Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Wiley - PMC COVID-19 Collection logoLink to Wiley - PMC COVID-19 Collection
. 2009 Feb 24;7(6):889–900. doi: 10.2307/3236464

Regeneration of monsoon rain forest in northern Australia: the sapling bank

Russell‐Smith Jeremy 1
PMCID: PMC7201875  PMID: 32390715

Abstract

Abstract. As part of a wider study examining regeneration pathways in monsoon rain forest vegetation in northern Australia, a one‐off, dry season census of saplings was undertaken along transects sampled at each of 33 relatively undisturbed sites broadly representative of the range of regional monsoon rain forest vegetation. Four floristic quadrat groups were derived through TWINSPAN classification. Subsequent analyses involved: (1) comparison of mean dry season stockings of juveniles occurring in different rain forest types, and their structural and environmental correlates; (2) comparison of the contributions of different life forms, and the influence of clonal reproduction in the sapling regeneration banks of different forest types; and (3) exploration of relationships between the distributions of saplings of common tree species with respect to seed bank, floristic, structural, and environmental variables. While data presented here require cautious interpretation given that processes of seedling/sapling recruitment and mortality are highly dynamic, sapling banks were found to be most dense on coarse‐textured, moist soils, and least dense on coarse‐textured, seasonally dry soils. Canopy cover and fire impact were shown to be highly influential on sapling distribution, especially for saplings of tree species and those growing on seasonally dry sites. Sapling densities were little influenced by proximity to rain forest margins, except for shrubs. The potential for clonal reproduction was significantly greater on dry sites, especially for trees. The majority of saplings sampled were derived from relatively few common, non‐clonal, canopy tree species. Sapling distributions of 20 out of 23 common tree species were clumped in the vicinity of conspecific adults; for most species the strength of this relationship was greater than that for any other variable. These data support observations in the literature concerning the distribution of sapling banks in moist and dry tropical forests.

Keywords: Clonal reproduction, Northern Territory, Seedling, Tropical rain forest

Keywords: Liddle et al. (1994)

Bushfires Council NT, PO Box 37346, Winnelie NT 0821, Australia; Fax +61 889 472263; E‐mail jeremy.russell-smith@nt.gov.au

