Island biotas often have lower species diversity and less intense competition has been hypothesized as a result. This should result in lower habitat specificity compared with mainland habitats due to larger realized niches. We investigate microhabitat associations of canopy trees with regard to differences in topography on an oceanic island (Viti Levu, Fiji) using twenty 10 × 60-m plots. We find high tree-species diversity (112 species with dbh ≥ 10 cm in a total of 1.08 ha) and high endemism (c. 60%), compared with other islands in Western Polynesia. Our sample plots aggregate into three distinct groups that are mostly defined by micro-topography: (1) ridges and steep slopes (well-drained sites), (2) moderate slopes and ridge flats (moderate drainage), and (3) flats (poor drainage). Associations with microhabitat are found for more than 50% of the 41 most common species but only one species is apparently restricted to a single habitat. These findings are similar to other rain forests and demonstrate considerable niche differentiation among island rain-forest tree species.

As the dry season progresses in arid and semi-arid ecosystems, rain-fed surface water sources become depleted, forcing most animals to concentrate in the immediate vicinity of the few remaining permanent sources of drinking water. This study investigates the temporal dynamics of use of water-holes by nine African large-herbivore species in the dry season in the semi-arid savanna of Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, and particularly how annual rainfall influences this temporal dynamics. Two contrasting years in terms of annual rainfall were compared: 2003 (a drought – 362.6 mm) and 2004 (average rainfall – 695.8 mm). In 2003, water-holes were used far more intensively and the level of aggregation of herbivores at water-holes was significantly higher. The temporal dynamics of water-hole use in the dry season differed between the two years: in 2003, the peak of water-hole use started much earlier and lasted 3 mo. Elephants and grazers showed the largest difference in use of water-holes between 2003 and 2004 supporting the suggestion that browsers are less water dependent. This study suggests that annual rainfall should be taken into account when predicting the peak of the dry season.

A chronosequence was used to study seed-bank communities during the first 12 y of tropical-dry-forest regeneration in abandoned pastures in Chamela, Mexico. Prediction that seeds of woody species replace those of herbaceous species during succession was tested and mechanisms of species replacement (facilitation, tolerance, inhibition) were assessed. Four successional categories (three sites each) were considered: pasture (0–1 y since abandonment), early (3–5 y), intermediate (10–12 y), and old-growth forest. At the end of the dry season, 20 cylindrical soil samples (10 cm diameter, 15 cm depth) were randomly obtained within a 20 × 50-m plot in each site. Seeds ≥1 mm were counted and identified. Overall, 2941 seeds and 102 morphospecies (52 taxonomically identified) were recorded. Seed bank density reduced, species diversity remained fairly constant and seeds of herbaceous species were replaced by those of woody species over the chronosequence. A clear species-by-species replacement pattern was detected, as expected under a mechanism of succession by facilitation. Twelve years after abandonment, a diverse seed bank of woody species did exist, indicating a fast recovery of the tropical-dry-forest regenerative potential; nonetheless, the structure and composition of the seed bank was still different from that in the old-growth forest.

To clarify the potential influence of different browsers in the same guild on woody vegetation, dietary overlap and separation between elephant, giraffe, kudu, nyala and impala was assessed in Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, South Africa. Woody species browsed, browsing heights, plant-parts browsed and browsing versus grazing were recorded over 2 y by direct observation. We obtained 3068 browse records. Niche breadth (Levins' measure) and overlap (Schoener's index) in species browsed and browsing heights were calculated. Annual and seasonal differences in these measurements, plant-part use and browsing versus grazing were assessed. Elephant utilized the largest number (n = 78) of different woody plant species. Overlap in species browsed was lower between elephant and other browsers than amongst the latter. Seasonal rainfall influenced the range of woody plants utilized, niche breadth in terms of species browsed and browsing versus grazing. Marked resource depletion caused elephant, contrary to theoretical predictions, to narrow niche breadth in terms of species browsed. However, resource depletion rarely had a significant effect on interspecific overlap in species browsed or overlap in browsing heights, on actual browsing heights or plant-parts utilized. A small suite (n = 8) of woody species formed the core diet of all guild members, implying the potential for synergistic impacts by guild members on these species and for competition between populations of different guild members.

