Tree species coexistence has often been explained through either negative distance-dependent/density-dependent (NDD) mortality or resource-based niche partitioning. However, these two influential mechanisms for structuring community dynamics have rarely been investigated simultaneously. Negative conspecific effects, like those caused by plant–soil feedbacks (PSF), could link these two mechanism...

Questions: Is the area of influence of individual trees determined by tree size? Does competition, inferred from spatial pattern between neighbouring trees, affect adult tree spacing patterns in an tropical forest? At what size-class or stage is competition between neighbours most likely to affect adult tree spacing patterns? Location: Kibale National Park, western Uganda. Methods: Relationship...

Conspecific and heterospecific aboveground and belowground herbivores often occur together in nature and their interactions may determine community structure. Here we show how aboveground adults and belowground larvae of the tallow tree specialist beetle Bikasha collaris and multiple heterospecific aboveground species interact to determine herbivore performance. Conspecific aboveground adults f...

Tree communities contribute to maintenance of species diversity in tropical forests. Coexistence many tree is not without competition. Therefore, coexistence and size diversities occur sequentially or simultaneously natural Understanding competition mechanisms requires knowledge interactions within between species. However, conservation efforts strategies failed due inability identify maintain ...

1. Tropical forest tree diversity has been hypothesized to be maintained via the attraction of density responsive and species-specific enemies. Tests of this hypothesis usually assume a linear relationship between enemy pressure (amount of damage and enemy richness) and seedling or tree density. However, enemy pressure is likely to change nonlinearly with local seedling abundance and community ...

We analyzed the spatial patterns among seeds, seedlings, saplings, and conspecific adult trees of the cool-temperate tree species Acer palmatum var. Matsumurae in a conifer–hardwood mixed forest in northern Japan, using two models that consider the influence of each adult within the neighborhood of the offspring. The results showed that recruitment patterns of each stage could be characterized ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Knowledge of pollen dispersal patterns and variation of fecundity is essential to understanding plant evolutionary processes and to formulating strategies to conserve forest genetic resources. Nevertheless, the pollen dispersal pattern of dipterocarp, main canopy tree species in palaeo-tropical forest remains unclear, and flowering intensity variation in the field suggests h...