Litter as a filter of emergence for herbaceous seedlings and sporophytes in central Amazonia

Rodrigues, Flávio Rogério de Oliveira; Costa, Flávia R. C.

doi:10.1017/s0266467412000491

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Finally, both ferns and the Melastomataceae tended towards significantly steeper microsites than expected at random, whereas patterns in trees did not differ from random expectation. Similar patterns have been detected in ferns and in some other herbaceous understorey plant groups in earlier studies (Costa 2006, Jones et al 2014, Poulsen et al 2006, Rodrigues & Costa 2012). This might represent avoidance of the most poorly drained sites at lower topographic position, but it could also be related to other factors.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…This might represent avoidance of the most poorly drained sites at lower topographic position, but it could also be related to other factors. There is, for example, evidence that the establishment success of small-seeded plant species and spore-producing ferns is negatively related to leaf litter depth, and litter accumulation is likely to be lower on slopes relative to flat sites (Metcalfe et al 1998, Molofsky & Augspurger 1992, Rodrigues & Costa 2012). Metcalfe & Grubb (1995) found a general tendency for seed size to be related to adult plant stature in shade-tolerant rain-forest plants, being smaller on average in shrubs and herbs than in trees.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Differences in topographic and soil habitat specialization between trees and two understorey plant groups in a Costa Rican lowland rain forest

et al. 2016

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Abstract:Two core questions in plant community ecology are to what extent the distributions of species are structured by local environmental conditions, and whether taxa differ in this regard. We compared the distributions of trees, Melastomataceae and ferns on soil and topographic gradients in a Costa Rican lowland rain forest (trees and ferns 983 plots, Melastomataceae 277 plots). To test whether these plant groups differed in the prevalence or type of habitat specialization, we calculated species’ environmental optima and tolerances on each gradient. Habitat specialization was defined as a significantly biased optimum, or a narrow tolerance, relative to values obtained under spatially restricted randomizations of species occurrences. Within plant groups, we also asked whether the dispersion of species optima differed from random expectation on each gradient. Fern optima were over-dispersed on multiple gradients, implying considerable interspecific habitat partitioning, and tree optima were over-dispersed in relation to topographic position. Habitat specialization was more prevalent in the two predominantly understorey groups than in trees (75% of Melastomataceae species, 81–87% of ferns, 57–58% of trees). Species optima of Melastomataceae and ferns also tended towards lower landscape positions than did those of trees, perhaps reflecting a higher proportion of drought-sensitive species in these two groups.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differences in topographic and soil habitat specialization between trees and two understorey plant groups in a Costa Rican lowland rain forest

et al. 2016

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“…A preference for slope habitats by herbs has also been found in a few earlier studies (Poulsen ; Costa ). In Amazonia, this has been found to be related to lower litter accumulation on slopes (Rodrigues & Costa ). Sloping sites may also provide more favourable drainage conditions, especially at lower landscape positions where there may be periodic waterlogging.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…This may explain the wide geographical distributions of many fern species (Smith ; Tryon ). On the other hand, because of their gametophytic life stage, ferns are more sensitive than seed plants to being covered by leaf litter (Rodrigues & Costa ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of fern and angiosperm herb community structure in lower montane rainforest in Indonesia

Jones

Cicuzza

Straaten

et al. 2014

J Vegetation Science

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Questions: Do ferns, which are physiologically less well adapted to conserve water than angiosperms but have more efficient propagule dispersal, show different vegetation-environment relationships than co-occurring angiosperm herbs? We hypothesized that ferns should show closer relationships to local environmental conditions and might be more closely associated with humid and shady microhabitats.Location: Pono and Bariri, two sites in lower montane primary tropical forest, Lore Lindu National Park, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia.Methods: At each site, all terrestrial herbaceous plants were sampled in 200 plots of 5 m 9 5 m. Sixteen environmental factors describing soils, topography and canopy openness were recorded. Correlations were calculated to test the degree of similarity in the species richness and turnover of ferns and angiosperms, and their relationships with environmental factors. Species optima were calculated on each environmental axis and compared between plant groups via randomization tests.Results: In total, 184 herb morphospecies were encountered at Pono and 135 at Bariri, of which almost 60% at each site were ferns. At both sites, fern species turnover showed closer correlations with soil variables than did angiosperm turnover. At the more topographically heterogeneous site (Bariri) fern species turnover was also more closely associated with topographic differences than was angiosperm turnover. Habitat preferences of ferns and angiosperms appeared more similar at Bariri than Pono, with both tending towards lower topographic positions and richer soils, but steeper slopes, than expected at random. At Bariri, neither plant group tended towards shady microsites, whereas at Pono ferns were better represented than angiosperms in microhabitats with open canopies.Conclusions: As expected, ferns showed closer correlations with environmental factors than angiosperm herbs. Ferns did not, however, consistently favour humid microhabitats at both sites, and were not significantly associated with shady microhabitats at either site. Furthermore, it appears that physiological differences in water use do not lead to marked divergence in fern and angiosperm herb distributions in the humid understorey of this lower montane rainforest.

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“…Th is might have a strong impact on the emergence of certain plant species that require shallow or no litter layers to establish (Costa 2006). For example, in a recent study in central Amazonia, Rodrigues and Costa (2012) found that pteridophyte and monocot emergence was 2 -4 times higher in plots with all litter removed than in plots with a relatively deep litter layer. In temperate beech forests in Denmark species such as Hepatica nobilis Mill.…”

Section: Biotic Effectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Topography as a driver of local terrestrial vascular plant diversity patterns

Moeslund

Arge

Bøcher

et al. 2013

Nordic Journal of Botany

202

134

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At landscape and regional scales topography is recognized as one of the most important determinants of vascular plant diversity, primarily due to the influence of mountains. As temperature changes markedly over the elevation ranges in mountain areas, topography offers a wide variety of different habitats as well as buffering against climate change. However, for local vegetation, notably in lowland areas, the general importance of topography is less well recognized and the mechanisms by which it exerts influence on local vascular plant diversity are not comprehensively understood. In this review, we provide an overview of the evidence for the different mechanisms involved in topography’s control of local patterns in potential vegetation drivers, namely incident solar energy, wind exposure, hydrology, geochemistry, and biotic conditions. Furthermore, we review the processes through which these factors shape local terrestrial vascular plant diversity patterns and provide directions for future studies on this topic. We find that topography is an important factor for local vascular plant diversity patterns in a broad range of habitats throughout the world, even in relatively flat lowlands. However, the mechanisms involved are varied and complex. Local patterns in soil moisture seem to be affected by topography through more mechanisms than other topographically controlled factors and have a strong and consistent influence on local plant diversity. Hence, local hydrology is probably the main mechanistic factor through which topography influences local terrestrial vascular plant diversity patterns. Future research should focus on employing high‐coverage fine‐resolution topographic data to comprehensively explore the role of topography in controlling local dynamics over large areas. Moreover, we recommend including several different habitats, particularly those in which the role of topography is poorly understood. Finally, we propose to integrate relevant functional topographic variables such as topographic wetness indices instead of simple topographic measures into future investigations.

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Litter as a filter of emergence for herbaceous seedlings and sporophytes in central Amazonia

Cited by 10 publications

References 58 publications

Differences in topographic and soil habitat specialization between trees and two understorey plant groups in a Costa Rican lowland rain forest

Differences in topographic and soil habitat specialization between trees and two understorey plant groups in a Costa Rican lowland rain forest

Determinants of fern and angiosperm herb community structure in lower montane rainforest in Indonesia

Topography as a driver of local terrestrial vascular plant diversity patterns

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