GERMINATION CUES ACROSS THE DISTURBANCE REGIME IN THE PUERTO RICAN RAINFOREST

Myster, R.W. and E.M. Everham III. 1999. Germination cues across the disturbance regime in the Puerto Rican rainforest. Tropical Ecology. 40(1): 89-98.

Abstract: Because germination is a key to the regeneration and restoration of tropical rainforests and because the Luquillo Experimental Forest (LEF) of Puerto Rico is among the most studied rainforests in the world, we reviewed the germination requirements of LEF trees from field and greenhouse studies. We found that (1) studies are still needed for many of the common tropical genera, (2) most species showed a consistency of cues across several LEF studies with some plasticity, implying that regeneration niches exist and could be used for restoration efforts, and (3) many species demonstrated a clear relationship between germination requirements and the species’ successional status and life-history traits (e.g., higher germination with less light and more plastic responses with successional time). However, the lack of consistent patterns for some species point to the need for more exploration of variation in tropical germinations cues, which may include “hidden” seed dormancy. Finally we discuss tropical vs. temperate germination, and suggest guidelines for future tropical regeneration and restoration research.