The Low Forest (Nouragues Inselberg)

Larpin, Denis

doi:10.1007/978-94-015-9821-7_5

Cited by 11 publications

(19 citation statements)

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“…Below this rock savanna, on the slopes of the inselberg, a lowstature transition forest forms a continuous belt of about 100 m width (Larpin, 2001;Poncy et al, 2001;Sarthou, 2001). More than 380 vascular plant species have been recorded by Larpin (2001) in this transition forest. Most of the plants are shrubs or small trees dominated by species of the Myrtaceae family.…”

Section: Article In Pressmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On small patches, where the relief is depressed, vegetation islands with a thin and acidic (pH 4-5.5) soil layer are found characterised by Bromeliaceae (the Guianan outcrop endemic Pitcairnia geyskesii), Clusiaceae (Clusia minor and C. nemorosa) as well as Myrtaceae (Myrcia saxatilis and M. guyanensis) (Sarthou and Villiers, 1998). Below this rock savanna, on the slopes of the inselberg, a lowstature transition forest forms a continuous belt of about 100 m width (Larpin, 2001;Poncy et al, 2001;Sarthou, 2001). More than 380 vascular plant species have been recorded by Larpin (2001) in this transition forest.…”

Section: Article In Pressmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…N input and loss along a transect from vegetation islands on the inselberg top to the surrounding primary forest (for further explanation see text; drawing taken partly fromLarpin, 2001).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Nitrogen input by cyanobacterial biofilms of an inselberg into a tropical rainforest in French Guiana

Dojani

Lakatos

Rascher

et al. 2007

Flora - Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants

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Section: Article In Pressmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Article In Pressmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Nitrogen input by cyanobacterial biofilms of an inselberg into a tropical rainforest in French Guiana

Dojani

Lakatos

Rascher

et al. 2007

Flora - Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants

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“…Organic soils (1-20 cm depth), acid (pH 4.0-5.5), with a high faunal and microbial activity, are formed under patches of woody vegetation where humidified organic matter is prevented from flushing by a dense root network (Kounda-Kiki et al, 2006;Sarthou and Grimaldi, 1992). The summit of the inselberg, and the ecotone zone surrounding it, are covered with a low forest rich in epiphytes and understory plants (Larpin, 2001).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

Successional patterns on tropical inselbergs: A case study on the Nouragues inselberg (French Guiana)

Sarthou¹,

Kounda-Kiki²,

Vaçulik³

et al. 2009

Flora - Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants

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A number of plant communities have been described on tropical inselbergs, known as hot spots of plant and animal biodiversity. However, few studies tried to question what drives seral processes in these harsh environments, submitted to natural hazards (violent storms, intense runoff and lightning strikes) which may destroy the vegetation cover and its accumulated organic matter. We analysed quantitative data from the granitic Nouragues inselberg (French Guiana) in order to discern how successional processes featured their variety. We showed that the transition from herbaceous carpets (bromeliaceous mats and grassy meadows) to woody vegetation (shrub thickets) was not conditioned by slope, but was truly successional. We also showed that there was a cycle of change in shrub thickets, reinitiated by the destruction of scrub vegetation by fire (lightnings), wood-destroying fungi and termites.

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“…Three ecosystems with genuine plant communities have been studied: open-rock vegetation (locally called 'savane-roche'), low forest and tall-tree rainforest, the two latter being closed habitats. The two former vegetation types and specially epilithic plant communities have been described extensively (Larpin, 1993(Larpin, , 2001Sarthou, , 2001Sarthou and Villiers, 1998;Sarthou et al, 2003). They are characterized by highly contrasted ecological conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stability of plant communities along a tropical inselberg ecotone in French Guiana (South America)

Sarthou

Larpin

Fonty³

et al. 2010

Flora - Morphology, Distribution, Functional Ecology of Plants

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International audienceWe questioned whether and how plant communities vary in space and time along an inselberg-rainforest ecotone in relation to present-day warming and whether biotic and non-biotic factors could explain the observed patterns. The study took place on a granitic inselberg in the French Guianan (South America) rainforest (Nouragues Natural Reserve: 4°5'N, 52°41'W). In a diachronic study (1995-2005) embracing a severe El-Niño event in 1997, we analysed vegetation structure and composition along three transects subsuming whole environmental and topographical variations in the transition zone from shrub vegetation at the fringe of open-rock vegetation to tall-tree rainforest. Data were analysed by PCA. Major variations in species and trait distribution were described in the low forest, with two floristic types evidenced by first PCA component and verified by cluster analysis: one with floristic composition reminiscent of open-rock vegetation but with higher and continuous canopy, the other typical of the low forest. There is no clear-cut boundary between typical open-rock and low forest vegetation. Variation in species composition of typical low forest was evidenced by second PCA component, which displayed differences according to slope and altitude. Small (~1.5 m), although significant, shifts in the spatial distribution of plant species pointed to possible slow encroachment of typical low forest vegetation in the absence of disturbance. However, the stability of species and trait distribution was remarkable within the 10-yr interval considered, despite an otherwise recorded decrease in species richness and recruitment. The boundary between typical low forest and open-rock-like vegetation coincided with the spatial limit of the mineral soil above granite. Despite demographic accidents due to severe El Niño events, plant communities at the fringe of a tropical inselberg are stable at short-time both in composition and spatial distribution. In the absence of strong disturbances such as wildfire and further erosion, soil availability for roots could be interpreted as an environmental constraint to the successional development of forest vegetation. Soil development might thus act as an ecological barrier to forest encroachment, which could only be alleviated by erosion recovery, as otherwise demonstrated

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The Low Forest (Nouragues Inselberg)

Cited by 11 publications

References 0 publications

Nitrogen input by cyanobacterial biofilms of an inselberg into a tropical rainforest in French Guiana

Nitrogen input by cyanobacterial biofilms of an inselberg into a tropical rainforest in French Guiana

Successional patterns on tropical inselbergs: A case study on the Nouragues inselberg (French Guiana)

Stability of plant communities along a tropical inselberg ecotone in French Guiana (South America)

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