Consistent, small effects of treefall disturbances on the composition and diversity of four Amazonian forests.
Understanding the resilience of moist tropical forests to treefall disturbance events is important for understanding the mechanisms that underlie species coexistence and for predicting the future composition of these ecosystems. Here, we test whether variation in the functional composition of Amazonian forests determines their resilience to disturbance.We studied the legacy of natural treefall disturbance events in four forests across Amazonia that differ substantially in functional composition. We compared the composition and diversity of all free-standing woody stems 2-10 cm diameter in previously disturbed and undisturbed 20 × 20 m subplots within 55, one-hectare, long-term forest inventory plots.Overall, stem number increased following disturbance, and species and functional composition shifted to favour light-wooded, small-seeded taxa. Alpha-diversity increased, but beta-diversity was unaffected by disturbance, in all four forests.Changes in response to disturbance in both functional composition and alpha-diversity were, however, small (2 - 4% depending on the parameter) and similar among forests.Synthesis. This study demonstrates that variation in the functional composition of Amazonian forests does not lead to large differences in the response of these forests to treefall disturbances, and overall, these events have a minor role in maintaining the diversity of these ecosystems.
School of Geography University of Leeds Woodhouse Lane Leeds LS2 9JT UK.
Timothy R
TR
Baker
Department of Biology Washington University in St. Louis Saint Louis MO 63130 USA.
Dilys M
DM
Vela Díaz
Universidad San Antonio Abad del Cusco Avenida de la Cultura Cusco Peru.
Victor
V
Chama Moscoso
Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana Sargento Lores 385 Iquitos Peru.
Gilberto
G
Navarro
Prolongación Bolognesi Mz-E-6 Oxapampa Pasco, Peru.
Abel
A
Monteagudo
School of Marine and Tropical Biology James Cook University Cairns Qld 4870 Australia.
Ruy
R
Pinto
School of Marine and Tropical Biology James Cook University Cairns Qld 4870 Australia.
Katia
K
Cangani
Department of Ecology and Systematics Faculty of Biology University of Athens Panepistimiopolis 15701 Athens Greece.
Nikolaos M
NM
Fyllas
School of Geography University of Leeds Woodhouse Lane Leeds LS2 9JT UK.
Gabriela
G
Lopez Gonzalez
School of Marine and Tropical Biology James Cook University Cairns Qld4870 Australia; Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA) and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Av. André Araujo 2936 Manaus Brazil.
William F
WF
Laurance
School of Geography University of Leeds Woodhouse Lane Leeds LS2 9JT UK; University College London Gower Street London WC1E 6BT UK.
Simon L
SL
Lewis
Imperial College Silwood Park Campus, Buckhurst Road Ascot West Berkshire SL5 7PY UK.
Jonathan
J
Lloyd
Naturalis Biodiversity Center PO Box 9517 2300 RA Leiden The Netherlands.
Hans
H
Ter Steege
Center for Tropical Conservation Nicholas School of the Environment Duke University Box 90328 Durham NC 27708 USA.
John W
JW
Terborgh
School of Geography University of Leeds Woodhouse Lane Leeds LS2 9JT UK.
Oliver L
OL
Phillips
alpha‐diversity; beta‐diversity; determinants of plant community diversity and structure; functional composition; maximum height; seed mass; tropical forest; wood density