Seasonal patterns of carbohydrate storage in four tropical tree species.

We examined the seasonal variation in total non-structural carbohydrate (TNC) concentrations in branch, trunk, and root tissues of Anacardium excelsum, Luehea seemannii, Cecropia longipes, and Urera caracasana growing in a seasonally dry forest in Panama. Our main goals were: (1) to determine the main sites of carbohydrate storage, and (2) to determine if seasonal patterns of carbohydrate storage are related to seasonal asynchronies in carbon supply and demand. We expected asynchronies to be related to seasonal variation in water and light availability and to foliar and reproductive phenology.

Plant diversity in tropical forests: a review of mechanisms of species coexistence.

Evidence concerning mechanisms hypothesized to explain species coexistence in hyper-diverse communities is reviewed for tropical forest plants. Three hypotheses receive strong support. Niche differences are evident from non-random spatial distributions along micro-topographic gradients and from a survivorship-growth tradeoff during regeneration.