References

  1. Anon. 1985. SAS User's Guide: Statistics, Version 5 Edition. SAS Institute Corp., Cary, NC. [Google Scholar]
  2. Bowman, D.M.J.S. 1991a. Recovery of some northern Australian monsoon forest tree species following fire. Proc. R. Soc. Queensl. 101: 21–25. [Google Scholar]
  3. Bowman, D.M.J.S. 1991b. Environmental determinants of Allosyncarpia ternata forests that are endemic to western Arnhem Land, northern Australia. Aust. J. Bot. 39: 575–589. [Google Scholar]
  4. Bowman, D.M.J.S. 1992. Monsoon forests in north‐western Australia. II. Forest‐savanna transitions. Aust. J. Bot. 40: 89–102. [Google Scholar]
  5. Brokaw, N.V.L. 1985. Treefalls, regrowth, and community structure in tropical forests In: Pickett S.T.A. & White P.S. (eds.) The ecology of natural disturbance and gap dynamics, pp. 53–69. Academic Press, New York, NY. [Google Scholar]
  6. Brown, N. 1993. The implications of climate and gap microclimate for seedling growth conditions in a Bornean lowland rain forest. J. Trop. Ecol. 9: 153–168. [Google Scholar]
  7. Busby, J. 1990. BIOCLIM— A bioclimate analysis and prediction system In: Margules C.R. & Austin M.P. (eds.) Nature conservation: cost effective biological surveys and data analysis. CSIRO, Canberra. [Google Scholar]
  8. Denslow, J.S. 1987. Tropical rain forest gaps and tree species diversity. Annu. Rev. Ecol. & Syst. 18: 432–451. [Google Scholar]
  9. De Steven, D. 1994. Tropical tree seedling dynamics: recruitment patterns and their population consequences for three canopy species in Panama. J. Trop. Ecol. 10: 369–383. [Google Scholar]
  10. Ewel, J.J. 1977. Differences between wet and dry successional tropical ecosystems. Geo-Eco-Trop 1: 103–117. [Google Scholar]
  11. Fensham, R.J. 1996. The floristics and structure of dry rain forest at Forty Mile Scrub National Park, North Queensland. Cunninghamia 43: 483–495. [Google Scholar]
  12. Fox, T.E.D. 1973. Dipterocarp seedling behaviour in Sabah. Malay. Forester 36: 205–213. [Google Scholar]
  13. Gerhardt, K. & Hytteborn, H. 1992. Natural dynamics and regeneration methods in tropical dry forests ‐ an introduction. J. Veg. Sci. 3: 361–364. [Google Scholar]
  14. Hill, M.O. 1979a. TWINSPAN: a FORTRAN program for arranging multivariate data in an ordered two‐way table by classification of the individuals and attributes. Dept. Ecology and Systematics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. [Google Scholar]
  15. Hill, M.O. 1979b. DECORANA ‐ A FORTRAN program for Detrended Correspondence Analysis and Reciprocal Averaging. Dept. Ecology and Systematics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. [Google Scholar]
  16. Hill, M.O. & Gauch, H.G. 1980. Detrended correspendence analysis, an improved ordination technique. Vegetatio 42: 47–58. [Google Scholar]
  17. Hopkins, M.S. & Graham, A.W. 1984. The role of soil seed banks in canopy gaps in Australian tropical lowland rain forest ‐ preliminary field experiments. Malay. For. 47: 146–158. [Google Scholar]
  18. Hubbell, S.P. 1979. Tree dispersion, abundance, and diversity in a tropical dry forest. Science 203: 1299–1309. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Hubbell, S.P. & Foster R.B. 1990. The fate of juvenile trees in a neotropical forest: implications for the natural maintenance of tropical diversity In: Bawa K.S. & Hadley M. (eds.) Reproductive ecology of tropical forest plants, pp. 317–341. UNESCO & Parthenon, Paris. [Google Scholar]
  20. Kauffman, J.B. 1991. Survival by sprouting following fire in tropical forests of the eastern Amazon. Biotropica 23: 219–224. [Google Scholar]
  21. Lacey, C.J. & Johnston, R.D. 1990. Woody clumps and clumpwoods. Aust. J. Bot. 38: 299–334. [Google Scholar]
  22. Lacey, C.J. & Whelan, P.K. 1976. Observations on the ecological significance of vegetative reproduction in the Katherine‐Darwin region of the Northern Territory. Aust. For. 39: 131–139. [Google Scholar]
  23. Liddle, D.T. , Russell‐Smith J., Brock, J. , Leach, G.J. & Connors, G.T. 1994. Atlas of vascular rain forest plants in the Northern Territory, Australia. Flora of Australia, Supplementary Series No.3. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra. [Google Scholar]
  24. Lieberman, D. & Li, M. 1992. Seedling recruitment patterns in a tropical dry forest in Ghana. J. Veg. Sci. 3: 375–382. [Google Scholar]
  25. Lieberman, D. , Hartshorn, G.S. , Lieberman, M. & Peralta, R. 1990. Forest dynamics at La Selva Biological Station, 1969–1985 In: Gentry A.H. (ed.) Four neotropical rain forests, pp. 509–521. Yale University Press, New Haven, CT. [Google Scholar]
  26. Liew, T.C. & Wong, F.O. 1973. Density, recruitment, mortality and growth of Dipterocarp seedlings in virgin and logged‐over forests in Sabah. Malay. For. 36: 3–15. [Google Scholar]
