Abstract
We investigated the effects of light and flooding on growth and survivorship of saplings in a river floodplain forest of southeast Texas. Growth responses to light were consistent with the expectation that shade-intolerant species grow faster than shade-tolerant species in high light, and vice versa. Mortality risk was not associated with shade tolerance level unless high mortality risks associated with a period of high flooding were removed. These results support the hypothesis that shade-tolerant species in floodplains may be limited by flooding as previous studies suggested. Also, compared to their performance at a nearby mesic site, common species showed little intraspecific difference in shade tolerance, especially for shade-intolerant species. Finally, the positive correlation between low-light growth and survivorship suggests that carbon allocation to continued growth may be favored as a sapling strategy in floodplains.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 399-407 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Oecologia |
Volume | 139 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 2004 |
Keywords
- Flooding
- Mortality risk
- Radial growth
- Shade tolerance
- Tree sapling
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics