The canopy gap regime in a secondary neotropical forest in Panama
We mapped the occurrence of canopy gaps periodically between 1978 and 1990 in a 1.5 ha study plot within a 70-year-old (in 1978) Neotropical forest on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Republic of Panama. The total area of the forest under canopy gaps in the plot averaged 4.3 percent (3.1 percent to 5.7 percent, 95 percent CI). There was high year-to-year variability in the rate of new gap formation. On the basis of repeated observations for four yearly intervals, the annual rate of new gap formation ranged from 0.45 percent Y exponent-1. Most gaps were small. The mean size of individual gaps originally was 79 m2 (ranger: 8-605 m2). However, large gaps (ó150 m2) occurred more frequently than expected for a secondary forest on BCI. Gaps closed rapidly the first year after formation but the rate of closure slowed thereafter. Despite the absence of any obvious environmental gradients, gaps were spatially clustered. Even in this relatively small plot, there seemed to be distinct gap-prone and gap-free areas.
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | biblioteca |
| Published: |
1995
|
| Subjects: | ESTRUCTURA DEL BOSQUE, CLAROS, BOSQUE SECUNDARIO, PANAMA, |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|