Coppicing is an important regeneration mechanism in tropical dry forest after disturbance, but little is known about the long-term dynamics and the rate of recovery of the coppice shoots following clearance. This study reports on the growth and dynamics of coppice shoots following experimental cutting in a tropical dry forest in Jamaica. The fate of coppice shoots was tracked on a total of 481 stumps, representing 51 species over 10 y. The number of coppice shoots and the height and dbh of the leading shoots were measured on the tree stumps 14 mo and 10 y after cutting. Coppicing was vigorous for most tree species, but the average number of shoots per stump decreased significantly over the 9 y period, from 25 to 8 shoots per stump. The average height and diameter of the leading shoots after 10 y were 4.5 m and 3.8 cm, respectively, and the average percentage diameter recovered by the shoots varied between 36% and 95% among the species. Coppicing facilitates the long-term persistence of this dry forest, and the rapid growth of coppice shoots contributed to the resilience of most species after cutting.

Rainfall seasonality can strongly influence biotic interactions by affecting host plant quality, and thus potentially regulating herbivore exposure to natural enemies. Plant defences are predicted to increase from dry to wet forests, rendering wet-forest caterpillars more vulnerable to parasitoids due to the slow-growth-high-mortality hypothesis. We collected and reared caterpillars from the understorey and trail edges of a wet forest and a seasonally dry forest to determine whether wet-forest caterpillars suffered a higher prevalence of parasitism and were less abundant than dry-forest caterpillars. In the two forests, caterpillar abundances (on average 8 h−1) and prevalence of parasitism (18%) were very similar regardless of feeding niche for both parasitism (27% versus 29% in shelter builders, and 16% versus 11% in external feeders) and caterpillar abundances (shelter builders: 1.42 versus 2.39, and external feeders: 8.27 versus 5.49 caterpillars h−1) in the dry and wet forests, respectively. A similar comparative analysis conducted in the canopy and understorey of the dry forest revealed a higher prevalence of parasitism in the canopy (43%) despite caterpillar densities similar to those in the understorey. Overall, shelter builders suffered higher parasitism than external feeders (32% versus 14.9%), and were attacked primarily by flies, whereas external feeders were more vulnerable to attack by parasitoid wasps.

West African savannas are habitats with unpredictable rainfall. Species with varying life-history traits may be more successful in these environments than species with fixed traits. We studied the reproduction strategies of the microhylid frog Phrynomantis microps in different savanna types, a humid savanna in Ivory Coast and a drier one in Benin. We recorded 5437 clutches in eight ponds in the humid savanna during five consecutive rainy seasons. A further 694 clutches were investigated in 10 ponds in Benin in one rainy season. For each clutch, we recorded egg numbers, deposition time, location within the pond and rainfall. Precipitation was important in triggering reproduction. However, the amount of rainfall needed differed in relation to rainy season length and total annual rainfall. Especially in years and regions with a late rainy season a threshold of minimum precipitation was needed to initiate spawning, indicating a trade-off between the need to reproduce and the survival probabilities of offspring in ponds with a high desiccation risk. Egg numbers per clutch further differed between pond sizes, breeding season length, as well as to time within the rainy season. Potential explanations for these differences, in particular desiccation and predation risks are discussed, but need further experimental support.

Litter-feeding termites influence key aspects of the structure and functioning of semi-arid ecosystems around the world by altering nutrient and material fluxes, affecting primary production, foodweb dynamics and modifying vegetation composition. Understanding these complex effects depends on quantifying spatial heterogeneity in termite foraging activities, yet such information is scarce for semi-arid savannas. Here, the amount of litter that was removed from 800 litterbags in eight plots (100 litterbags per plot) was measured in Hluhluwe–iMfolozi Park (HiP) South Africa. These data were used to quantify variation in litter removal at two spatial scales: the local scale (within 450-m2 plots) and the landscape scale (among sites separated by 8–25 km). Subsequently, we attempted to understand the possible determinants of termites’ foraging patterns by testing various ecological correlates, such as plant biomass and bare ground at small scales and rainfall and fences that excluded large mammalian herbivores at larger scales. No strong predictors for heterogeneity in termite foraging intensity were found at the local scale. At the landscape scale termite consumption depended on an interaction between rainfall and the presence of large mammalian herbivores: litter removal by termites was greater in the presence of large herbivores at the drier sites but lower in the presence of large herbivores at the wetter sites. The effect of herbivores on termite foraging intensity may indicate a switch between termites and large herbivore facilitation and competition across a productivity gradient. In general, litter removal decreased with increasing mean annual rainfall, which is in contrast to current understanding of termite consumption across rainfall and productivity gradients. These results generate novel insights into termite ecology and interactions among consumers of vastly different body sizes across spatial scales.

