TY - JOUR
T1 - Demographic consequences of heterogeneity in conspecific density dependence among mast-fruiting tropical trees
AU - O'Brien, Michael J.
AU - Hector, Andy
AU - Kellenberger, Roman T.
AU - Maycock, Colin R.
AU - Ong, Robert
AU - Philipson, Christopher D.
AU - Powers, Jennifer S.
AU - Reynolds, Glen
AU - Burslem, David F.R.P.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 Royal Society Publishing. All rights reserved.
PY - 2022/6/29
Y1 - 2022/6/29
N2 - The role of conspecific density dependence (CDD) in the maintenance of species richness is a central focus of tropical forest ecology. However, tests of CDD often ignore the integrated effects of CDD over multiple life stages and their long-term impacts on population demography. We combined a 10-year time series of seed production, seedling recruitment and sapling and tree demography of three dominant Southeast Asian tree species that adopt a mast-fruiting phenology. We used these data to construct individual- based models that examine the effects of CDD on population growth rates (ë) across life-history stages. Recruitment was driven by positive CDD for all species, supporting the predator satiation hypothesis, while negative CDD affected seedling and sapling growth of two species, significantly reducing ë. This negative CDD on juvenile growth overshadowed the positive CDD of recruitment, suggesting the cumulative effects of CDD during seedling and sapling development has greater importance than the positive CDD during infrequent masting events. Overall, CDD varied among positive, neutral and negative effects across life-history stages for all species, suggesting that assessments of CDD on transitions between just two stages (e.g. seeds seedlings or juveniles mature trees) probably misrepresent the importance of CDD on population growth and stability.
AB - The role of conspecific density dependence (CDD) in the maintenance of species richness is a central focus of tropical forest ecology. However, tests of CDD often ignore the integrated effects of CDD over multiple life stages and their long-term impacts on population demography. We combined a 10-year time series of seed production, seedling recruitment and sapling and tree demography of three dominant Southeast Asian tree species that adopt a mast-fruiting phenology. We used these data to construct individual- based models that examine the effects of CDD on population growth rates (ë) across life-history stages. Recruitment was driven by positive CDD for all species, supporting the predator satiation hypothesis, while negative CDD affected seedling and sapling growth of two species, significantly reducing ë. This negative CDD on juvenile growth overshadowed the positive CDD of recruitment, suggesting the cumulative effects of CDD during seedling and sapling development has greater importance than the positive CDD during infrequent masting events. Overall, CDD varied among positive, neutral and negative effects across life-history stages for all species, suggesting that assessments of CDD on transitions between just two stages (e.g. seeds seedlings or juveniles mature trees) probably misrepresent the importance of CDD on population growth and stability.
KW - Density dependence
KW - Dipterocarpaceae
KW - Forest global earth observatory (ForestGEO)
KW - General mast flowering
KW - Individual-based models
KW - Regeneration dynamics
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U2 - 10.1098/rspb.2022.0739
DO - 10.1098/rspb.2022.0739
M3 - Article
C2 - 35703055
AN - SCOPUS:85132050262
SN - 0962-8452
VL - 289
JO - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
JF - Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
IS - 1977
M1 - 20220739
ER -