Reciprocal Replacement and the Maintenance of Codominance in a Beech-Maple Forest
- 1 January 1979
- Vol. 33 (1), 31-39
- https://doi.org/10.2307/3544508
Abstract
Dominant species regeneration in an undisturbed beech-maple forest in Michigan, USA, was studied. Spatial distributions of beech and maple saplings related to influence by canopy trees of these species. Some factor effecting differential mortality of young individuals of the 2 species was indicated. This factor may be related to species of nearby canopy trees. This cause of mortality appeared to affect individuals between 1 and 4 m in height. Assuming that replacement of fallen trees in such a forest is primarily by advance reproduction of such seedlings and saplings as studied here, it appears that individuals of either dominant species tend to be replaced by individuals of the other species in a reciprocal replacement pattern. This is a possible mechanism for indefinite codominance maintenance in climax forests.This publication has 9 references indexed in Scilit:
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