  27. MacDougall, A. & Kellman, M. 1992. The understorey light regime and patterns of tree seedlings in tropical riparian forest patches. J. Biogeogr. 19: 667–675. [Google Scholar]
  28. Martinez‐Ramos, M. & Soto‐Castro, A. 1993. Seed rain and advanced regeneration in a tropical rain forest. Vegetatio 107/108: 299–318. [Google Scholar]
  29. Minchin, P.R. 1990. DECODA user's manual. Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University, Canberra. [Google Scholar]
  30. Murphy, P.G. & Lugo, A.E. 1986. Ecology of tropical dry forest. Annu. Rev. Ecol. & Syst. 17: 67–88. [Google Scholar]
  31. Ng, F.S.P. 1978. Strategies of establishment in Malayan forest trees In: Tomlinson P.B. & Zimmermann M.H. (eds.) Tropical trees as living systems, pp. 129–162. University Press, Cambridge. [Google Scholar]
  32. Ng, F.S.P. 1980. Germination ecology of Malaysian woody plants. Malay. For. 44: 406–437. [Google Scholar]
  33. Osunkjoya, O.O. , Ash, J.E. , Graham, A.W. , & Hopkins, M.S. 1993. Growth of tree seedlings in tropical rain forests of North Queensland, Australia. J. Trop. Ecol. 9: 1–18. [Google Scholar]
  34. Rico‐Gray, V. & Garcia‐Franco, J.G. 1992. Vegetation and soil seed bank of successional stages in tropical lowland deciduous forest. J. Veg. Sci. 3: 617–624. [Google Scholar]
  35. Russell‐Smith, J. 1991. Classification, species richness, and environmental relations of monsoon rain forest in northern Australia. J. Veg. Sci. 2: 259–278. [Google Scholar]
  36. Russell‐Smith, J. & Lee, A.H. 1992. Plant populations and monsoon rain forest in the Northern Territory, Australia. Biotropica 24: 471–487. [Google Scholar]
  37. Russell‐Smith, J. & Lucas, D.E. 1994. Regeneration of monsoon rain forest in northern Australia: the dormant seed bank. J. Veg. Sci. 5: 161–168. [Google Scholar]
  38. Russell‐Smith, J. , Lucas, D.E. , Brock, J. & Bowman, D.M.J.S. 1993. Allosyncarpia‐dominated rain forest in monsoonal northern Australia. J. Veg. Sci. 4: 67–82. [Google Scholar]
  39. Stocker, G.C. 1981. Regeneration of a North Queensland rain forest following felling and burning. Biotropica 13: 86–92. [Google Scholar]
  40. Swaine, M.D. & Whitmore, T.C. 1988. On the definition of ecological species groups in tropical rain forests. Vegetatio 75: 81–86. [Google Scholar]
  41. Swaine, M.D. , Lieberman, D. & Hall, J.B. 1990. Structure and dynamics in a tropical dry forest in Ghana. Vegetatio 88: 31–51. [Google Scholar]
  42. Taylor, J. & Tulloch, D. 1985. Rainfall in the wet‐dry tropics: extreme events at Darwin and similarities between years during the period 1870–1973. Aust. J. Ecol. 10: 281–295. [Google Scholar]
  43. Turner, I.M. 1990a. Tree seedling growth and survival in a Malaysian rain forest. Biotropica 22: 146–154. [Google Scholar]
  44. Turner, I.M. 1990b. The seedling survivorship and growth of three Shorea species in a Malaysian rain forest. J. Trop. Ecol. 6: 469–478. [Google Scholar]
  45. Uhl, C. , Clark, K. , Clark, H. & Murphy, P. 1981. Early plant succession after cutting and burning in the upper Rio Negro region of the Amazon Basin. J. Ecol. 69: 631–649. [Google Scholar]
  46. Uhl, C. , Clark, K. , Dezzeo, N. & Maquirino, P. 1988. Vegetation dynamics in Amazonian treefall gaps. Ecology 69: 751–763. [Google Scholar]
  47. Webb, L.J. 1968. Environmental relationships of the structural types of Australian rain forest vegetation. Ecology 49: 296–311. [Google Scholar]
  48. Webb, L.J. & Tracey, J.G. 1981. Australian rain forests: patterns and change In: Keast A. (ed.) Ecological biogeography of Australia, pp. 607–694. Junk, The Hague. [Google Scholar]
  49. Weber, W.A. 1982. Mnemonic three‐letter acronyms for the families of vascular plants: a device for more effective herbarium curation. Taxon 31: 74–88. [Google Scholar]
  50. Welden, C.W. , Hewett, S.W. , Hubbell, S.P. & Foster, R.B. 1991. Sapling survival, growth, and recruitment: relationship to canopy height in a Neotropical forest. Ecology 72: 35–50. [Google Scholar]
  51. Whitmore, T.C. 1983. Secondary succession from seed in tropical rain forests. For. Abstr. 44: 767–779. [Google Scholar]
  52. Whitmore, T.C. 1984. Tropical rain forests of the Far East. 2nd ed Clarendon Press, Oxford. [Google Scholar]
  53. Whitmore, T.C. 1989. Canopy gaps and two major groups of forest trees. Ecology 70: 536–538. [Google Scholar]
  54. Williams‐Linera, G. 1990. Vegetation structure and environmental conditions of forest edges in Panama. J. Ecol. 78: 356–373. [Google Scholar]
  55. Yih, K. , Boucher, D.H. , Vandermeer, J.H. & Zamora, N. 1991. Recovery of the rain forest of southeastern Nicaragua after destruction by hurricane Joan. Biotropica 23: 106–113. [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Vegetation Science are provided here courtesy of Wiley

RESOURCES