Tree Growth, Mortality, Recruitment, and Canopy Gap Formation during a 10-year Period in a Tropical Moist Forest

All trees @>2.5 cm dbh were censused on a 1.5—ha tract of 60—yr—old tropical moist forest in 1968 and again in 1978 to determine rates of tree mortality, recruitment, dbh increment, and canopy gap formation. Species composition changed very little. The pioneer of gap species Cordia alliodora, Luehea seemanii, and Spondias radlkoferi had no recruitment and accounted for most mortality in the larger size classes. Ninety percent of all mortality was for stems <10 cm dbh. Total tree density decline 11% (from 3112 to 2781 trees/ha), but basal area increased 22% (from 25.7 to 31.4 m2/ha). Growth in diameter was highly variable, both among species and among size classes. Trees in the 30—50 cm dbh class had a mean dbh increment of 0.9 cm/yr. Gaps occurred over an area equal to 7.3% of the plot during the 10—yr period, suggesting that about 137 yr would be required for the 1.5—ha plot to be affected by tree falls.