Skip to Main Content
U.S. Forest Service
Caring for the land and serving people

United States Department of Agriculture

Home > Search > Publication Information

  1. Effects of dispersal, shrubs, and density-dependent morality on seed and seedling distributions in temperate forests

    Share via EmailShare on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare on Twitter
    Dislike this pubLike this pub
    Author(s): Janneke Hille Ris Lambers; James S. Clark
    Date: 2003
    Source: Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 33: 783-795
    Publication Series: Miscellaneous Publication
    PDF: View PDF  (456 KB)

    Description

    Processes limiting recruitment of trees may have large impacts on forest dynamics. In this paper, we determined the effects of dispersal, shrubs (Rhododendron maximum), and density-dependent mortality on seed and seedling distributions of Southern Appalachian trees. We quantified the spatial distribution of seed rain, seed bank densities, first-year seedlings, and older than first-year seedlings in five vegetation plots. We fit models to these data assuming effects of limited dispersal, R. maximum (an understory shrub), and (or) density-dependent mortality (as well as a null model with none of these effects) and used best-fitting models to indicate which processes affected a particular species. We found that all factors examined limit species distributions, and thus, affect seedling dynamics. Seedling densities are higher near parent trees long after dispersal occurs. This pattern is less frequently observed for animal-dispersed species than for wind-dispersed species, presumably due to secondary dispersal of seeds by animals. Seedling densities of five species are decreased beneath R. maximum. Shade tolerance does not explain which species are affected, suggesting that factors other than low light are responsible for increased seedling mortality under this shrub. Our results suggest that density-dependent mortality affects four species, decreasing seedling densities close to parent trees. Dispersal, density-dependent mortality, and R. maximum all act in ways that may promote or limit diversity, illustrating that multiple factors are likely to control species diversity.

    Publication Notes

    • You may send email to pubrequest@fs.fed.us to request a hard copy of this publication.
    • (Please specify exactly which publication you are requesting and your mailing address.)
    • We recommend that you also print this page and attach it to the printout of the article, to retain the full citation information.
    • This article was written and prepared by U.S. Government employees on official time, and is therefore in the public domain.

    Citation

    Lambers, Janneke Hille Ris; Clark, James S. 2003. Effects of dispersal, shrubs, and density-dependent morality on seed and seedling distributions in temperate forests. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 33: 783-795

    Related Search

    XML: View XML
Show More
Show Fewer
Jump to Top of Page