Hostname: page-component-84b7d79bbc-tsvsl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-26T08:07:52.272Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Population dynamics of pioneer (Macaranga) trees and understorey (Mallotus) trees (Euphorbiaceae) in primary and selectively logged Bornean rain forests

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

Richard B. Primack  and
H. S. Lee
Richard B. Primack
Affiliation:
Biology Department, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA
H. S. Lee
Affiliation:
Research Section, Forest Department, Kuching, Sarawak, East Malaysia
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Using data from forest sites in Sarawak, East Malaysia, a demographic comparison is made of pioneer species in the genus Macaranga with understorey trees of the primary forest in the closely related genus Mallotus. In primary forest, saplings and trees of these genera arc uncommon and have low growth rates. For the six years following disturbance by logging, a Macaranga population was characterized by high rates of diameter growth and recruitment. Eleven years after disturbance, seedling and sapling abundance had declined sharply. In contrast, the Mallotus population was stable in size class distribution and increased slightly in total population size during the 11 years after logging. Growth rates of Mallotus trees increased after logging but were still much less than Macaranga trees.

A morphological comparison shows that most Macaranga species, in contrast with Mallotus species, have large hollow twigs that are occupied by ants and have larger, hairier, thicker, more toothed leaves with longer petioles, axillary inflorescences with more flowers, infructescences with more fruit, fruits that are smaller in size and smaller seeds.

Keywords

BorneodemographydisturbanceloggingMacarangaMalaysiaMallotuspioneerrain forestunderstorey trees
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 7 , Issue 4 , November 1991 , pp. 439 - 457
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1991

