Tropical Native Species Reforestation Information Clearinghouse (TRIC)

Resource Details

Woody understory plant diversity in pure and mixed native tree plantations at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica

Butler, R., Montagnini, F., & Arroyo, P. 2008. "Woody understory plant diversity in pure and mixed native tree plantations at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica", Forest Ecology and Management, Vol. 25, No. 7, pp. 2251-2263.

Contact Info

Corresponding authors: butler.rose@gmail.com; florencia.montagnini@yale.edu

Affiliations

• University of North Carolina at Asheville, 11304 Mountaincrest Drive, Huntsville, AL 35803, USA
• Yale University, School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, 370 Prospect Street, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
• The University of Connecticut, 75 North Eagleville Road, Unit 3043, Storrs, CT 06269-3043, USA

Link(s)

Forest Ecology and Management

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Species Info

• Jacaranda copaia
• Vochysia guatemalensis
• Dipteryx panamensis
• Terminalia amazonia
• Virola koschnyi
• Balizia elegans
• Hyeronima alchorneoides
• Vochysia ferruginea

Description

• This study compared the species richness, abundance, and seed disperal method of individuals growing in the understory of native single-species plantations, native mixed-species plantations, and naturally regenerating (non-planted) areas of the La Selva biological station in Costa Rica.
• The plantations were 15 and 16 years since establishment.
• The natural regeneration treatments had significantly lower abundance and species richness of regeneration than that found in the plantations.
• The authors did not find statistically significant differences between mixtures and pure plantations in terms of the abundance, species richness, and seed dispersal syndrome of understory plants.
• They describe that the open light conditions of the naturally regenerating stand favored the growth of grasses and ferns over woody regeneration.
• The majority of species found in the understory of the plantations were associated with early secondary forests, and the authors suggest that additional interventions might be necessary for restoring the floristic diversity and structural complexity of a primary forest.

Related Publications and Projects

• Butterfield, R.P. & Mariano, E.C. 1995, "Screening trial of 14 tropical hardwoods with an emphasis on species native to Costa Rica: Fourth year results", New Forests, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 135-145.
• Butterfield, R.P. 1995, "Promoting biodiversity: advances in evaluating native species for reforestation", Forest Ecology and Management, vol. 75, no. 1-3, pp. 111-121.
• Butterfield, R.P. 1996, "Early species selection for tropical reforestation: A consideration of stability", Forest Ecology and Management, vol. 81, no. 1-3, pp. 161-168.
• Byard, R., Lewis, K.C. & Montagnini, F. 1996, "Leaf litter decomposition and mulch performance from mixed and monospecific plantations of native tree species in Costa Rica", Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, vol. 58, no. 2-3, pp. 145-155.
• Calvo-Alvarado, J.C., Arias, D. & Richter, D.D. 2007, "Early growth performance of native and introduced fast growing tree species in wet to sub-humid climates of the Southern region of Costa Rica", Forest Ecology and Management, vol. 242, no. 2-3, pp. 227-235
• Carnevale, N.J. & Montagnini, F. 2002, "Facilitating regeneration of secondary forests with the use of mixed and pure plantations of indigenous tree species", Forest Ecology and Management, vol. 163, no. 1-3, pp. 217-227.
• Cusack, D. & Montagnini, F. 2004, "The role of native species plantations in recovery of understory woody diversity in degraded pasturelands of Costa Rica", Forest Ecology and Management, vol. 188, no. 1-3, pp. 1-15.
• Eugenio González, J. & Fisher, R.F. 1994, "Growth of native forest species planted on abandoned pasture land in Costa Rica", Forest Ecology and Management, vol. 70, no. 1-3, pp. 159-167.
• Guariguata, M.R., Rheingans, R. & Montagnini, F. 1995, "Early Woody Invasion Under Tree Plantations in Costa Rica: Implications for Forest Restoration", Restoration Ecology, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 252-260.
• Haggar, J.P., Briscoe, C.B. & Butterfield, R.P. 1998, "Native species: a resource for the diversification of forestry production in the lowland humid tropics", Forest Ecology and Management, vol. 106, no. 2-3, pp. 195-203.
• Hummel, S. 2000, "Understory development in young Cordia alliodora plantations", New Forests, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 159-170.
• Kelm, D.H., Wiesner, K.R. & Helversen, O.V. 2008, "Effects of Artificial Roosts for Frugivorous Bats on Seed Dispersal in a Neotropical Forest Pasture Mosaic", Conservation Biology, vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 733-741.
• La Selva Biological Station - Reforestation Project
• Montagnini, F. 2001, “Strategies for the recovery of degraded ecosystems: Experiences from Latin America”, Interciencia, vol. 26, no. 10, pp. 498-503.
• Piotto, D., Craven, D., Montagnini, F., and Alice, F. 2010, “Silvicultural and economic aspects of pure and mixed native tree species plantations on degraded pasturelands in humid Costa Rica”, New Forests, vol. 39, pp. 369-385.

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