PATHOGEN MORTALITY OF TROPICAL TREE SEEDLINGS - EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF THE EFFECTS OF DISPERSAL DISTANCE, SEEDLING DENSITY, AND LIGHT CONDITIONS
PATHOGEN MORTALITY OF TROPICAL TREE SEEDLINGS - EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF THE EFFECTS OF DISPERSAL DISTANCE, SEEDLING DENSITY, AND LIGHT CONDITIONS
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DOI:
10.1007/bf00396763
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发表时间:
1984-01-01
期刊:
影响因子:
2.7
通讯作者:
KELLY, CK
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
AUGSPURGER, CK;KELLY, CK
Results are presented of 2 experiments designed to identify the relative importance of dispersal distance, seedling density, and light conditions on pathogen-caused mortality of tropical tree seedlings. The field experiment on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, demonstrated that both an increase in dispersal distance and a decrease in seedling density reduce levels of damping-off disease among seedlings of Platypodium elegans, and that the 2 factors interact. Pathogen activity varied significantly among sites, and seedlings to be more vulnerable to disease when establishing around their parent tree than around other conspecific trees. The 2nd experiment in a screened enclosure used potted seedlings of 18 wind-dispersed tree species exposed to 2 levels of sunlight and seedling density. Environmental conditions similar to those in light-gaps seemed to significantly reduce pathogen activity. High seedling density increased disease levels, especially under shaded conditions. Seedlings of 16 of the 18 spp. experienced pathogen-caused mortality, but in widely varying amounts. Seed weight was not a good predictor of a species'' vulnerability to pathogens. Adult wood density, an indicator of growth rate and successional status, was inversely correlated with a species'' vulnerability to pathogens. Fast-growing, colonizing species, whose seedlings require light-gaps, lacked strong species able to tolerate shade and escape seedling pathogens. These results are discussed in the context of seed dispersal as a means of escaping from seedling pathogens.