Light competition drives species replacement during secondary tropical forest succession


Por: Matsuo T., Martínez-Ramos M., Onoda Y., Bongers F., Lohbeck M., Poorter L.

Publicada: 1 ene 2024
Resumen:
Light competition is thought to drive successional shifts in species dominance in closed vegetations, but few studies have assessed this for species-rich and vertically structured tropical forests. We analyzed how light competition drives species replacement during succession, and how cross-species variation in light competition strategies is determined by underlying species traits. To do so, we used chronosequence approach in which we compared 14 Mexican tropical secondary rainforest stands that differ in age (8–32 year-old). For each tree, height and stem diameter were monitored for 2 years to calculate relative biomass growth rate (RGR, the aboveground biomass gain per unit aboveground tree biomass per year). For each stand, 3D light profiles were measured to estimate individuals’ light interception to calculate light interception efficiency (LIE, intercepted light per unit biomass per year) and light use efficiency (LUE, biomass growth per intercepted light). Throughout succession, species with higher RGR attained higher changes in species dominance and thus increased their dominance over time. Both light competition strategies (LIE and LUE) increased RGR. In early succession, a high LIE and its associated traits (large crown leaf mass and low wood density) are more important for RGR. During succession, forest structure builds up, leading to lower understory light levels. In later succession, a high LUE and its associated traits (high wood density and leaf mass per area) become more important for RGR. Therefore, successional changes in relative importance of light competition strategies drive shifts in species dominance during tropical rainforest succession. © The Author(s) 2024.

Filiaciones:
Matsuo T.:
 Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, Wageningen, 6700 AA, Netherlands

 Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Michoacán, Morelia, CP 58190, Mexico

 Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan

Martínez-Ramos M.:
 Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Michoacán, Morelia, CP 58190, Mexico

Onoda Y.:
 Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan

Bongers F.:
 Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, Wageningen, 6700 AA, Netherlands

Lohbeck M.:
 Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, Wageningen, 6700 AA, Netherlands

Poorter L.:
 Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, Wageningen, 6700 AA, Netherlands
ISSN: 00298549
Editorial
SPRINGER, 233 SPRING ST, NEW YORK, NY 10013 USA, Estados Unidos America
Tipo de documento: Article
Volumen: 205 Número: 1
Páginas: 1-11
WOS Id: 001220457400001
ID de PubMed: 38727828
imagen All Open Access; Hybrid Gold Open Access