Sapling growth and survivorship as affected by light and flooding in a river floodplain forest of southeast Texas.
We investigated the effects of light and flooding on growth and survivorship of saplings in a river floodplain forest of southeast Texas. Growth responses to light were consistent with the expectation that shade-intolerant species grow faster than shade-tolerant species in high light, and vice versa. Mortality risk was not associated with shade tolerance level unless high mortality risks associated with a period of high flooding were removed. These results support the hypothesis that shade-tolerant species in floodplains may be limited by flooding as previous studies suggested. Also, compared to their performance at a nearby mesic site, common species showed little intraspecific difference in shade tolerance, especially for shade-intolerant species. Finally, the positive correlation between low-light growth and survivorship suggests that carbon allocation to continued growth may be favored as a sapling strategy in floodplains.
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX 77251-1892, USA.
Jie
J
Lin
Paul A
PA
Harcombe
Mark R
MR
Fulton
Rosine W
RW
Hall
D004190:Disasters; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008954:Models, Biological; D013045:Species Specificity; D013472:Sunlight; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013781:Texas; D014197:Trees / Q000254:growth & development*