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Repeated disturbances and canopy disturbance regime in a tropical semi-deciduous forest

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2008

Renato A. Ferreira de Lima ,
Adriana M. Zanforlin Martini ,
Sérgius Gandolfi  and
Ricardo Ribeiro Rodrigues
Renato A. Ferreira de Lima*
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Ecologia e Restauração Florestal (LERF), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, ESALQ/USP. Av. Pádua Dias, 11, Caixa Postal 9, CEP 13.418-900, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
Adriana M. Zanforlin Martini
Affiliation:
Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Campus Diadema. Rua Prof. Artur Riedel, 275, Bairro Eldorado, CEP 09972-270. Diadema, SP, Brazil
Sérgius Gandolfi
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Ecologia e Restauração Florestal (LERF), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, ESALQ/USP. Av. Pádua Dias, 11, Caixa Postal 9, CEP 13.418-900, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
Ricardo Ribeiro Rodrigues
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Ecologia e Restauração Florestal (LERF), Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, ESALQ/USP. Av. Pádua Dias, 11, Caixa Postal 9, CEP 13.418-900, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil
*
1Corresponding author. Email: raflima@esalq.usp.br
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Abstract:

The canopy disturbance regime and the influence of gap methods on the interpretation of forest structure and dynamics were evaluated in a tropical semi-deciduous forest in south-eastern Brazil. We encountered a gap density of 11.2 gaps ha−1 and an average size which varied from 121 to 333 m2 depending on the gap delimitation method considered (minimum gap size was 10 m2). Although average size was slightly higher, the median value obtained (78 m2) was comparable to other tropical forest sites and the gap size-class distribution found supported the pattern described for such forest sites. Among 297 gap makers, snapping and uprooting were the most common modes of disturbance. The number and basal area of gap makers were good predictors of gap size. Almost 25% of all gaps suffered from repeated disturbance events that brought about larger gap sizes. Such processes, along with delimitation methods, strongly influenced the estimation of turnover rate and therefore the interpretation of forest dynamics. These results demonstrated the importance of further studies on repeated disturbances, which is often neglected in forest studies.

Keywords

Canopy gapscomplex gapsgap sizesouth-eastern Braziltreefallsturnover rate
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 24 , Issue 1 , January 2008 , pp. 85 - 93
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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