Differential seedling establishment of woody plants along a tree density gradient in Neotropical savannas

Autores
Salazar, A.; Goldstein, G.; Franco, A.C.; Miralles-Wilhelm, F.
Año de publicación
2012
Idioma
inglés
Tipo de recurso
artículo
Estado
versión publicada
Descripción
Seedling dynamics are crucial for understanding spatial plant distribution patterns, yet little is known about seedling establishment in Neotropical savannas because empirical studies at the community level are scarce. Over 2 years, we studied the recruitment and survival of an initial seedling assemblage and three cohorts of recruits of woody plants within 216 plots of 1 m 2 located along a tree density gradient in the savannas of central Brazil. These savannas differ in tree density and canopy cover, from closed (high canopy cover) to open savannas (low canopy cover), and are located along shallow topographic gradients. We measured community-wide seedling limitation (i.e. proportion of 1-m 2 plots without seedlings of any woody species), photosynthetic photon flux density, litter cover, soil moisture and soil nutrients in each savanna type. Because closed savannas had lower PPFD and higher leaf litter cover than open savannas, we evaluated the effects of light level and litter cover on seedling emergence of nine dominant savanna woody species under controlled conditions in a glasshouse. Density, recruitment and survival of seedlings decreased over time because of mortality in all savanna types, but they were consistently higher in closed than in open savannas. Community-wide seedling limitation was significantly lower in closed (0.16 ± 0.03) than in open (0.30 ± 0.05) savannas. In the glasshouse, high litter cover and very low light levels reduced seedling emergence of most species, suggesting an adaptation to delay seed germination until the wet season when soil water availability is high and leaf litter rapidly decomposes. Synthesis: In Neotropical savannas, tree canopy cover facilitates seedling establishment of woody species by reducing stressful environmental conditions. In particular, low irradiance and high litter cover in closed savannas enhance the recruitment and survival of woody seedlings relative to open savannas by reducing soil water deficits and increasing nutrient availability in the upper soil layers. The higher seedling limitation of tree species in open than in closed savannas contributes to maintain relatively different balances between trees and herbaceous plants along topographic gradients in Neotropical savannas and helps to explain spatial distribution patterns of woody species in these ecosystems. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Ecology © 2012 British Ecological Society.
Fil:Goldstein, G. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.
Fuente
J. Ecol. 2012;100(6):1411-1421
Materia
Canopy cover
Cerrado
Determinants of plant community diversity and structure
Light level
Litter cover
Seedling limitation
canopy
cerrado
environmental conditions
evergreen tree
light availability
litter
Neotropic Ecozone
photon flux density
plant community
savanna
seedling establishment
soil moisture
soil nutrient
soil water
topography
water availability
Brazil
Nivel de accesibilidad
acceso abierto
Condiciones de uso
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar
Repositorio
Biblioteca Digital (UBA-FCEN)
Institución
Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales
OAI Identificador
paperaa:paper_00220477_v100_n6_p1411_Salazar

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oai_identifier_str paperaa:paper_00220477_v100_n6_p1411_Salazar
network_acronym_str BDUBAFCEN
repository_id_str 1896
network_name_str Biblioteca Digital (UBA-FCEN)
spelling Differential seedling establishment of woody plants along a tree density gradient in Neotropical savannasSalazar, A.Goldstein, G.Franco, A.C.Miralles-Wilhelm, F.Canopy coverCerradoDeterminants of plant community diversity and structureLight levelLitter coverSeedling limitationcanopycerradoenvironmental conditionsevergreen treelight availabilitylitterNeotropic Ecozonephoton flux densityplant communitysavannaseedling establishmentsoil moisturesoil nutrientsoil watertopographywater availabilityBrazilSeedling dynamics are crucial for understanding spatial plant distribution patterns, yet little is known about seedling establishment in Neotropical savannas because empirical studies at the community level are scarce. Over 2 years, we studied the recruitment and survival of an initial seedling assemblage and three cohorts of recruits of woody plants within 216 plots of 1 m 2 located