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Effects of forest floor environment on germination and seedling establishment of two Bornean rainforest emergent species

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

Akira Itoh
Affiliation:
Division of Tropical Agriculture, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606–01, Japan

Abstract

Seeds of Dryobalanops aromatica and D. lanceolata (Dipterocarpaceae) were sown in gaps and understorey on a ridge and a valley in a Bornean rainforest. Germination rates were 92–100% regardless of site and species. On the ridge, the proportion of seedlings that opened primary leaves was larger in D. aromatica (19–30%) than in D. lanceolata (7–19%) due to higher root predation on D. lanceolata. In the valley, on the other hand, the proportion was larger in D. lanceolata (71–74%) than in D. aromatica (56%). After primary leaf production, seedlings of both species had higher survivorship in the gaps than in the understorey. Interactions between predators, soil conditions and light environment and their effects on seedling establishment are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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