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

LITERATURE CITED

Airy-Shaw, H. K. 1975. The Euphorbiaceae of Borneo. Kew Bulletin Additional Series IV. Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew.Google Scholar
Baker, H. G. 1972. Seed weight in relation to environmental conditions in California. Ecology 59:997–1010.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brokaw, N. V. L. 1982. Treefalls: frequency, timing, and consequences. Pp. 101–108 in Leigh, E. G. Jr, Rand, A. S. & Windsor, D. M. (eds). The ecology of a tropical forest: seasonal rhythms and long-term changes. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
Brokaw, N. V. L. 1985. Gap phase regeneration in a tropical forest. Ecology 66:682–687.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Burgess, P. F. 1971. The effect of logging on Hill Dipterocarp Forests. Malaysian Nature Journal 24:231–237.Google Scholar
Chazdon, R. L. 1986. Light variation and carbon gain in rainforest understorey palms. Journal of Ecology 74:995–1012.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clark, D. A. 1986. Regeneration of canopy trees in tropical wet forests. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 1:150–154.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Coombe, D. E. 1960. An analysis of the growth of Trema guineensis. Journal of Ecology 48:219–231.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coombe, D. E. & Hadfield, W. 1962. An analysis of the growth of Musanga cecropioides. Journal of Ecology 50:221–234.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Corner, E. J. H. 1940. Wayside trees of Malaya. Government Printer, Singapore.Google Scholar
Denslow, J. S. 1987. Tropical rainforest gaps and tree species diversity. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 18:431–451.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fleming, T. H., Williams, C. F., Bonaccorso, F. J. & Herbst, L. H. 1985. Phenology, seed dispersal, and colonization in Muntingia calabura, a Neotropical pioneer tree. American Journal of Botany 72:83–391.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gomez-Pompa, A., Vasquez-Yanes, C. & Guevara, S. 1972. The tropical rainforest: a nonrenewable resource. Science 177:762–765.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hubbell, S. P. & Foster, R. B. 1986. Canopy gaps and the dynamics of a Neotropical forest. Pp. 77–96 in Crawley, M. J. (ed.). Plant Ecology. Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.Google Scholar
Hutchinson, I. D. 1981. Sarawak Liberation Thinning, Part A: Background and an initial analysis of performance. Part B: A practical guide. FO:Mal/76/008. Field Document No. 15. Forest Department, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia.Google Scholar
Hutchinson, I. D. 1982. Manual for the field enumeration of permanent sample plots in the mixed dipterocarp forest of Sarawak. Technical paper, United Nations Development Program/rood and Agriculture Organisation/Malaysia/76/008. Froest Department, Kuching, Malaysia.Google Scholar
Jamaluddin, B. 1978. Ecological studies on variation in dynamics and species distribution in relation to habitat in some mixed dipterocarp forests of Sarawak, East Malaysia. Thesis. University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland.Google Scholar
Janzen, D. H. 1966. Coevolution of mutualism between ants and acacias in Central America. Evolution 20:249–275.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lawton, R. O. & Putz, F. E. 1988. Natural disturbance and gap-phase regeneration in a wind-exposed tropical cloud forest. Ecology 69:764–777.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, H. S. 1981. Silvicultural management options in the mixed dipterocarp forests of Sarawak. Thesis. Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.Google Scholar
Lieberman, D. & Lieberman, M. 1987. Forest tree growth and dynamics at La Selva, Costa Rica (1969–1982). Journal of Tropical Ecology 3:347–358.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lieberman, D., Lieberman, M., Hartshorn, G. & Peralta, R. 1985a. Growth rates and age-size relationships of tropical wet forest trees in Costa Rica. Journal of Tropical Ecology 1:97–109.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leberman, D., Lieberman, M., Peralta, R. & Hartshorn, G. 1985b. Mortality patterns and stand turnover rates in a wet tropical forest in Costa Rica. Journal of Ecology 73:915–924.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Martinez-Ramos, M., Sarukhan, J. & Pinero, D. 1988. The demography of tropical trees in the context of forest gap dynamics: The case of Astrocaryum mexicanum at Los Tuxtlas tropical rain forest. Pp. 293–313 in Davy, A. J., Hutching, M. J. & Watkinson, A. R. (eds). Plant population ecology. 28th Symposium of the British thcological Society, Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.Google Scholar
Nicholson, D. I. 1960. Light requirements of seedlings of five species of Dipterocarpaceae. Malaysian Forester 23:344–356.Google Scholar
Oberbauer, S. F. & Strain, B. R. 1984. Photosynthesis and successional status of Costa Rican rain forest trees. Photosynthesis Research 5:227–232.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Primack, R. B. 1987. Relationships among flowers, fruits, and seeds. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 18:409–430.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Primack, R. B., Ashton, P. S., Chai, P. & Lee, H. S. 1985. Growth rates and population structure of Moraceac trees in primary and logged forests in Sarawak, East Malaysia. Ecology 66:577–588.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Primack, R. B., Chai, E. O. K., Tan, S. S. & Lee, H. S. 1989. Relative performance of dipterocarp trees in natural forest, managed forest, logged forest and plantations throughout Sarawak, East Malaysia. Pp. 161–175 in Razali, Wan, Chan, H. T. & Apannah, S. (eds). Growth and yield in tropical mixed/moist forests. Forest Research Institute of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Google Scholar
Putz, F. E. & Appanah, S. 1987. Buried seeds, newly dispersed seeds, and the dynamics of a lowland forest in Malaysia. Biotropica 19:326–333.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Putz, F. E., Coley, P. D., Lu, K., Montalvo, A. & Aiello, A. 1983. Uprooting and snapping of trees: Structural determinants and ecological consequences. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 13:1011.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swaine, M. D. & Hall, J. B. 1983. Early succession on cleared forest land in Ghana, journal of Ecology 71:601–627.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swaine, M. D. & Lumberman, D. (eds). 1987. The dynamics of tree populations in tropical forest. Journal of Tropical Ecology 3 (Special Issue): 359–366.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, C. E. 1982. Reproductive biology and ecology of some tropical pioneer trees. PhD thesis. University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, Scotland.Google Scholar
Uhl, G. 1987. Factors controlling succession following slash-and-burn agriculture in Amazonia. Journal of Ecology 75:377–407.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Uhl, C., Clark, K., Clark, H. & Murphy, P. 1981. Early plant succession after cutting and burning in the Upper Rio Negro region of the Amazon basin. Journal of Ecology 69:631–649.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vazquez-Yanes, C. 1980. Notas sobre la ecologia de los arbolcs de rapido creeimiento de la selva tropical llluviosa. Tropical Ecology 21:103–112.Google Scholar
Whitmore, T. C. 1967. Studies in Macaranga: an easy genus of Malayan wayside trees. Malaysian Nature Journal 20:89–99.Google Scholar
Whitmore, T. C. 1969. Studies in Macaranga III. First thoughts on species evolution in Malayan Macaranga. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 1:223–231.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitmore, T. C. 1973. Euphorbiaceae. Tree Flora of Malaya: A manual for foresters. Vol. 2, p. 105. Longman, London.Google Scholar
Whitmore, T. C. 1975. Macaranga. Pp. 140–159 in Airy-Shaw, H. K. (ed.) The Euphorbiaceae of Borneo. Kew Bulletin Additional Series IV. Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew.Google Scholar
Whitmore, T. C. 1984. Tropical rainforests of the Ear East. (2nd Edition). Oxford University Press, Oxford. 352 pp.Google Scholar
Williams, K., Field, C. B. & Mooney, H. A. 1989. Relationships among leaf construction cost, leaf longevity and light environment in rain-forest plants of the genus Piper. American Naturalist 133:198–211.CrossRefGoogle Scholar