Tree community reassembly after selective and clear-cut logging in an Afro-tropical rainforest
In: Israel Journal of Ecology and EvolutionSearch for other papers by Arthur A. Owiny in
Current site
Google Scholar
Understanding the process of community reassembly is crucial for the conservation of biodiversity and rehabilitation of ecosystems. This study tested whether tree communities in logged forests follow an equilibrium (deterministic) or non-equilibrium (stochastic) model of succession. We assessed reassembly of tree communities in different size classes along a successional gradient consisting of nine differently aged successional forests, namely, four regenerating former clear-cuts (9–19 years), three selectively logged (42–43 years) and two primary forests (PFs) in Kibale National Park, Uganda. The results show that the forests are converging and undergoing reassembly towards PFs. The species composition of seedlings, saplings and poles declined in similarity to the PF with age but that of mature trees in the different successional stages increased towards the PFs. These differences in tree species composition among the different size classes might be due to dominance of some particular species. Recovery of tree species density, diversity and dominance in all the size classes showed directional patterns as predicted by the deterministic model of succession. Compared to other variables, tree species density and diversity in selectively logged forests recovered relatively faster and was equivalent to or higher than that of PFs at 43 years. The results of the present study indicate that community reassembly in smaller sized trees followed a stochastic model of succession. However, as trees matured, they conform to the deterministic model of succession.
Purchase
Buy instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your brill.com account
-
Adler PB, , HilleRisLambers J, , Levine JM. 2007. A niche for neutrality. Ecol Lett. 10:95–104.
-
Aide TM, , Zimmerman JK, , Pascarella JB, , Rivera L, , Marcano-Vega H. 2000. Forest regeneration in a chronosequence of tropical abandoned pastures: implications for restoration ecology. Restor Ecol. 8:328–338.
-
Anderson MJ, , Gorley NR, , Clarke RK. 2008. PERMANOVA+ for PRIMER: guide to software and statistical methods. Plymouth: PRIMER-E.
-
Bongers F, , Poorter L, , Hawthorne WD, , Sheil D. 2009. The intermediate disturbance hypothesis applies to tropical forests, but disturbance contributes little to tree diversity. Ecol Lett. 12:798–805.
-
Brook BW, , Bradshaw CJA, , Pin Koh L, , Sodhi NS. 2006. Momentum drives the crash: mass extinction in the tropics. Biotropica. 38:302–305.
-
Capers RS, , Chazdon RL, , Redondo-Brenes A, , Vı´lchez-Alvarado B. 2005. Successional dynamics of woody seedling communities in wet tropical secondary forests. J Ecol. 93:1071–1084.
-
Chai SL, , Tanner EVJ. 2011. 150-year legacy of land use on tree species composition in old-secondary forests of Jamaica. J Ecol. 99:113–121.
-
Chao A, , Chazdon RL, , Colwell RK, , Shen TJ. 2005. A new statistical approach for assessing similarity of species composition with incidence and abundance data. Ecol Lett. 8:148–159.
-
Chao A, , Chazdon RL, , Colwell RK, , Shen TJ. 2006. Abundance-based similarity indices and their estimation when there are unseen species in samples. Biometrics. 62:361–371.
-
Chapman CA, , Chapman LJ. 1997. Forest regeneration in logged and unlogged forests of Kibale National Park, Uganda. Biotropica. 29:396–412.
-
Chapman CA, , Chapman LJ. 1999. Forest restoration in abandoned agricultural land: a case study from East Africa. Conserv Biol. 13:1301–1311.
-
Chapman CA, , Chapman LJ, , Struhsaker TT. 2005. A long-term evaluation of fruiting phenology: importance of climate change. J Trop Ecol. 21:31–45.
-
Chave J.2004. Neutral theory and community ecology. Ecol Lett. 7:241–253.
-
Chazdon RL.2003. Tropical forest recovery: legacies of human impact and natural disturbances. Perspect Plant Ecol Evol Syst. 6:51–71.
-
Chazdon RL., 2008. Chance and determinism in tropical forest succession. In: Carson WP, , Schnitzer SA, editors. Tropical forest community ecology. Malden: Blackwell; p. 384–408.
-
Chazdon RL, , Finegan B, , Capers RS, , Salgado-Negret B, , Casanoves F, , Boukili V, , Norden N. 2010. Composition and dynamics of functional groups of trees during tropical forest succession in Northeastern Costa Rica. Biotropica. 42(1):31–40.
-
Chazdon RL, , Letcher SG, , van Breugel M, , Martı´nez-Ramos M, , Bongers F, , Finegan B. 2007. Rates of change in tree communities of secondary Neotropical forests following major disturbances. Philos Trans R Soc Lond. 362:273–289.
-
Clarke KR, , Gorley RN. 2006. PRIMER v6: user manual/tutorial. Plymouth (UK): PRIMER-E.
-
Connell JH.1978. Diversity in tropical rain forest and coral reefs. Science. 199:1302–1310.
-
Connell JH, , Green PT. 2000. Seedling dynamics over thirty two years in a tropical rain forest tree. Ecology. 81:568–584.
-
Dent DH, , DeWalt SJ, , Denslow JS. 2013. Secondary forests of central Panama increase in similarity to old-growth forest over time in shade tolerance but not species composition. J Veg Sci. 24:530–542.
-
Ding Y, , Zang R, , Letcher SG, , Liu S, , He F. 2011. Disturbance regime changes the trait distribution, phylogenetic structure and community assembly of tropical rain forests. Oikos. 121:1263–1270.
-
Finegan B.1996. Pattern and process in neotropical secondary rain forest: the first 100 years of succession. Trends Ecol Evol. 11:119–124.
-
Fox JW. 2013. The intermediate disturbance hypothesis should be abandoned. Trends Ecol Evol. 28:86–92.
-
Gotelli NJ, , Colwell RK, . 2011. Estimating species richness. In: Magurran AE, , McGill BJ, editors. Biological diversity. Frontiers in measurement and assessment. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
-
Guariguata M, , Ostertag R. 2001. Neotropical secondary forest succession: changes in structural and functional characteristics. Forest Ecol Manag. 148:185–206.
-
Hardwick K, , Healey JR, , Elliott S, , Blakesley D. 2004. Research needs for restoring seasonal tropical forests in Thailand: accelerated natural regeneration. New Forest. 27:285–302.
-
Holm S.1979. A simple sequentially rejective multiple test procedure. Scand J Statist. 6:65–70.
-
Howard PC.1991. Nature Conservation in Uganda's tropical forest reserves. Gland: IUCN.
-
Hubbell SP.2001. The unified neutral theory of biodiversity and biogeography. Princeton (NJ): Princeton University Press.
-
Ingle N.2003. Seed dispersal by wind, birds, and bats between Philippine montane rainforest and successional vegetation. Oecologia. 134:251–261.
-
Jost L.2006. Entropy and diversity. Oikos. 113:363–375.
-
Kalacska M, , Sanchez-Azofeifa GA, , Calvo-Alvarado JC, , Quesada M, , Rivard B, , Janzen DH. 2004. Species composition, similarity and diversity in three successional stages of a seasonally dry tropical forest. Forest Ecol Manag. 200:227–247.
-
Kariuki M, , Kooyman RM, , Smith RGB, , Wardell–Johnson G, , Vanclay JK. 2006. Regeneration changes in tree species abundance, diversity and structure in logged and unlogged subtropical rainforest over a thirty six year period. Forest Ecol Manag. 236:162–176.
-
Kasenene JM.1987. The influence of mechanized selective logging, felling intensity and gap size on the regeneration of a tropical moist forest in the Kibale Forest Reserve, Uganda [PhD dissertation]. Michigan State University.
-
Kasenene JM.2007. Impact of exotic plantations and harvesting methods on the regeneration of indigenous tree species in Kibale forest, Uganda. Afr J Ecol. 45:41–47.
