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Growth, recruitment and mortality in the Gama gallery forest in central Brazil over a six-year period (1985–1991)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

Jeanine Maria Felfili
Affiliation:
University of Brasília, Departamento de Engenharia Florestal, Universidade de Brasília, 70, 000 Brasília, DF, Brazil, and Oxford Forestry Institute, University of Oxford, South Park Road, Oxford OX1 3RB.

Abstract

Diameter increments, recruitment and mortality were studied over a six-year period in a 3.02 ha sample in an area of 64 ha of undisturbed gallery forest alongside the Gama stream. The study site is located in Fazenda Água Limpa in Brasília, Federal District, Brazil. Trees ≥ 31 cm gbh (10 cm dbh) were measured every three years from 1985 in 151 (10 m × 20 m) permanent plots in Gama forest.

The mean annual diameter increment for trees ≥ 10 cm dbh was 0.25 cm y-1. Variability was high with coefficients of variation c. 100% or more. Light-demanding and large upper storey species tended to grow faster than shade-tolerant and lower storey species. Mean increments for the community increased with increasing diameter classes.

The mean annual mortality rate for the community was 3.5% y−1 while the recruitment was 2.7%. The community was dynamic with 86% of all species either suffering mortality or gaining recruits or both during the six years. The net difference between recruitment and mortality was zero for 55 species. The recruitment compensated for the mortality of most of the abundant species.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

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