What is it about?
Treefall gaps offer create opportunities for the regeneration of many species in tropical humid forests, but this role is unclear in forests with seasonally drought. By comparing characteristics of the understory (small, young plats) within and beyond canopy gaps in a dry forest, we showed that treefall gaps enhance regeneration by promoting the establishment of more individuals, but not of more species.
Featured Image
Why is it important?
Many tropical dry forests are exposed to climatic events that cause the fall of some trees in the community. Now we know that at least in some dry forests the regeneration of their canopy species may be enhanced by these events.
Perspectives
To better understand the role of treefall gaps in the regeneration of tropical dry forests we need to measure as precisely as possible the environmental changes that take place at these sites. Experimental work on the germination and establishment of canopy species in these microenvironments, or direct observations with a better temporal resolution, could add strength to current conclusions.
Dr Jorge A. Meave
Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: The effect of treefall gaps on the understorey structure and composition of the tropical dry forest of Nizanda, Oaxaca, Mexico: implications for forest regeneration, Journal of Tropical Ecology, March 2016, Cambridge University Press,
DOI: 10.1017/s0266467416000092.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
