Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Gap disturbance regime and composition in the Atlantic Montane Rain Forest: the influence of topography

  • Published:
Plant Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In the Atlantic Montane Rain Forest of south-eastern Brazil, a field study was carried out to describe the forest disturbance regime, analyse canopy gap composition and evaluate the influence of habitat parameters on gap tree species composition. We characterized canopy gaps considering the group of variables as follows: area, type and number of tree/branch falls, topographic position, soil coverage and surrounding canopy trees. Gap composition was assessed at species level by measuring all individuals inside gaps higher than one meter. Mean gap area of the 42 canopy gaps analysed was 71.9 ± 9.0 m² (mean ± SE). Out of the studied gaps, 35.7% were created by uprooted and by snapped trees, 16.7% by dead-standing trees and 11.9% by the fall of large branches. The disturbance regime was characterized by gap openings predominantly smaller than 150 m² and by spatial patterning related to topography. Ridges had smaller gaps and higher proportions of gaps created by branch falls; slopes had bigger gaps generally created by uprooting events. The more abundant and frequent species were shade tolerant and the more species-rich families found inside gaps did not differ from the forest as a whole. Pioneer species were rare and restricted to medium and large size classes. The Indicator Species Analysis and the Canonical Correspondence Analysis indicated gap area, topography and the percentage of soil cover by the genera Calathea and Ctenanthe were the predominant variables correlated with woody species distribution. So, topography emerged as an important issue not only to the gap disturbance regime, but also to gap colonization. In respect to the influence of gap processes on the Atlantic Montane Rain Forest regeneration, our results support the view that canopy gap events may not be working as promoters of community wide floristic shifts.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Abe S, Masaki T, Nakashizuka T (1995) Factors influencing sapling composition in canopy gaps of temperate deciduous forest. Vegetatio 120:21–32

    Google Scholar 

  • Aguiar OT (2003) Comparação entre os métodos de quadrantes e parcelas na caracterização da composição florística e fitossociológica de um trecho de floresta ombrófila densa no Parque Estadual “Carlos Botelho” - São Miguel Arcanjo, São Paulo. (MSc. dissertation). ESALQ/Universidade de São Paulo, Piracicaba, 119 p

    Google Scholar 

  • Arriaga L (1988) Gap dynamics of a tropical cloud forest in northeastern Mexico. Biotropica 20:178–184

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barton AM, Fetcher N, Redhead S (1989) The relationship between treefall gap size and light flux in a Neotropical rain forest in Costa Rica. J Trop Ecol 5:437–439

    Google Scholar 

  • Basnet K (1992) Effect of topography on the pattern of trees in Tabonuco (Dacryodes excelsa) dominated rain forest of Puerto Rico. Biotropica 24:31–42

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bellingham PJ, Tanner EVJ (2000) The influence of topography on tree growth, mortality, and recruitment in a tropical montane forest. Biotropica 32:378–384

    Google Scholar 

  • Brokaw NVL (1982a) The definition of treefall gap and its effect on measures of forest dynamics. Biotropica 14:158–160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brokaw NVL (1982b) Treefalls: frequency, timing, and consequences. In: Leigh EG, Rand AS, Windsor DM (eds) The ecology of a tropical forest: seasonal rhythms and long-term changes. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington DC, pp 101–108

    Google Scholar 

  • Brokaw N, Busing RT (2000) Niche versus chance and tree diversity in forest gaps. Trends Ecol Evol 15:183–188

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Brown N (1993) The implications of climate and gap microclimate for seedling growth conditions in a Bornean lowland forest. J Trop Ecol 9:153–168

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carey EV, Brown S, Gillespie AJR, Lugo AE (1994) Tree mortality in mature lowland tropical moist and tropical lower montane moist forests of Venezuela. Biotropica 26:255–265

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carvalho LMT, Fontes MAL, Oliveira-Filho AT (2000) Tree species distribution in canopy gaps and mature forest in an area of cloud forest of the Ibitipoca Range, south-eastern Brazil. Plant Ecol 149:9–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chandrashekara UM, Ramakrishnan PS (1994) Vegetation and gap dynamics of a tropical wet evergreen forest in the Western Ghats of Kerala, India. J Trop Ecol 10:337–354

    Google Scholar 

  • Chao A, Chazdon RL, Colwell RK, Shen T (2005) A new statistical approach for assessing similarity of species composition with incidence and abundance data. Ecol Lett 8:148–159

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chazdon RL, Fetcher N (1984) Photosynthetic light environments in a lowland tropical rain forest in Costa Rica. J Ecol 72:553–564

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark DA (1986) Regeneration of canopy trees in tropical wet forests. Trends Ecol Evol 1:150–154

