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Mast fruiting and seedling survival of the ectomycorrhizal, monodominant Dicymbe corymbosa (Caesalpiniaceae) in Guyana
Author(s) -
Henkel Terry W.,
Mayor Jordan R.,
Woolley Lance P.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2005.01431.x
Subject(s) - seedling , biology , mast (botany) , rainforest , canopy , seed predation , botany , dipterocarpaceae , seed dispersal , agronomy , biological dispersal , population , demography , mast cell , sociology , immunology
Summary• In Guyana, we investigated seed output, and resulting seedling establishment and survival, during a ‘mast’ year, by the ectomycorrhizal, monodominant rainforest canopy tree Dicymbe corymbosa (Caesalpiniaceae), a species with high, synchronous seed production at intermittent years. • By utilizing seed traps, the mast seed output, predation, carbon and mineral investment, and masting synchrony were quantified in 2003 in primary D. corymbosa forests. Establishment of seedling cohorts was monitored, and climatic conditions associated with masting were assessed. • During 2003, D. corymbosa in the Pakaraima Mountains exhibited high, synchronous seed production with low dispersal and predation. Investment in reproductive biomass was large relative to that in other tropical forests. Recent D. corymbosa reproductive events followed El Nino‐induced droughts, with little intervening seed production. Over 12 months, 40% of the 2003 seedling cohort survived. • Our results suggest that D. corymbosa has a strongly bimodal fruiting pattern that allows the establishment of a large seedling bank, facilitating persistent monodominance. Resource investment in large seed crops may depend on mineral recycling via ectomycorrhizas, coupled with the reallocation of carbon from vegetative maintenance.