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Short-term drought causes synchronous leaf shedding and flushing in a lowland mixed dipterocarp forest, Sarawak, Malaysia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 October 2004

Tomoaki Ichie
Affiliation:
Hokkaido University Forests, FSC, Sapporo 060-0809, Japan
Toru Hiromi
Affiliation:
Ehime Kindergarten, Matsuyama 790-0003, Japan
Reiji Yoneda
Affiliation:
Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba, 305-8687, Japan
Koichi Kamiya
Affiliation:
Graduate School of Science, Kyushu University, Hukuoka 810-8560, Japan
Masao Kohira
Affiliation:
Shiretoko Nature Foundation, Shari 099-4356, Japan
Ikuo Ninomiya
Affiliation:
College of Agriculture, Ehime University, Matsuyama 790-8566, Japan
Kazuhiko Ogino
Affiliation:
Faculty of Environmental Science, University of Shiga Prefecture, Hikone 522-8533, Japan

Abstract

Tropical rain forests are evergreen and experience a climate suitable for plant growth year round (Whitmore 1998). However, most tropical rain-forest trees display periodic shoot growth (Borchert 1991) and show synchronous leaf flushing at the community level (Itioka & Yamauti in press, Medway 1972, Ng 1981). Synchronous leaf flushing may have a great impact on animal population such as herbivores, because young leaves are suitable food resources for many herbivores (Aide 1988, 1992; Coley 1983, Itioka & Yamauti 2004, Lowman 1985).

Type
Brief Report
Copyright
2004 Cambridge University Press

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