Sprouting of Trees in Jamaican Montane Forests, after a Hurricane
1994; Wiley; Volume: 82; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/2261440
ISSN1365-2745
AutoresPeter J. Bellingham, Edmund V. J. Tanner, John R. Healey,
Tópico(s)Agroforestry and silvopastoral systems
Resumo1 Forests in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica were damaged by Hurricane Gilbert which passed over the island on 12 September 1988. 2 In plots between 1300-1900 m, recorded 5-41 months after the hurricane, most stems (61.4% of 4949 living stems) and most species (44 of 47 common species) had sprouts. Comparing species, percent of stems sprouting ranged from 0 to 100%. 3 Broken stems sprouted proportionately more than intact stems; completely defoliated stems sprouted proportionately more than those not completely defoliated; there was no difference between uprooted and upright stems; and stems > 10 cm d.b.h. sprouted more frequently and produced more sprouts per stem, than those 30 sprouting stems, four sprouted more from below 2.5 m, five more from above 2.5 m and five had sprouts evenly distributed. For all species combined, approximately equal numbers of stems fell into each of these three categories. 6 Survivorship up to 41 months after the hurricane was higher in stems with sprouts than those without. 7 There was no simple relationship between the frequency of sprouting of species and microenvironments where seed germination and seedling establishment have been recorded. However, eight common species which have rarely been observed to germinate or establish (in a wide range of conditions) had high frequencies of sprouting. We propose that sprouting is an important mechanism by which many species maintain their presence in these forests.
Referência(s)