Journal article
Functional recovery of secondary tropical forests
National Academy of Sciences. Proceedings, Vol.118(49), e2003405118
2021
PMCID: PMC8670493
PMID: 34845017
Abstract
One-third of all Neotropical forests are secondary forests that regrow naturally after agricultural use through secondary succession. We need to understand better how and why succession varies across environmental gradients and broad geographic scales. Here, we analyze functional recovery using community data on seven plant characteristics (traits) of 1,016 forest plots from 30 chronosequence sites across the Neotropics. By analyzing communities in terms of their traits, we enhance understanding of the mechanisms of succession, assess ecosystem recovery, and use these insights to propose successful forest restoration strategies. Wet and dry forests diverged markedly for several traits that increase growth rate in wet forests but come at the expense of reduced drought tolerance, delay, or avoidance, which is important in seasonally dry forests. Dry and wet forests showed different successional pathways for several traits. In dry forests, species turnover is driven by drought tolerance traits that are important early in succession and in wet forests by shade tolerance traits that are important later in succession. In both forests, deciduous and compound-leaved trees decreased with forest age, probably because microclimatic conditions became less hot and dry. Our results suggest that climatic water availability drives functional recovery by influencing the start and trajectory of succession, resulting in a convergence of community trait values with forest age when vegetation cover builds up. Within plots, the range in functional trait values increased with age. Based on the observed successional trait changes, we indicate the consequences for carbon and nutrient cycling and propose an ecologically sound strategy to improve forest restoration success.
Details
- Title
- Functional recovery of secondary tropical forests
- Authors
- Lourens Poorter (Author) - Wageningen University & ResearchDanaë M A Rozendaal (Author) - Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen 6700 AK, The NetherlandsFrans Bongers (Author) - Wageningen University & Researchde Jarcilene S Almeida (Author) - Universidade Federal de PernambucoFrancisco S Álvarez (Author) - Centro Agronomico Tropical de Investigacion y Ensenanza CatieJosé Luís Andrade (Author) - Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán A.C.Luis Felipe Arreola Villa (Author) - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoJustin M Becknell (Author) - Colby CollegeRadika Bhaskar (Author) - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoVanessa Boukili (Author) - Philadelphia UniversityPedro H S Brancalion (Author) - University of Sao PauloRicardo G César (Author) - University of Sao PauloJerome Chave (Author) - Centre National de la Recherche ScientifiqueRobin L Chazdon (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Tropical Forests and People Research CentreGabriel Dalla Colletta (Author) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)Dylan Craven (Author) - Universidad MayorBen H J de Jong (Author) - El Colegio de la Frontera SurJulie S Denslow (Author) - Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 70118Daisy H Dent (Author) - Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, United KingdomSaara J DeWalt (Author) - Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634Elisa Díaz García (Author) - University of Sao PauloJuan Manuel Dupuy (Author) - Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán A.C., Unidad de Recursos Naturales 97205 Mérida, MéxicoSandra M Durán (Author) - Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55104Mário M Espírito Santo (Author) - Universidade Estadual de Montes ClarosGeraldo Wilson Fernandes (Author) - Universidade Federal de Minas GeraisBryan Finegan (Author) - Centro Agronomico Tropical de Investigacion y Ensenanza CatieVanessa Granda Moser (Author) - Centro Agronomico Tropical de Investigacion y Ensenanza CatieJefferson S Hall (Author) - Smithsonian Tropical Research InstituteJosé Luis Hernández-Stefanoni (Author) - Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán A.C., Unidad de Recursos Naturales 97205 Mérida, MéxicoCatarina C Jakovac (Author) - Wageningen University & ResearchDeborah Kennard (Author) - Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences, Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, CO 81501Edwin Lebrija-Trejos (Author) - Department of Biology and Environment, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Tivon 36006, IsraelSusan G Letcher (Author) - College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME 04609Madelon Lohbeck (Author) - Wageningen University & ResearchOmar R Lopez (Author) - Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y Servicios de Alta TecnologíaErika Marín-Spiotta (Author) - Department of Geography, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706Miguel Martínez-Ramos (Author) - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoJorge A Meave (Author) - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoFrancisco Mora (Author) - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoSandra C Müller (Author) - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do SulVanessa de Souza Moreno (Author) - University of Sao PauloRodrigo Muñoz (Author) - Wageningen University & ResearchRobert Muscarella (Author) - Department of Plant Ecology and Evolution, Uppsala University SE-752 36 Uppsala, SwedenYule R F Nunes (Author) - Universidade Estadual de Montes ClarosSusana Ochoa-Gaona (Author) - El Colegio de la Frontera SurRafael S Oliveira (Author) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)Horacio Paz (Author) - Universidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoArturo Sanchez-Azofeifa (Author) - Earth and Atmospheric Sciences Department, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E3, CanadaLucía Sanaphre-Villanueva (Author) - Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán A.C.Marisol Toledo (Author) - Facultad de Ciencias Agrícolas, Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, BoliviaMaria Uriarte (Author) - Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027Luis P Utrera (Author) - Centro Agronomico Tropical de Investigacion y Ensenanza CatieMichiel van Breugel (Author) - National University of SingaporeMasha T van der Sande (Author) - Wageningen University & ResearchMaria D M Veloso (Author) - Universidade Estadual de Montes ClarosS Joseph Wright (Author) - Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancon 0843-03092, PanamáKátia J Zanini (Author) - Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do SulJess K Zimmerman (Author) - University of Puerto Rico at Río PiedrasMark Westoby (Author) - Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
- Publication details
- National Academy of Sciences. Proceedings, Vol.118(49), e2003405118
- Publisher
- National Academy of Sciences
- Date published
- 2021
- DOI
- 10.1073/pnas.2003405118
- ISSN
- 1091-6490
- PMID
- 34845017; PMC8670493
- Organisation Unit
- Tropical Forests and People Research Centre; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Forest Research Institute
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99603406502621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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- Ecology
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