Parsing Long-Term Tree Recruitment, Growth, and Mortality to Identify Hurricane Effects on Structural and Compositional Change in a Tropical Forest

After hurricane disturbances in tropical forests, the size structure and species composition are affected by immediate mortality, subsequent recruitment individual growth. Often, post-disturbance stand-level data presented but understanding of components that affect changes growth longer-term responses to forest lacking. To answer questions about how recruitment, change among successional Plant Functional Types (PFT) through time after a disturbance, we use long-term census (1989–2014) collected Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. We developed an algorithm fill missing diameter from set was three months Hurricane Hugo; subsequently at five-year intervals. Both hurricane-induced mortality were lower stems with larger diameters, varied PFTs Early, Mid, Late, Palm. Tree rates observed decrease since disturbance. Five years hurricane, minimal then increased gradually time. In contrast, highest five decreased The palm Prestoea montana became most abundant as it had lowest recruitment. Twenty-five Late PFT dominate shifting pre-hurricane conditions.