The seedling survivorship and growth of three Shorea species in a Malaysian tropical rain forest

Abstract

Investigated the establishment and seedling survival of Shorea curtisii, S. multiflora and S. pauciflora at Pantai Aceh Forest Reserve, Penang. Under shaded conditions none of the species grew beyond the 2-leaf stage over their 1st year. Shorea multiflora seedlings suffered a 72% mortality, significantly lower than that of S. pauciflora (89%) and S. curtisii (93%). The major cause of mortality appeared to be drought, though S. curtisii was also prone to predation by small mammals. In a gap, S. curtisii seeds probably germinated less well but seedling survival (28% vs 7%) and growth were better than canopy-shaded conspecifics. Seedlings in gaps escaped small mammal predation. -from Author