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clinton BD (2003) Light, temperature, and soil moisture responses to elevation, evergreen understorey, and small canopy gaps in the southern Appalachians. For Ecol Manage 186:243–255

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collins BS, Dunne KP, Pickett STA (1985) Responses of forest herbs to canopy gaps. In: Pickett STA, White PS (eds) The ecology of natural disturbance and patch dynamics. Academic Press, San Diego, pp 217–234

    Google Scholar 

  • Colwell RK (2005) EstimateS: Statistical estimation of species richness and shared species from samples. Version 7.5. User’s guide and application published at: http://www.purl.oclc.org/estimates

  • Dalling JW, Hubbell SP, Silvera K (1998) Seed dispersal, seedling establishment and gap partitioning among tropical pioneer trees. J Ecol 86:674–689

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Denslow JS (1980) Gap partitioning among tropical rainforest trees. Biotropica 12:47–51

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Denslow JS, Hartshorn GS (1994) Tree-fall gap environments and forest dynamics processes. In: Mcdade LA, Bawa KS, Hespenheide HA, Hartshorn GS (eds) La Selva: ecology and natural history of a Neotropical rain forest. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, pp 120–127

    Google Scholar 

  • Digby PGN, Kempton RA (1987) Multivariate analysis of ecological communities. Chapman and Hall, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Domingues EN, Dias AC, Moura Netto BV (1993) O meio biofísico da Bacia do Ribeirão dos Fornos, no Parque Estadual de Carlos Botelho-SP. Rev Inst Flor 5:203–229

    Google Scholar 

  • Dufrene M, Legendre P (1997) Species assemblages and indicator species: the need for a flexible asymmetrical approach. Ecol Monogr 67:345–366

    Google Scholar 

  • Eysenrode DS-V, Bogaert J, van Hecke P, Impens I (1998) Influence of tree-fall orientation on canopy gap shape in an ecuadorian rain forest. J Trop Ecol 14:865–869

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gale N (2000) The relationship between canopy gaps and topography in a Western Ecuadorian rain forest. Biotropica 32:653–661

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Garwood NC (1983) Seed germination in a seasonal tropical rain forest in Panama: a community study. Ecol Monogr 53:159–181

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • George LO, Bazzaz FA (1999) The fern understory as an ecological filter: emergence and establishment of canopy-tree seedlings. Ecology 80:833–845

    Google Scholar 

  • Green PT (1996) Canopy gaps in rain forest on Christmas Island, Indian Ocean: size distribution and methods of measurement. J Trop Ecol 12:427–434

    Google Scholar 

  • Hubbell SP, Foster RB (1986) Canopy gaps and the dynamics of a neotropical forest. In: Crawley MJ (ed) Plant ecology. Blackwell Scientific, Oxford, pp 77–96

    Google Scholar 

  • Hubbell SP, Foster RB, O’brien ST, Harms KE, Condit R, Wechsler B, Wright SJ, De Lao SL (1999) Light-gap disturbances, recruitment limitation, and tree diversity in a neotropical forest. Science 283:554–557

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jans L, Poorter L, Van Rompaey RSAR, Bongers F (1993) Gaps and forest zones in tropical moist forest in Ivory Coast. Biotropica 25:258–269

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kapos V, Pallant E, Bien A, Freskos S (1990) Gap frequencies in lowland rain forest sites on contrasting soils in Amazonian Ecuador. Biotropica 22:218–225

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Klein RM (1980) Ecologia da flora e vegetação do Vale do Itajaí. Sellowia 32:165–389

    Google Scholar 

  • Lawes MJ, Obiri JAF (2003) Canopy gaps in subtropical forest in South Africa: size of the species pool and not the number of available niches limits species richness. J Trop Ecol 19:594–556

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levey DJ (1988) Tropical wet forest treefall gaps and distributions of understory birds and plants. Ecology 69:1076–1089

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lieberman D (1996) Demography of tropical tree seedlings: a review. In: Swaine MD (ed) The ecology of tropical forest seedlings. UNESCO, Paris, pp 131–139

    Google Scholar 

  • Lieberman M, Lieberman D, Peralta R (1989) Forests are not just Swiss cheese: canopy stereogeometry of non-gap in tropical forests. Ecology 70:550–552

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lima RAF (2005) Gap size measurement: the proposal of a new field method. For Ecol Manage 214:413–419

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lima RAF, Moura LC (2006) Canopy gap colonization in the Atlantic Montane Rain Forest. Braz Arch Biol Technol 49:953–965

    Google Scholar 

  • Loiselle BA, Ribbens E, Vargas O (1996) Spatial and temporal variation of seed rain in a tropical lowland wet forest. Biotropica 28:82–95