-
Lang-Brown JR, , Harrop JF. 1962. The ecology and soils of Kibale grasslands, Uganda. E Afr Agric Forest J. 27:264–272.
-
Lebrija-Trejos E, , Pérez-García E, , Meave J, , Bongers F, , Poorter L. 2010. Functional traits and environmental filtering drive community assembly in a species-rich tropical system. Ecology. 91:386–389.
-
Letcher SG, , Chazdon RL. 2009. Rapid recovery of biomass, species richness, and species composition in a forest chronosequence in Northeastern Costa Rica. Biotropica. 41(5):608–617.
-
Lugo AE, , Figueroa-Colón J, , Scatena FN, . 2000. The Caribbean. Chapter 16. In: Barbour MG, , Billings WD, editors. North American terrestrial vegetation. Cambridge (UK): Cambridge University Press; p. 594–622.
-
Lwanga JS.2003. Forest succession in Kibale National Park, Uganda: implications for forest restoration and management. Afr J Ecol. 41:9–22.
-
Magurran AE, , McGill BJ, editor. 2011. Biological diversity: frontiers in measurement and assessment. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
-
Majaliwa JGM, , Twongyirwe R, , Nyenje R, , Oluka M, , Ongom B, , Sirike J, , Mfitumukiza D, , Azanga E, , Natumanya R, , Mwerera R, , Barasa B. 2010. The effect of land cover change on soil properties round Kibale National Park in South Western Uganda. Appl Environ Soil Sci. 10:1–7.
-
Malinga GM, , Valtonen A, , Nyeko P, , Roininen H. 2014. High resilience of galling insect communities to selective and clear-cut logging in a tropical rainforest. Int J Trop Insect Sci. 34(4):277–286.
-
Nangendo G, , ter Steege H, , Bongers F. 2006. Composition of woody species in a dynamic forest–woodland–savannah mosaic in Uganda: implications for conservation and management. Biodivers Conserv. 15:1467–1495.
-
Niemelä J, , Haila Y, , Punttila P. 1996. The importance of small-scale heterogeneity in boreal forests: variation in diversity in forest-floor invertebrates across the succession gradient. Ecography. 19:352–368.
-
Norden N, ,Angarita HA, ,Bongers F, ,Martínez-Ramos M, ,Granzow-de la Cerda I, ,Breugel M, ,Lebrija-Trejos E, ,Meave JA, ,Vandermeer J, ,Williamson GB et al et al.. 2015. Successional dynamics in Neotropical forests are as uncertain as they are predictable. PNAS. 112:8013–8018.
-
Norden N, , Chazdon RL, , Chao A, , Jiang Y, , Vı´lchez-Alvarado B. 2009. Resilience of tropical rain forests: tree community reassembly in secondary forests. Ecol Lett. 12:385–394.
-
Nyafwono M, , Valtonen A, , Nyeko P, , Roininen H. 2014. Butterfly community composition across a successional gradient in a human-disturbed Afro-tropical rainforest. Biotropica. 46:210–218.
-
Olupot W.2000. Mass differences among male Mangabey monkeys inhabiting logged and unlogged forest compartments. Conserv Biol. 14:833–843.
-
Owiny AA, , Malinga GM. 2014. Population structure and regeneration status of Prunusafricana (Hook.f.) Kalkm. after selective and clear felling in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Int J Biodivers Conserv. 6(12):869–874.
-
Owiny AA, , Valtonen A, , Nyeko P, , Malinga GM, , Roininen H. 2016. Tree communities of different aged logged areas in an Afrotropical rainforest. Afr. J. Ecol. (in press).
-
Peña-Claros M.2003. Changes in forest structure and species composition during secondary forest succession in the Bolivian Amazon. Biotropica. 35:450–461.
-
Peterson CJ, , Carson WP, . 2008. Processes constraining woody species succession on abandoned pastures in the tropics: on the relevance of temperate models of succession. In: Carson WP, , Schnitzer SA, editors. Tropical forest community ecology. Oxford: Blackwell; p. 368–383.
