Structural response of Caribbean dry forests to hurricane winds: a case study from Guanica Forest, Puerto Rico

Tropical dry forests in the Caribbean have an uniquely short, shrubby structure with a high proportion of multiple-stemmed trees compared to dry forests elsewhere in the Neotropics. Previous studies have shown that this structure can arise without the loss of main stems from cutting, grazing, or other human intervention. The Caribbean has a high frequency of hurricanes, so wind may also influence forest stature. Furthermore, these forests also tend to grow on soils with low amounts of available phosphorus, which may also influence structure. The objective of this study was to assess the role of high winds in structuring dry forest, and to determine whether soil nutrient pools influence forest response following hurricane disturbance. Methods: Over 2000 stems in five plots were sampled for hurricane effects within 1 week after Hurricane Georges impacted field sites in 1998. Sprout initiation, growth, and mortality were analysed for 1407 stems for 2 years after the hurricane. Soil nutrient pools were measured at the base of 456 stems to assess association between nutrients and sprout dynamics. Results: Direct effects of the hurricane were minimal, with stem mortality at \u3c 2% and structural damage to stems at 13%, although damage was biased toward stems of larger diameter. Sprouting response was high . over 10 times as many trees had sprouts after the hurricane as before. The number of sprouts on a stem also increased significantly. Sprouting was common on stems that only suffered defoliation or had no visible effects from the hurricane. Sprout survival after 2 years was also high (\u3e 86%). Soil nutrient pools had little effect on forest response as a whole, but phosphorus supply did influence sprout dynamics on four of the more common tree species. Main Conclusions: Hurricanes are able to influence Caribbean tropical dry forest structure by reducing average stem diameter and basal area and generating significant sprouting responses. New sprouts, with ongoing survival, will maintain the high frequency of multi-stemmed trees found in this region. Sprouting is not limited to damaged stems, indicating that trees are responding to other aspects of high winds, such as short-term gravitational displacement or sway. Soil nutrients play a secondary role in sprouting dynamics of a subset of species. The short, shrubby forest structure common to the Caribbean can arise naturally as a response to hurricane winds

Ramet phenology and clonal architectures of the clonal sedge Schoenoplectus americanus (Pers.) Volk. ex Schinz & R. Keller

The clonal plant Schoenoplectus americanus shows variable belowground clonal architecture as a result of producing two types of ramets: those with very long rhizomes (long rhizome ramet, LRR) and those with very short ones (short rhizome ramet, SRR). In a previous study we demonstrated that the two types of ramets are functionally specialised. The production of SRRs results in the formation of consolidated clonal patches with densely packed shoots, while the production of LRRs results in a more diffuse network of connected rhizomes with widely spaced shoots. We hypothesised that the two types of ramets would be produced at different times during the growing season because of their functional differences. The production of LRRs throughout the growing season would enable the species to continuously explore new habitats while the production of SRRs early in the growing season would enable the species to occupy and consolidate resources in available open patches. We evaluated this hypothesis through field observations in different communities with S. americanus and indeed found that SRRs were produced early in the growing season while LRRs tended to be produced over an extended period of time. Plants in high-quality environments (i.e. higher light conditions) produced more SRRs, and these were formed early in the growing season. In contrast, plants in low-quality environments produced more LRRs, and these were formed continuously over the growing season. We also observed that the shoot longevity was greater for SRR. In high-quality patches, the production of the lower cost SRRs results in a more rapid occupancy of open spaces; in lower quality patches, the production of LRRs throughout the growing season enables plants to explore the immediate environment for higher quality patches

Changes in community composition of ammonia-oxidizing betaproteobacteria from stands of Black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) in response to ammonia enrichment and more oxic conditions

In flooded and non-flooded impounded forests of Black mangrove (Avicennia germinans), the community structure of the ammonia-oxidizing betaproteobacteria (β-AOB) differed among distinct mangrove vegetation cover types and hydrological regimes. This had been explained by a differential response of lineages of β-AOB to the prevailing soil conditions that included increased levels of moisture and ammonium. To test this hypothesis, slurries of soils collected from a flooded and a non-flooded impoundment were subjected to enhanced levels of ammonium in the absence and presence of additional shaking. After a period of 6 days, the community composition of the β-AOB based on the 16S rRNA gene was determined and compared with the original community structures. Regardless of the incubation conditions and the origin of the samples, sequences belonging to the Nitrosomonas aestuarii lineage became increasingly dominant, whereas the number of sequences of the lineages of Nitrosospira (i.e. Cluster 1) and Nitrosomonas sp. Nm143 declined. Changes in community structure were related to changes in community sizes determined by quantitative PCR based on the amoA gene. The amoA gene copy numbers of β-AOB were compared to those of the ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA). Gene copy numbers of the bacteria increased irrespective of incubation conditions, but the numbers of archaea declined in the continuously shaken cultures. This observation is discussed in relation to the distribution of the β-AOB lineages in the impounded Black mangrove forests.

Patch structure and ramet demography of the clonal tree, Asimina triloba, under gap and closed canopy

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A comparative study of nitrogen and phosphorus cycling in tidal and non-tidal riverine wetlands

This paper describes a study of nutrient dynamics in 12 tidal and non-tidal freshwater riverine wetlands in The Netherlands, Belgium, and Maryland (USA). The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationships between nutrient cycling processes in riverine wetlands that were geographically separated, that were dominated by different types of vegetation, and that had different hydrodynamics. We also compared restored and natural riverine wetlands. The results showed distinct differences in interstitial water chemistry between the sites in Maryland and Europe. No such regional differences were found in the soil variables, except for soil phosphorus, which was higher in The Netherlands. Soil organic matter, total nitrogen and phosphorus content, and bulk density were higher in tidal freshwater wetland soils. Forested wetland soils had higher organic matter and total nitrogen and lower bulk density and total phosphorus than soils from wetlands dominated by herbaceous species. Restored wetlands had lower soil organic matter and total soil nitrogen and phosphorus than similar types of natural riverine wetlands. There were no differences in nutrient-related process rates nor plant nutrient concentrations in tidal versus non-tidal riverine wetlands. Lower nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in plants at the restored sites suggest that nutrient uptake by vegetation may be poorly coupled to rates of nutrient cycling during early stages of vegetation development. A principal components analysis of the data identified groupings of soil and water variables that were similar to those that had been previously identified when we applied the same methods to peatlands that were also geographically widely separated. Results of the study demonstrate that the techniques that we have been using are robust and repeatable. They are especially useful for making general comparisons of nitrogen and phosphorus cycling when there are limitations on the number of wetland that can be sampled. The approach that we have developed may also be used to calibrate and refine nutrient cycling models that are incorporated into wetland assessment procedures

The ecological significance of clonal growth in the understorey tree, Pawpaw ( Asimina triloba )

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