Abstract
Establishment of Tabebuia cassinoides seedlings is related to water-level fluctuations in southeastern Brazil swamp forests. Nine years of annual monitoring of 48 individuals established during a drought in November 1997, when the swamp was unflooded, suggested that their establishment depends on this unpredictable event. This conclusion is further sustained by the wide variability of the seedling cohort size structure, and the fascicular root conformation that holds the shoots erect.
Highlights
Establishment of Tabebuia cassinoides seedlings is related to water-level fluctuations in southeastern Brazil swamp forests
Seed buoyancy and long-term dormancy are often listed as important traits that allow seeds to survive and/or reach safe sites [5,6] that are crucial for their development
Asexual reproduction has been reported as an important characteristic of this species [7], other seed-establishment strategies must operate, to account for the high abundance of this species in most Brazilian swamps [8], even if we consider that only a small fraction of the seeds produced will survive to maturity [9]
Summary
Establishment of Tabebuia cassinoides seedlings is related to water-level fluctuations in southeastern Brazil swamp forests. Germination and seedling establishment in wetlands are poorly understood [1], and in most cases involve adaptations to survive oxygen deprivation [2,3]. Even understory forest plants can serve as safe sites. The Brazilian swamp forest tree Tabebuia cassinoides DC.
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