Hurricane Disturbance Alters Secondary Forest Recovery in Puerto Rico

Land-use history and large-scale disturbances interact to shape secondary forest structure and composition. How introduced species respond to disturbances such as hurricanes in post-agriculture forest recovery is of particular interest. To examine the effects of hurricane disturbance and previous land use on forest dynamics and composition, we revisited 37 secondary forest stands in former cattle pastures across Puerto Rico representing a range of exposure to the winds of Hurricane Georges in 1998. Stands ranged from 21 to>80 yr since agricultural abandonment and were measured 9 yr posthurricane. Stem density decreased as stands aged, while basal area and species richness tended to increase. Hurricane disturbance exerted contrasting effects on stand structure, contingent on stand age. In older stands, the basal area of large trees fell, shifting to a stand structure characteristic of younger stands, while the basal area of large trees tended to rise in younger stands with increasing hurricane disturbance. These results demonstrate that large-scale natural disturbances can alter the successional trajectory of secondary forest stands recovering from human land use, but stand age, precipitation and soil series were better predictors of changes in stand structure across all study sites. Species composition changed substantially between census intervals, but neither age nor hurricane disturbance consistently predicted species composition change. However, exposure to hurricane winds tended to decrease the abundance of the introduced tree Spathodea campanulata, particularly in smaller size classes. In all sites the abundance of the introduced tree Syzygium jambos showed a declining trend, again most strongly in smaller size classes, suggesting natural thinning through succession. RESUMEN Tanto la historia de uso de la tierra como los disturbios naturales pueden afectar la dinamica, estructura, y composicion de bosques secundarios. Su efecto sobre la dinamica de especies introducidas es de particular interes. En este estudio examinamos cambios en la estructura y composicion de 37 parcelas establecidas inicialmente en 1995–96 en una serie de bosques secundarios que crecieron en pastizales abandonados a traves de la isla de Puerto Rico. Estos bosques tienen de 21 a 80 anos y sufrieron danos variables durante el huracan Georges en 1998. El trabajo de campo para este estudio se llevo a cabo en 2007. La densidad de arboles aumento con la edad mientras que el area basal disminuyo. El efecto del huracan sobre la estructura de estos bosques dependio de su edad. En bosques mas maduros el huracan derrumbo los arboles de mayor tamano, creando una estructura semejante a bosques mas jovenes, mientras que en los bosques jovenes el huracan tendio a generar una estructura caracteristica de bosques mas maduros. Nuestros resultados demuestran que los disturbios naturales pueden alterar la trayectoria de recuperacion de bosques secundarios. Sin embargo tanto la edad como la precipitacion y calidad de suelos son mejores predictores de cambios en la estructura de estos bosques que el nivel de danos sufridos durante el huracan. La composicion de especies cambio de manera substancial entre los censos aunque ni el efecto del huracan ni la edad de las parcelas explica los cambios observados. La exposicion a los vientos de Georges tendio a aumentar la abundancia de la especie introducida Spathodea campanulata, particularmente en los pies de menos de 1 cm dap. La abundancia del arbol introducido Syzgium jambos tendio a disminuir con el tiempo, como resultado de la exclusion competitiva a lo largo de la sucesion.

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