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Interactions between enrichment planted seedlings and mature trees in selectively logged lowland dipterocarp forest
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  • Ryan Veryard,
  • Charles Marsh,
  • Martin Svátek,
  • Elena Fernandez-Miranda Cagigal,
  • Elia Godoong,
  • Jakub Kvasnica,
  • Radim Matula,
  • Michael O'Brien,
  • Martin Rejžek,
  • Edgar Turner,
  • Andy Hector
Ryan Veryard
University of Oxford
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Charles Marsh
University of Oxford
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Martin Svátek
Mendel University in Brno
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Elena Fernandez-Miranda Cagigal
Dendra Systems
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Elia Godoong
Universiti Malaysia Sabah
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Jakub Kvasnica
Mendel University in Brno
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Radim Matula
Czech University of Life Sciences Prague
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Michael O'Brien
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas
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Martin Rejžek
Mendel University in Brno
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Edgar Turner
University of Cambridge
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Andy Hector
University of Oxford

Corresponding Author:[email protected]

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Abstract

Old-growth forests in Southeast Asia are dominated by trees of the Dipterocarpaceae family which are targeted by selective logging. Their traits (supra-annual mast fruiting, limited dispersal, and recalcitrant seeds that form no seed bank) mean they can have poor natural regeneration rates in some selectively logged forests. Enrichment planting is commonly used to overcome recruitment limitation and increase restoration success. However, it is still unclear what factors influence the success rate of planted seedlings, including the characteristics of the surrounding tree matrix and local neighbourhood. Here, we examine the growth and survival of 721 enrichment line-planted seedlings within 24 plots of the selectively logged forest of the Sabah Biodiversity Experiment, in Malaysian Borneo, in relation to their species identity and local neighbourhoods. We mapped the spatial location, size, and identity of nearly 5,000 surrounding matrix trees (≥ 10 cm diameter at breast height (DBH)) within a 10 m radius of focal planted seedlings in 2012 and 2015. We analysed levels of tree density-dependence, asymmetric competition with naturally occurring trees, and confamilial density-dependence for each seedling. Survival and growth rates of enrichment planted seedlings were positively associated with canopy openness and total basal area of the surrounding tree matrix. These results were consistent between two planting cohorts. Increased survival and growth of enrichment planted seedlings in areas of the Sabah Biodiversity Experiment with higher canopy openness (up to around 40%) is consistent with understory light as a limiting resource. The unexpected higher survival and growth of enrichment planted seedlings in forest areas with higher basal area of unlogged remnant trees may be explained by the logging-induced creation of patches with varying local conditions, with those less heavily impacted by logging containing more naturally occurring trees, greater moderation of extreme high temperature and low humidity, more established mycorrhiza and reduced soil compaction.
04 Jun 2024Submitted to Ecology and Evolution
05 Jun 2024Submission Checks Completed
05 Jun 2024Assigned to Editor
07 Jun 2024Reviewer(s) Assigned
25 Jun 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
26 Jun 2024Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
23 Aug 20241st Revision Received
26 Aug 2024Submission Checks Completed
26 Aug 2024Assigned to Editor
26 Aug 2024Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending