Spatial and temporal effects on recruitment of an Afromontane forest tree in a threatened fragmented ecosystem

• Published in: Biological conservation Vol. 142; no. 3; pp. 518 - 528
• Main Authors: Lehouck, Valérie, Spanhove, Toon, Gonsamo, Alemu, Cordeiro, Norbert, Lens, Luc
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2009; Kidlington, Oxford: Elsevier Science Ltd; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Eastern Arc; field experimentation; forest ecosystems; forest regeneration; forest trees; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Germination; habitat fragmentation; Kenya; microhabitats; Monomiaceae; Parks, reserves, wildlife conservation. Endangered species: population survey and restocking; Plantation; Regeneration; seed dispersal; seed germination; seedling growth; Seedling survival; spatial variation; temporal variation; tree mortality; wild birds; Xymalos monospora; Kenya; Xymalos monospora; Seedling survival; Regeneration; Plantation; Germination; Eastern Arc; Plant juvenile growth stage; Forest tree; Threatened ecosystem; Survival; Fragmentation; Recruitment; Habitat; Environmental protection

Tropical forest fragmentation affects animal and plant populations in different ways. For plants, early stages (seed to seedling) are more sensitive to habitat alteration than adults, and can shape their future spatial patterns. Therefore, studying how seed germination and seedling growth and surviv...