along a tree density gradient in the savannas of central Brazil. These savannas differ in tree density and canopy cover, from closed (high canopy cover) to open savannas (low canopy cover), and are located along shallow topographic gradients. We measured community-wide seedling limitation (i.e. proportion of 1-m 2 plots without seedlings of any woody species), photosynthetic photon flux density, litter cover, soil moisture and soil nutrients in each savanna type. Because closed savannas had lower PPFD and higher leaf litter cover than open savannas, we evaluated the effects of light level and litter cover on seedling emergence of nine dominant savanna woody species under controlled conditions in a glasshouse. Density, recruitment and survival of seedlings decreased over time because of mortality in all savanna types, but they were consistently higher in closed than in open savannas. Community-wide seedling limitation was significantly lower in closed (0.16 ± 0.03) than in open (0.30 ± 0.05) savannas. In the glasshouse, high litter cover and very low light levels reduced seedling emergence of most species, suggesting an adaptation to delay seed germination until the wet season when soil water availability is high and leaf litter rapidly decomposes. Synthesis: In Neotropical savannas, tree canopy cover facilitates seedling establishment of woody species by reducing stressful environmental conditions. In particular, low irradiance and high litter cover in closed savannas enhance the recruitment and survival of woody seedlings relative to open savannas by reducing soil water deficits and increasing nutrient availability in the upper soil layers. The higher seedling limitation of tree species in open than in closed savannas contributes to maintain relatively different balances between trees and herbaceous plants along topographic gradients in Neotropical savannas and helps to explain spatial distribution patterns of woody species in these ecosystems. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Ecology © 2012 British Ecological Society.Fil:Goldstein, G. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.2012info:eu-repo/semantics/articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501info:ar-repo/semantics/articuloapplication/pdfhttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00220477_v100_n6_p1411_SalazarJ. Ecol. 2012;100(6):1411-1421reponame:Biblioteca Digital (UBA-FCEN)instname:Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturalesinstacron:UBA-FCENenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar2025-09-29T13:43:00Zpaperaa:paper_00220477_v100_n6_p1411_SalazarInstitucionalhttps://digital.bl.fcen.uba.ar/Universidad públicaNo correspondehttps://digital.bl.fcen.uba.ar/cgi-bin/oaiserver.cgiana@bl.fcen.uba.arArgentinaNo correspondeNo correspondeNo correspondeopendoar:18962025-09-29 13:43:01.536Biblioteca Digital (UBA-FCEN) - Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturalesfalse
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Differential seedling establishment of woody plants along a tree density gradient in Neotropical savannas
title Differential seedling establishment of woody plants along a tree density gradient in Neotropical savannas
spellingShingle Differential seedling establishment of woody plants along a tree density gradient in Neotropical savannas
Salazar, A.
Canopy cover
Cerrado
Determinants of plant community diversity and structure
Light level
Litter cover
Seedling limitation
canopy
cerrado
environmental conditions
evergreen tree
light availability
litter
Neotropic Ecozone
photon flux density
plant community
savanna
seedling establishment
soil moisture
soil nutrient
soil water
topography
water availability
Brazil
title_short Differential seedling establishment of woody plants along a tree density gradient in Neotropical savannas
title_full Differential seedling establishment of woody plants along a tree density gradient in Neotropical savannas
title_fullStr Differential seedling establishment of woody plants along a tree density gradient in Neotropical savannas
title_full_unstemmed Differential seedling establishment of woody plants along a tree density gradient in Neotropical savannas
title_sort Differential seedling establishment of woody plants along a tree density gradient in Neotropical savannas
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Salazar, A.
Goldstein, G.
Franco, A.C.
Miralles-Wilhelm, F.
author Salazar, A.
author_facet Salazar, A.
Goldstein, G.
Franco, A.C.
Miralles-Wilhelm, F.
author_role author
author2 Goldstein, G.
Franco, A.C.
Miralles-Wilhelm, F.
