Demographic variation in cycad populations inhabiting contrasting forest fragments
| العنوان: | Demographic variation in cycad populations inhabiting contrasting forest fragments |
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| المؤلفون: | Cristina López-Gallego |
| المصدر: | Biodiversity and Conservation. 17:1213-1225 |
| بيانات النشر: | Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2007. |
| سنة النشر: | 2007 |
| مصطلحات موضوعية: | Fragmentation (reproduction), education.field_of_study, Habitat fragmentation, Ecology, biology, fungi, Population, Biodiversity, biology.organism_classification, Population density, Zamia melanorrhachis, Habitat, Secondary forest, education, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Nature and Landscape Conservation |
| الوصف: | Reduced habitat quality after fragmentation can significantly affect population viability, but the effects of differing quality of the remaining habitat on population fitness are rarely evaluated. Here, I compared fragmented populations of the cycad Zamia melanorrhachis from habitats with different history and subject to contrasting levels of disturbance to explore potential demographic differences in populations across habitat patches that could differ in habitat quality. Secondary-forest fragments had a lower canopy cover and soil moisture than remnant-forest fragments, which may represent a harsh environment for this cycad. A smaller average plant size and lower population density in the secondary-forest fragments support the hypothesis that these fragments may be of lower quality, e.g., if plants have reduced survival and/or fecundity in these habitats. However, variation in the stage-structure of populations (i.e., the relative proportions of non-reproductive and reproductive plants) was associated with the area of the forest fragments rather than the type of habitat (remnant versus secondary forest). These results suggest that different demographic parameters may respond differently to habitat fragmentation, which may be explained if processes like adult survival and recruitment depend on different characteristics of the habitat, e.g., average light/water availability versus suitable area for plant establishment. This study shows that forest fragments may differ drastically in environmental conditions and can sustain populations that can vary in their demography. Understanding how forest fragments may represent different habitat types is relevant for evaluating population viability in a heterogeneous landscape and for designing conservation programs that account for this heterogeneity. |
| تدمد: | 1572-9710 0960-3115 |
| DOI: | 10.1007/s10531-007-9263-6 |
| URL الوصول: | https://explore.openaire.eu/search/publication?articleId=doi_________::12e03fc0692573f527c91d4d6b297eb4 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-007-9263-6 |
| Rights: | CLOSED |
| رقم الانضمام: | edsair.doi...........12e03fc0692573f527c91d4d6b297eb4 |
| قاعدة البيانات: | OpenAIRE |
| تدمد: | 15729710 09603115 |
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| DOI: | 10.1007/s10531-007-9263-6 |