-
Piiroinen T, , Nyeko P, , Roininen H. 2014. Canopy openness in gaps determines the influence of herbaceous climbers and insect folivory on the survival of a tropical pioneer tree, Neoboutoniamacrocalyx Pax. Afr J Ecol. 52:41–49.
-
Savilaakso S, , Koivisto J, , Veteli TO, , Pusenius J, , Roininen H. 2009. Long lasting impact of forest harvesting on the diversity of herbivorous insects. Biodivers Conserv. 18:3931–3948.
-
Sheil D.1999. Tropical forest diversity, environmental change and species augmentation: after the intermediate disturbance hypothesis. J Veg Sci. 10:851–860.
-
Skorupa JP, , Kasenene JM. 1984. Tropical forest management; can rates of natural tree falls help guide us? Oryx. 18:96–101.
-
Struhsaker TT.1997. Ecology of an African rain forest: logging in Kibale and the conflict between conservation and exploitation. Gainesville (FL): University Press of Florida.
-
Struhsaker TT, , Lwanga JS, , Kasenene JM. 1996. Elephant, selective logging and forest regeneration in the Kibale Forest, Uganda. J Trop Ecol. 12:45–64.
-
Toriola D, , Chareyre P, , Buttler A. 1998. Distribution of primary forest plant species in a 19-year old secondary forest in French Guiana. J Trop Ecol. 14:323–340.
-
Torras O, , Saura S. 2008. Effects of silvicultural treatments on forest biodiversity indicators in the Mediterranean. Forest Ecol Manag. 255:3322–3330.
-
Vandermeer J, , Granzow de la Cerda I, , Perfecto I, , Boucher D, , Ruiz J, , Kaufmann A. 2004. Multiple basins of attraction in a tropical forest: evidence for a nonequilibrium community structure. Ecology. 85:575–579.
-
Wassenaar TD, , Van Aarde RJ, , Ferreira SM. 2005. Community convergence in disturbed Subtropical dune Forests. Ecology. 86(3):655–666.
-
Wasserman MD, , Chapman CA. 2003. Determinants of colobine monkey abundance: the importance of food energy, protein and fibre content. J Anim Ecol. 72:650–659.
-
Zimmerman JK, , Hogan JA, , Shiels AB, , Bithorn JE, , Matta Carmona S, , Brokaw N. 2014. Seven-year responses of trees to experimental hurricane effects in a tropical rainforest, Puerto Rico. Forest Ecol Manag. 332:64–74.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 547 | 160 | 31 |
| Full Text Views | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 20 | 0 | 0 |
Tree community reassembly after selective and clear-cut logging in an Afro-tropical rainforest
In: Israel Journal of Ecology and EvolutionSearch for other papers by Arthur A. Owiny in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Understanding the process of community reassembly is crucial for the conservation of biodiversity and rehabilitation of ecosystems. This study tested whether tree communities in logged forests follow an equilibrium (deterministic) or non-equilibrium (stochastic) model of succession. We assessed reassembly of tree communities in different size classes along a successional gradient consisting of nine differently aged successional forests, namely, four regenerating former clear-cuts (9–19 years), three selectively logged (42–43 years) and two primary forests (PFs) in Kibale National Park, Uganda. The results show that the forests are converging and undergoing reassembly towards PFs. The species composition of seedlings, saplings and poles declined in similarity to the PF with age but that of mature trees in the different successional stages increased towards the PFs. These differences in tree species composition among the different size classes might be due to dominance of some particular species. Recovery of tree species density, diversity and dominance in all the size classes showed directional patterns as predicted by the deterministic model of succession. Compared to other variables, tree species density and diversity in selectively logged forests recovered relatively faster and was equivalent to or higher than that of PFs at 43 years. The results of the present study indicate that community reassembly in smaller sized trees followed a stochastic model of succession. However, as trees matured, they conform to the deterministic model of succession.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 547 | 160 | 31 |
| Full Text Views | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 20 | 0 | 0 |