author2_role author
author
author
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Canopy cover
Cerrado
Determinants of plant community diversity and structure
Light level
Litter cover
Seedling limitation
canopy
cerrado
environmental conditions
evergreen tree
light availability
litter
Neotropic Ecozone
photon flux density
plant community
savanna
seedling establishment
soil moisture
soil nutrient
soil water
topography
water availability
Brazil
topic Canopy cover
Cerrado
Determinants of plant community diversity and structure
Light level
Litter cover
Seedling limitation
canopy
cerrado
environmental conditions
evergreen tree
light availability
litter
Neotropic Ecozone
photon flux density
plant community
savanna
seedling establishment
soil moisture
soil nutrient
soil water
topography
water availability
Brazil
dc.description.none.fl_txt_mv Seedling dynamics are crucial for understanding spatial plant distribution patterns, yet little is known about seedling establishment in Neotropical savannas because empirical studies at the community level are scarce. Over 2 years, we studied the recruitment and survival of an initial seedling assemblage and three cohorts of recruits of woody plants within 216 plots of 1 m 2 located along a tree density gradient in the savannas of central Brazil. These savannas differ in tree density and canopy cover, from closed (high canopy cover) to open savannas (low canopy cover), and are located along shallow topographic gradients. We measured community-wide seedling limitation (i.e. proportion of 1-m 2 plots without seedlings of any woody species), photosynthetic photon flux density, litter cover, soil moisture and soil nutrients in each savanna type. Because closed savannas had lower PPFD and higher leaf litter cover than open savannas, we evaluated the effects of light level and litter cover on seedling emergence of nine dominant savanna woody species under controlled conditions in a glasshouse. Density, recruitment and survival of seedlings decreased over time because of mortality in all savanna types, but they were consistently higher in closed than in open savannas. Community-wide seedling limitation was significantly lower in closed (0.16 ± 0.03) than in open (0.30 ± 0.05) savannas. In the glasshouse, high litter cover and very low light levels reduced seedling emergence of most species, suggesting an adaptation to delay seed germination until the wet season when soil water availability is high and leaf litter rapidly decomposes. Synthesis: In Neotropical savannas, tree canopy cover facilitates seedling establishment of woody species by reducing stressful environmental conditions. In particular, low irradiance and high litter cover in closed savannas enhance the recruitment and survival of woody seedlings relative to open savannas by reducing soil water deficits and increasing nutrient availability in the upper soil layers. The higher seedling limitation of tree species in open than in closed savannas contributes to maintain relatively different balances between trees and herbaceous plants along topographic gradients in Neotropical savannas and helps to explain spatial distribution patterns of woody species in these ecosystems. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Ecology © 2012 British Ecological Society.
Fil:Goldstein, G. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales; Argentina.
description Seedling dynamics are crucial for understanding spatial plant distribution patterns, yet little is known about seedling establishment in Neotropical savannas because empirical studies at the community level are scarce. Over 2 years, we studied the recruitment and survival of an initial seedling assemblage and three cohorts of recruits of woody plants within 216 plots of 1 m 2 located along a tree density gradient in the savannas of central Brazil. These savannas differ in tree density and canopy cover, from closed (high canopy cover) to open savannas (low canopy cover), and are located along shallow topographic gradients. We measured community-wide seedling limitation (i.e. proportion of 1-m 2 plots without seedlings of any woody species), photosynthetic photon flux density, litter cover, soil moisture and soil nutrients in each savanna type. Because closed savannas had lower PPFD and higher leaf litter cover than open savannas, we evaluated the effects of light level and litter cover on seedling emergence of nine dominant savanna woody species under controlled conditions in a glasshouse. Density, recruitment and survival of seedlings decreased over time because of mortality in all savanna types, but they were consistently higher in closed than in open savannas. Community-wide seedling limitation was significantly lower in closed (0.16 ± 0.03) than in open (0.30 ± 0.05) savannas. In the glasshouse, high litter cover and very low light levels reduced seedling emergence of most species, suggesting an adaptation to delay seed germination until the wet season when soil water availability is high and leaf litter rapidly decomposes. Synthesis: In Neotropical savannas, tree canopy cover facilitates seedling establishment of woody species by reducing stressful environmental conditions. In particular, low irradiance and high litter cover in closed savannas enhance the recruitment and survival of woody seedlings relative to open savannas by reducing soil water deficits and increasing nutrient availability in the upper soil layers. The higher seedling limitation of tree species in open than in closed savannas contributes to maintain relatively different balances between trees and herbaceous plants along topographic gradients in Neotropical savannas and helps to explain spatial distribution patterns of woody species in these ecosystems. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Ecology © 2012 British Ecological Society.
publishDate 2012
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2012
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
info:ar-repo/semantics/articulo
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00220477_v100_n6_p1411_Salazar
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12110/paper_00220477_v100_n6_p1411_Salazar
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv eng
language eng
dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
rights_invalid_str_mv http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/ar
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv application/pdf
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv J. Ecol. 2012;100(6):1411-1421
reponame:Biblioteca Digital (UBA-FCEN)
instname:Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales
instacron:UBA-FCEN
reponame_str Biblioteca Digital (UBA-FCEN)
collection Biblioteca Digital (UBA-FCEN)
instname_str Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales
instacron_str UBA-FCEN
institution UBA-FCEN
repository.name.fl_str_mv Biblioteca Digital (UBA-FCEN) - Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales
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