Abstract
Selective logging that is commonly conducted in tropical forests may change tree species diversity. In rarely disturbed tropical forests, locally rare species exhibit higher survival rates. If this non–random process occurs in a logged forest, the forest will rapidly recover its tree species diversity. Here we determined whether a forest in the Pasoh Forest Reserve, Malaysia, which was selectively logged 40 years ago, recovered its original species diversity (species richness and composition). To explore this, we compared the dynamics of secies diversity between unlogged forest plot (18.6 ha) and logged forest plot (5.4 ha). We found that 40 years are not sufficient to recover species diversity after logging. Unlike unlogged forests, tree deaths and recruitments did not contribute to increased diversity in the selectively logged forests. Our results predict that selectively logged forests require a longer time at least than our observing period (40 years) to regain their diversity.
Highlights
Selective logging is used commonly for commercial logging in Southeast Asian tropical forests, and it causes forest degradation, such as decreased carbon stocks, lower canopy complexity[1,2], and reduced faunal species diversity[3]
We addressed the following three questions using a dataset derived from long–term observations of forests: (1) Does a forest that was logged selectively 40 years ago recover its original tree species composition? (2) How does tree biodiversity change with time in old, selectively logged and unlogged forests? (3) How do tree death and recruitment contribute to tree species richness in selectively logged and unlogged forests? These questions were linked with the aforementioned prediction[7] based on long–term forest dynamics data obtained from unlogged tropical forests
We expected that the change in species composition in the logged forest would be similar to that in the unlogged forest over time[42]
Summary
Selective logging is used commonly for commercial logging in Southeast Asian tropical forests, and it causes forest degradation, such as decreased carbon stocks, lower canopy complexity[1,2], and reduced faunal species diversity[3]. The Janzen–Connell model predicts that species diversity should increase with time because of the selective removal of abundant species by pathogens and predators. Facilitation means that locally rare species are advantaged because an individual benefits a neighboring individual of another species If any of these three models is correct, a forest ecosystem will maintain or even increase its local species diversity with time, as has been observed in many tropical forests[7]. If the density–dependent mechanism is correct, species diversity, after a temporary decrease in response to damage, will recover quickly to its prior level[7] This idea has never been tested in any tropical rainforest. (2) How does tree biodiversity change with time in old, selectively logged and unlogged forests? We addressed the following three questions using a dataset derived from long–term observations of forests: (1) Does a forest that was logged selectively 40 years ago recover its original tree species composition? (2) How does tree biodiversity change with time in old, selectively logged and unlogged forests? (3) How do tree death and recruitment contribute to tree species richness in selectively logged and unlogged forests? These questions were linked with the aforementioned prediction[7] based on long–term forest dynamics data obtained from unlogged tropical forests
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