title: Population structure of Rudgea parquioides, a shade-tolerant shrub species, in Southern Brazil.
abstract: The expectations that shade-tolerant forest species show 1) a population structure composed by a high amount of small individuals, and 2) biomass allocation for diameter higher than for height growth, were tested for Rudgea parquioides, a typical shrub in Southern Brazil. We described the size structure (height and stem diameter) and allometrical relations of a R. parquioides population by counting and measuring all the individuals in a 725m(2) area in the municipality of Curitiba (25°25'S; 49°19'W). A total of 916 individuals (12,634 ind.ha(-1)) were recorded in the area. The first expectation was supported, since distribution by height and diameter classes showed a predominance of small individuals (skewness coefficients > 1). On the other hand, the regression between height and stem base diameter showed slope β < 1, which indicates that growth in height is higher than in diameter, not supporting the second expectation. These results show that life strategies in shade-tolerant species may imply in more trade-off combinations than previously described.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Ecologia Vegetal, Departamento de Botânica, Setor de Ciências Biológicas Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brazil. fercardoso@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Fernanda C G
authors.initials: FC
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.forename: Ana P B
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Salvalaggio
authors.forename: Márcia C M
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Marques
mesh_terms: D018533:Biomass; D001938:Brazil; D017753:Ecosystem; D019666:Rubiaceae / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000254:growth & development; D014197:Trees