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Population age structures, persistence and flowering cues in Cerberiopsis candelabra (Apocynaceae), a long-lived monocarpic rain-forest tree in New Caledonia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 September 2021

Jennifer Read Open the ORCID record for Jennifer Read [Opens in a new window] ,
Gordon D. Sanson ,
Martin Burd ,
Kathryn Allen ,
Quan Hua ,
Stuart Kerr ,
Sandrine Isnard ,
Stephane McCoy  and
Magdalena Carrasco
Jennifer Read*
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Victoria3800, Australia
Gordon D. Sanson
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Victoria3800, Australia
Martin Burd
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Victoria3800, Australia
Kathryn Allen
Affiliation:
Geography, Planning and Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart7001, Australia
Quan Hua
Affiliation:
Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Locked Bag 2001, Kirrawee DC, NSW2232, Australia
Stuart Kerr
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Victoria3800, Australia
Sandrine Isnard
Affiliation:
AMAP, Univ Montpellier, IRD, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, Montpellier, France
Stephane McCoy
Affiliation:
Environmental Conservation Service, Prony Resources New Caledonia, BP 218 Nouméa, 98845New Caledonia
Magdalena Carrasco
Affiliation:
School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Victoria3800, Australia
*
Author for correspondence: Jennifer Read, Email: jenny.read@monash.edu
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Abstract

Cerberiopsis candelabra Vieill. is a long-lived, monocarpic (= semelparous) and mass-flowering rain-forest tree, endemic to New Caledonia. Population size structures suggest establishment has been episodic, followed by a recruitment gap that might signal population decline. Here, we use age structures based on tree rings to better assess population dynamics and persistence, and investigate influences of tree size, age and growth rate on flowering. Age structures of populations surveyed in 2007–2008 were unimodal, with establishment over c. 15–81 y, followed by a recruitment gap of c. 23–79 y. Seedling mortality was generally high. High densities of flowering trees or large-scale exogenous disturbances may be necessary for in-situ regeneration. There was no evidence of a simple flowering threshold: flowering in 2017 occurred across a wide range of tree size, age and growth rate. Instead, evidence suggested that size and age at flowering may vary among plants depending on their growth trajectory. Environmental triggers of flowering were not identified by dating tree establishment, but the last three mass-flowering events occurred in years of tropical cyclones. Regeneration and persistence might be facilitated if large-scale disturbances trigger flowering, improving reproductive efficiency by synchronising flowering and linking reproduction with environmental conditions that enhance seedling recruitment.

Keywords

Flowering cuesmass floweringmastingmonocarpymonodominancepopulation dynamicsrain forestregeneration
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 37 , Issue 6 , November 2021 , pp. 263 - 275
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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