The study was conducted in Pasoh Forest Reserve, Negeri Sembilan. By
considering trees as a metapopulation of modules, leaf phenology and crown
dynamics were analyzed, specifically in relation to the complexity of their stratification
that characterizes the tropical rain forests.
The results of leaf phenology study clearly demonstrated that the number of
trees flushed was synchronized with the seasonality of rainfall. As a result, two
flushing season existed in a year. However, flowering season was restricted to first
heavy rainfall season from March to April. Shoot elongated intermittently in most
species and only two species showed the continuous growth type. Leaf flushing and
falling were synchronized in most of the species. Crown dynamics were analyzed from the change in leaf number inside the
crown. Most of small species (less than 15 m tall) expanded their crowns even though
they were strongly suppressed. Because canopy around the tower systems was closed
and light condition of understory was limited, only shade-tolerant species could
regenerate. On the contrary, crown dynamics of middle-height species (from 15 m to
30 m tall) differed according to their light availability. Two canopy trees (larger than
30 m) maintained their crowns without increasing leaf number in the upper parts with
high leaf turnover rate. The minimum leaf longevity was 7.9 months in one canopy
tree. Smaller trees had the smaller leaf turnover ratio. This is consistent with the
reported results of previous research
