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Treefalls and Patterns of Understory Species in a Wet Lowland Tropical Forest
Author(s) -
Richards Patricia,
Williamson G. Bruce
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.144
H-Index - 294
eISSN - 1939-9170
pISSN - 0012-9658
DOI - 10.2307/1936164
Subject(s) - understory , ecology , tropical forest , geography , tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , agroforestry , environmental science , biology , canopy , subtropics
Nested quadrats were used to determine natural clump sizes for three understory species in a mature, wet, tropical forest in Costa Rica. Under a closed canopy, individuals > 60 cm tall of the understory palm Cryosophila guagara are shown to clump maximally at a size which corresponds to the size of lightgaps created by fallen canopy trees, suggeting that the distribution pattern of this palm is related to the pattern of fallen trees. Two other understory species, Neonicholsonia watsonii and Carludovica palmata, clump maximally at sizes which do not correspond to the sizes of average canopy gaps.