The dynamics of tree populations depend on spatial patterns of seed production and recruitment. These patterns result from the succession of different processes, including seed arrival, seedling emergence, establishment and growth (Schupp & Fuentes, 1995). While spatial patterns of seed arrival are determined by the mechanisms of seed dispersal (Nathan & Muller-Landau, 2000), those related to r...

1 We used inverse modelling to parameterize spatially-explicit seedling recruitment functions for nine canopy tree species in the Luquillo Forest Dynamics Plot (LFDP), Puerto Rico. We modelled the observed spatial variation in seedling recruitment following Hurricane Georges as a function of the potential number of seedlings at a given location (based on local source trees and the potential con...

Restoration of degraded drylands is urgently needed to mitigate climate change, reverse desertification and secure livelihoods for the two billion people who live in these areas. Bold global targets have been set dryland restoration restore millions hectares land. These questioned as overly ambitious, but without a evaluation successes failures it impossible gauge feasibility. Here we examine s...

Selection silviculture has become increasingly common for longleaf pine management, yet questions remain regarding residual canopy effects on seedling survival and growth. To determine what levels of residual overstory promote adequate seedling recruitment, 600 containerized longleaf pine seedlings were planted on two sites during the 2007-2008 dormant season. To differentiate overstory from un...

Seed mass and relative growth rate (RGR) are important determinants of early seedling growth, and hence seedling establishment. Although a positive interspecific relationship between seed mass and seedling dry mass is well established, much less is known about the relationships among seed mass, seedling mass and RGR within species. We examined relationships among seed mass, seedling mass and RG...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Allowing for dispersal limitation, a species' geographic distribution should reflect its environmental requirements. Comparisons among closely related species should reveal adaptive differentiation in species characteristics that are consistent with their differences in geographic distribution. This expectation was tested by comparing characteristics of seedlings of spruce s...