Abstract
In the Pantanal floodplain, some tree species forms wide monodominant stands, which can be influenced by environmental filters like fire and annual flood cycles. Such environmental filters can regulate tree distribution and growth. In this research, we analyzed the influence of flooding on isolation and size of Tabebuia aurea Benth. & Hook.f. ex S. Moore (Bignoniaceae Juss.) individuals and how the influence of isolation on size varies along of the flood gradient. We used the distance between neighboring trees as isolation measurement, tree stem circumference (TSC) as the size of the trees, and the water mark on the trunks as flood level. We showed that T. aurea individuals are more isolated in areas with higher flood, possibly due to differential mortality. Furthermore, we found that in less flooded areas, isolation had positive influence on the size of the trees, probably due to asymmetric competition. Therefore, we conclude that flood cycles influence the isolation of T. aurea trees, but they do not directly affect the size.
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Acknowledgements
To Brazilian agencies CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior) for scholarships to the first author. The authors thank Zulia Porcel, Marta Simbine and Michele Lima for their support in the fieldwork. The Programa de Pós Graduação em Ecologia e Conservação, of Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso do Sul, for assigning and assisting in this research.
Funding
This article was supported by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior [Grant no. 88882.182382/2018-01 (Migrado-SACPAIS)].
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de Souza, E.B., Rodrigues, C.M. Relationships between flood, tree isolation and size in a monodominant stand. Trop Ecol 63, 314–318 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42965-021-00211-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42965-021-00211-z