Ecological filtering by a dominant herb selects for shade tolerance in the tree seedling community of coastal dune forest.

Oecologia
Zivanai TsvuuraMichael J Lawes

Abstract

The regeneration niche is commonly partitioned along a gradient from shade-tolerant to shade-intolerant species to explain plant community assembly in forests. We examined the shade tolerance of tree seedlings in a subtropical coastal forest to determine whether the ecological filtering effect of a dominant, synchronously monocarpic herb (Isoglossa woodii) selects for species at either end of the light response continuum during the herb's vegetative and reproductive phases. Photosynthetic characteristics of seedlings of 20 common tree species and the herb were measured. Seedlings were grown in the greenhouse at 12-14% irradiance, and their light compensation points measured using an open-flow gas exchange system. The light compensation points for the tree species were low, falling within a narrow range from 2.1 ± 0.8 μmol m(-2) s(-1) in Celtis africana to 6.4 ± 0.7 μmol m(-2) s(-1) in Allophylus natalensis, indicating general shade tolerance, consistent with a high and narrow range of apparent quantum yield among species (0.078 ± 0.002 mol CO(2) mol(-1) photon). Rates of dark respiration were significantly lower in a generalist pioneer species (Acacia karroo) than in a forest pioneer (C. africana), or in late successional phase...Continue Reading

References

Oct 19, 2001·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·N BrownD Bebber
Jul 22, 2004·The American Naturalist·J Cavender-BaresF A Bazzaz
May 5, 2005·The New Phytologist·Joseph M Craine, Peter B Reich
Jul 28, 2006·Ecology·Stephen P Hubbell
Feb 12, 2008·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·Risa D Sargent, David D Ackerly

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Citations

Jan 19, 2011·Annals of Botany·Zivanai TsvuuraMichael J Lawes
Oct 17, 2018·PeerJ·Jiayi FengFangliang He

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