Rain Forest Regeneration beneath the Canopy of Fig Trees Isolated in Pastures of Los Tuxtlas, Mexico1

Abstract

In the highly fragmented landscape of Los Tuxtlas, Mexico, we studied seed rain, seed bank, and vegetation established beneath the canopies of five fig trees (Ficus spp.) isolated in pastures. The area beneath the canopy of each fig tree was enclosed with a barbed wire fence to exclude cattle, and weeding with machete and herbicide spraying were stopped. Annual seed rain beneath the canopy of the five trees was 20,936 seeds (1066 seeds/m2) belonging to 149 species. Seed rain was dominated by woody species dispersed by frugivorous birds and bats. Most captured seeds (94%) were small (seed diam 3 mm). When cattle was excluded and management practices were stopped, remnant trees in Los Tuxtlas pastures effectively favored the early establishment of late successional species, including large-seeded canopy and subcanopy trees.