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Functional regeneration and spectral reflectance of trees during succession in a highly diverse tropical dry forest ecosystem
Author(s) -
AlvarezAñorve Mariana Y.,
Quesada Mauricio,
SánchezAzofeifa G. Arturo,
AvilaCabadilla Luis Daniel,
Gamon John A.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
american journal of botany
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.218
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1537-2197
pISSN - 0002-9122
DOI - 10.3732/ajb.1100200
Subject(s) - ecological succession , tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests , photochemical reflectance index , ecosystem , vegetation (pathology) , ecology , secondary succession , biology , species richness , plant community , environmental science , leaf area index , normalized difference vegetation index , medicine , pathology
• Premise of the study: The function of most ecosystems has been altered by human activities. To asses the recovery of plant communities, we must evaluate the recovery of plant functional traits. The seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF), a highly threatened ecosystem, is assumed to recover relatively quickly from disturbance, but an integrated evaluation of recovery in floristic, structural, and functional terms has not been performed. In this study we aimed to (a) compare SDTF plant functional, floristic, and structural change along succession; (b) identify tree functional groups; and (c) explore the spectral properties of different successional stages. • Methods: Across a SDTF successional gradient, we evaluated the change of species composition, vegetation structure, and leaf spectral reflectance and functional traits (related to water use, light acquisition, nutrient conservation, and CO 2 acquisition) of 25 abundant tree species. • Key results: A complete recovery of SDTF takes longer than the time period inferred from floristic or structural data. Plant functional traits changed along succession from those that maximize photoprotection and heat dissipation in early succession, where temperature is an environmental constraint, to those that enhance light acquisition in late succession, where light may be limiting. A spectral indicator of plant photosynthetic performance (photochemical reflectance index) discriminated between early and late succession. This constitutes a foundation for further exploration of remote sensing technologies for studying tropical succession. • Conclusions: A functional approach should be incorporated as a regular descriptor of forest succession because it provides a richer understanding of vegetation dynamics than is offered by either the floristic or structural approach alone.