Height growth and biomass partitioning during secondary succession differ among forest light strata and successional guilds in a tropical rainforest

• Published in: Oikos Vol. 2024; no. 6
• Main Authors: Matsuo, Tomonari, Bongers, Frans, Martínez‐Ramos, Miguel, van der Sande, Masha T., Poorter, Lourens
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.06.2024
• Subjects: aboveground biomass; absolute height growth; Biomass; biomass partitioning to height growth; Canopies; Canopy; Census; Censuses; Competition; Drought; Ecological succession; forest light strata; forest succession; forestry development; Forests; Guilds; Heterogeneity; Light; light competition; Light intensity; Luminous intensity; Ontogeny; Partitioning; Plant cover; Rainforests; secondary forests; secondary succession; species; Stand structure; tree height; Trees; tropical rain forests; tropical rainforest; Understory; water stress

In closed‐canopy systems globally, plants exhibit intense competition for light, prioritizing vertical growth to attain elevated positions within the canopy. Light competition is especially intense in tropical rainforests because of their dense shaded stands, and during forest succession because of...