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martínez-Ramos M, Alvarez-Buylla E, Sarukhán J, Piñero D (1988) Treefall age determination and gap dynamics in a tropical forest. J Ecol 76:700–716

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martins SV, Rodrigues RR (2002) Gap-phase regeneration in a semideciduous mesophytic forest, south-eastern Brazil. Plant Ecol 163:1–62

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Montgomery RA, Chazdon RL (2002) Light gradient partitioning by tropical tree seedlings in the absence of canopy gaps. Oecologia 131:165–174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Myers N, Mittermeier RA, Mittermeier CG, Fonseca GAB, Kent J (2000) Biodiversity hotspot for conservation priorities. Nature 403:853–858

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Núñez-Farfán J, Dirzo R (1988) Within-gap spatial heterogeneity and seedling performance in a Mexican tropical forest. Oikos 51:274–284

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poorter L, Jans L, Bongers F, Van Rompaey RSAR (1994) Spatial distribution of gaps along three catenas in the moist forest of Taï National Park, Ivory Coast. J Trop Ecol 10:385–398

    Google Scholar 

  • Putz FE, Coley PD, Lu K, Montalvo A, Aiello A (1983) Uprooting and snapping of trees: structural determinants and ecological consequences. Can J For Res 13:1011–1020

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raich JW, Christensen NL (1989) Malaysian dipterocarp forest: tree seedling and sapling species composition and small-scale disturbance patterns. Nat Geogr Res 5:348–363

    Google Scholar 

  • Robert A, Moravie MA (2003) Topographic variation and stand heterogeneity in a wet evergreen forest in India. J Trop Ecol 19:697–707

    Google Scholar 

  • Runkle JR (1982) Patterns of disturbance in some oldgrowth mesic forests of eastern North America. Ecology 63:1533–1546

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sanford RL Jr, Braker HE, Hartshorn GS (1986) Canopy openings in a primary neotropical lowland forest. J Trop Ecol 2:277–282

    Google Scholar 

  • Schnitzer SA, Carson WP (2001) Treefall gaps and the maintenance of species diversity in a tropical forest. Ecology 82:913–919

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schupp EW (1988) Seed and early seedling predation in the forest understory and in treefall gaps. Oikos 51:71–78

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith AP, Hogan KP, Idol JR (1992) Spatial and temporal patterns of light and canopy structure in a lowland tropical moist forest. Biotropica 24:503–511

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tabarelli M, Mantovani W (1999) Clareiras naturais e a riqueza de espécies pioneiras em uma floresta atlântica montana. Rev Bras Biol 59:251–261

    Google Scholar 

  • Tabarelli M, Mantovani W (2000) Gap-phase regeneration in a tropical montane forest: the effects of gap structure and bamboo species. Plant Ecol 148:149–155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • ter Braak CJF (1986) Canonical correspondence analysis: a new eigenvector technique for multivariate direct gradient analysis. Ecology 67:1167–1179

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Uhl C, Clark K, Dezzeo N, Maquirino P (1988) Vegetation Dynamics in Amazonian Treefall Gaps. Ecology 69:751–763

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van der Meer PJ, Bongers F (1996) Formation and closure of canopy gaps in the rain forest at Nouragues, French Guiana. Vegetatio 126:167–179

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van der Meer PJ, Bongers F, Chatrou L, Riéra B (1994) Defining canopy gaps in a tropical rain forest: effects on gap size and turnover time. Acta Oecol 15:701–714

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitmore TC (1989) Canopy gaps and the two major groups of forest trees. Ecology 70:536–538

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yavitt JB, Battles JJ, Lang GE, Knight DH (1995) The canopy gap regime in a secondary Neotropical forest in Panama. J Trop Ecol 11:391–402

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Young TP, Hubbell SP (1991) Crown asymmetry, treefalls, and repeat disturbance of broad-leave forest gaps. Ecology 72:1464–1471

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Harold G. Fowler and Adriana M. Z. Martini who kindly reviewed an earlier version of this manuscript and for the support of the Instituto Florestal de São Paulo and the Parque Estadual Carlos Botelho for making this study possible.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ecologia, Universidade Estadual Paulista, Campus Rio Claro, Av. 24A, n° 1515, Caixa Postal 199, CEP 13506-900, Rio Claro, SP, Brazil

    Renato Augusto Ferreira de Lima & Leila Cunha de Moura

Authors
  1. Renato Augusto Ferreira de Lima
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Leila Cunha de Moura
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Renato Augusto Ferreira de Lima.

Appendices

Appendices

Appendix 1 Simbology used for woody species in the Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA)
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

de Lima, R.A.F., de Moura, L.C. Gap disturbance regime and composition in the Atlantic Montane Rain Forest: the influence of topography. Plant Ecol 197, 239–253 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-007-9374-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-007-9374-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation