The effect of overstory composition on understory woody regeneration and species richness in 7-year-old plantations in Costa Rica

Powers, Jennifer S.; Haggar, Jeremy; Fisher, Richard F.

doi:10.1016/s0378-1127(97)00193-x

Cited by 144 publications

(98 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Previous studies have effectively detected differences in understory plant communities among crop tree species with similar or smaller sapling areas (e.g. Powers et al 1997;Carnevale and Montagnini 2002;Jones et al 2004). A 20 m 9 20 m plot was centered on each understory-sampling plot in which crop trees were measured for DBH with a diameter tape and height with a clinometer.…”

Section: Sampling Design and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The mechanisms responsible for these increases are thought to be trees' ability to attract seed-dispersers (Wunderle 1997), suppress grasses through shading (Kuusipalo et al 1995;Jones et al 2004), and improve soil conditions through litter inputs (Parrotta 1992). However, tree species vary greatly in their effects on understory regeneration (Powers et al 1997;Slocum and Horvitz 2000). For example, among four crop tree species in experimental trials in Costa Rica, the density and species richness of understory woody stems ranged 0.15-0.79 stems m -2 and 0.10-0.26 species m -2 , respectively, 6 years after plantation establishment (Carnevale and Montagnini 2002).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Forest regeneration under Tectona grandis and Terminalia amazonia plantation stands managed for biodiversity conservation in western Panama

et al. 2014

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Plantations of Tectona grandis in Central America are widely perceived to suppress forest regeneration in their understories, yet few studies have tested this assumption. We surveyed the understory woody vegetation growing in 7-year-old stands of T. grandis and the native tree species Terminalia amazonia in a plantation in western Panama that was managed with both commercial timber and biodiversity conservation objectives. We predicted that if T. grandis suppressed forest regeneration then the understories of T. grandis stands would have a lower density of woody stems, smaller stems, and fewer species than stands of T. amazonia. None of our predictions were supported. Densities of woody stems were 0.56 ± 0.21 m -2 (mean ± SE) and 0.64 ± 0.10 m -2 in T. grandis and T. amazonia understories, respectively. Stem height structure was similar under both species, where stems \1 m height dominated. Understory species richness did not differ between the two species; in total, 27 and 30 woody species were sampled in T. grandis and T. amazonia stands, respectively. However, understory species composition differed between the two crop species. Overall, our results are inconsistent with the idea that T. grandis plantations suppress forest regeneration and suggest that the lack of woody vegetation in other T. grandis plantation understories may be attributable to management actions, such as understory thinning, rather than species effects of T. grandis. 123New Forests (2015) 46:157-165 DOI 10.1007 research is needed to compare T. grandis and native species for their effects on forest regeneration.

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Section: Sampling Design and Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Forest regeneration under Tectona grandis and Terminalia amazonia plantation stands managed for biodiversity conservation in western Panama

et al. 2014

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“…Proof of the potential of revegetation with either native or exotic species to facilitate the development of land coverage by vegetation can be found in various studies, such as those by Kuusipalo et al (1995), Guariguata, Rheingans and Montagnini (1995), Haggar, Wightman and Fisher (1997), Lugo (1997), Parrotta, Turnbull and Jones (1997), Powers, Haggar and Fisher (1997), Keenan et al (1997), Keenan et al (1999), Ashton et al (2001), Carnevale and Montagnini (2002), and Jeddi and Chaieb (2012). Newsham, Fitter and Watkinson (1995), Guerrero, Rivillas and Rivera (1996), and Alguacil et al (2011) have pointed out the importance of heterogeneity within the diversity of the plant species utilized in a revegetation program in order that ES related to the facilitation of the development of land coverage by plants are promoted.…”

Section: Revegetation With Native Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Services Associated With the Reclamation of Areas Degraded by Mining: Potential for Payments for Environmental Services

et al. 2016

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This paper discusses the potential of associating environmental services (ES) with techniques for reclaiming degraded areas (RDA) used in the mining sector, considering the current trends in payments for environmental services (PES) in Brazil. A literature review with content analysis generated results which identified the ES generated for eight cases of RDA in mining. As an example, ES related to soil enhancement were found. A more extended review of general RDA techniques confirmed the potential for associating other ES to RDA techniques used in mining, an example here is the enhancement of carbon stocks. Support for actions could come from existing PES schemes, particularly for cases where the ES identified as associated with an RDA technique are related to soil and water conservation. Concluding remarks indicate that there is a potential scenario for ES diversification in the reclamation stage of mining operations. A first step towards accomplishing this diversification envisages the creation of a PES scheme specific to the mining sector. Further studies are needed to develop criteria for fostering a PES scheme specifically for the reclamation phase of mining operations in Brazil.

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“…A number of other studies in tropical forests have also found that high light conditions negatively correlate with understory native woody diversity and seedling abundance (Kuusipalo et al, 1995;Parrotta et al, 1997;Powers et al, 1997;Cusack and Montagnini, 2004), likely because mature forest woody species Table 2 Comparison of soil characteristics for urban forest stands with introduced Fabaceae seedlings and saplings absent versus present in the understory. in these tropical sites are adapted to germinate and grow in shady conditions.…”

Section: Canopy Properties and Understory Diversitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Patterns in understory woody diversity and soil nitrogen across native- and non-native-urban tropical forests

Cusack

McCleery

2014

Forest Ecology and Management

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Urban expansion is accelerating in the tropics, and may promote the spread of introduced plant species into urban-proximate forests. For example, soil disturbance can deplete the naturally high soil nitrogen pools in wet tropical soils, favoring introduced species with nitrogen-fixing capabilities. Also, forest fragmentation and canopy disturbance are likely to favor high-light species over shade-adapted rainforest species. We measured understory woody diversity, the abundance of introduced species, and soil nitrogen and carbon in urban, suburban, and rural secondary forests in Puerto Rico with canopies dominated by (1) native species, (2) introduced Fabaceae (potential nitrogen-fixers), and (3) introduced non-Fabaceae species. We hypothesized that forest stands with introduced Fabaceae in the canopy have higher soil nitrogen levels than stands with other introduced canopy species, and that this higher nitrogen is linked to increased native woody species diversity in the understory. We also predicted that more open canopies and smaller fragment sizes would be positively related with introduced species in the understory, and negatively related with total understory diversity. We found that stands with introduced Fabaceae in the canopy had significantly higher soil nitrogen levels than stands with other non-nitrogen fixing introduced species, and understory woody diversity in Fabaceae stands approached similar diversity levels as stands with native-dominated canopies. As predicted, aboveground stand structure and fragment size were also significantly associated with understory woody diversity across stands. These results suggest that introduced nitrogen-fixing trees may improve recruitment of native woody species in degraded tropical sites where native soil nitrogen is naturally high, particularly as Fabaceae stands mature and canopies close.

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The effect of overstory composition on understory woody regeneration and species richness in 7-year-old plantations in Costa Rica

Cited by 144 publications

References 7 publications

Forest regeneration under Tectona grandis and Terminalia amazonia plantation stands managed for biodiversity conservation in western Panama

Forest regeneration under Tectona grandis and Terminalia amazonia plantation stands managed for biodiversity conservation in western Panama

Environmental Services Associated With the Reclamation of Areas Degraded by Mining: Potential for Payments for Environmental Services

Patterns in understory woody diversity and soil nitrogen across native- and non-native-urban tropical forests

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