and removals of greenhouse gasses. Recent advances in remote sensing approaches have resulted in annual and decadal estimates of land-cover change derived from observations using broad-scale moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) 250 m-1 km imagery. These land-use change estimates, however, are often not attributed directly to a cause or activity and are not well validated, especially in tropical areas. Knowledge of the type of disturbance that caused the observed land-cover changes is important, however, for the quantification of the associated impacts on ecosystem carbon stocks and fluxes. In this paper, we provide estimates of the amount of forest land-cover change in a Mexican forested region and propose an approach for attributing the cause of the observed changes to the underlying disturbance driver. To do so, we collate geospatial and remote sensing data from a variety of sources to summarize statistics about the major disturbances within the Yucatan Peninsula, an ''early action'' region for the reduction of emissions from deforestation and degradation, from 2005 to 2010. We combine the datasets to develop rules to estimate the likely disturbances that caused the observed land-cover changes based on their spatially explicit location. Finally, we compare our observed disturbance rates to those detected using classified land-cover data derived from MODIS.

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Structure of the advanced regeneration community in tropical rain forest fragments of Los Tuxtlas, Mexico

Cited by 15 publications

References 28 publications

The Nature of Seedling Assemblages in a Fragmented Tropical Landscape: Implications for Forest Regeneration

The Nature of Seedling Assemblages in a Fragmented Tropical Landscape: Implications for Forest Regeneration

Landscape structure shapes tree seedlings’ diversity at multiple spatial scales in a fragmented tropical rainforest

Attributing changes in land cover using independent disturbance datasets: a case study of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

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