We describe the spatial aggregation of the magpie goose (Anseranas semipalmata) in relation to the dynamics of the ephemeral floodplains of northern Australia. Past broad-scale studies have linked geese to floodplains dominated by the sedge, Eleocharis dulcis, but the type of response has not been determined, nor the impact of predation on food plants. Moreover, departure thresholds are not known. We develop hypotheses on aggregation and departure and confront these with field data. Thus, from 2005–2007 we established two sites on the floodplains of Kakadu National Park (three 1-ha plots per site, six plots in total) and used for monthly, dry season bird counts. An airboat was used to collect data from each of the six plots, including sedge tubers and measures of water level and soil viscosity. Further, we built exclosures (three per site, six in total) to test the impact of herbivory on E. dulcis. Generalized linear models and information theory were used to test the strength of supporting evidence for alternate hypotheses. Geese showed a clear aggregative response to E. dulcis tubers, were forced to depart following floodplain drying and had a marked impact on E. dulcis tuber density. Despite this, there was no evidence of a negative-feedback mechanism between plant–herbivore populations, suggesting that the system is driven by extrinsic parameters (here rainfall).

The relationship between herbivore diet quality, and diet composition (the range of food plants consumed) and body mass on resource partitioning of herbivores remains the subject of an ongoing scientific debate. In this study we investigated the importance of diet composition and diet quality on resource partitioning among eight species of savanna herbivore in north Cameroon, with different body mass. Dung samples of four to seven wild herbivore and one domesticated species were collected in the field during the dry and wet period. Diet composition was based on microhistological examination of herbivore droppings, epidermis fragments were identified to genus or family level. In addition, the quality of the faecal droppings was determined in terms of phosphorus, nitrogen and fibre concentrations. The results showed that there was no significant correlation between body mass and (differences in) diet composition for wet and dry season. When all species are considered, only significant relationships are found by the Spearman rank correlation analyses during the wet season between body mass and phosphorus and nitrogen, but this relationship did not exist during the dry season. When the analyses focuses on ruminants only (thus leaving out hippo), none of the relationships between body mass and diet quality was significant in either season. During the dry season the proportion of graminoids ranged between 10% (small unidentified herbivore species) to 90% (hippopotamus), during the wet season this proportion ranged from 60% (zebu) to 90% (hippopotamus). All species but zebu had more graminoids in their dung during wet season compared with dry season. However all species but hartebeest had more graminoids old stems in their dung during the dry season, compared with the wet season. The niche breadth for food categories consumed by kob (0.300), hippo (0.090), hartebeest (0.350), roan (0.510) and zebu (0.300) was much greater in the dry season than in the wet season for kob (0.120), hippo (0.020), hartebeest (0.190), roan (0.090) and zebu (0.200). When looking at grass taxa consumed, the niche breadth of kob (0.220), hartebeest (0.140), and roan (0.250) was also greater in the dry season when compared with the wet season for kob (0.050), hartebeest (0.120) and roan (0.120). The opposite was found for zebu and hippo. Comparison of the species’ diet compositions with randomized data showed that dietary overlap between different herbivore species was much higher than what would be expected on the basis of chance, demonstrating surprisingly limited niche separation between species. This offers potential for competition, but it is more likely that the high niche overlap indicates absence of competition, due to low herbivore densities and abundant food resources, permitting species to share non-limiting resources. With increasing herbivore densities and subsequent increasing scarcity of resources, the relationship between diet quality and body mass in combination with increased niche separation is expected to become more visible.

Forests dominated by semi-scandent woody bamboos of the genus Guadua cover about 165 000 km2 of the south-west Amazon. Because many woody bamboo species are favoured by disturbance some authors have inferred this landscape to be a consequence of indigenous or natural disturbance. As seen in satellite images, the rounded edges of some bamboo-dominated forests indicate expansion into surrounding forest. These edges are unrelated to topography and resemble the borders of ground fires in unlogged Amazon forests, suggesting that bamboo may have been favoured by past fires. We studied the recovery of Guadua sarcocarpa and its competitors in the face of simulated fire by cutting all plant stems at ground level in ten 100-m2 plots, compared with ten control plots, and by burning a 2500-m2 plot. In the clear-cuts, bamboos recovered more successfully than did palms and dicots, by two measures: biomass accumulated and per cent recovery of pre-disturbance biomass. Resprouted bamboo attained higher stem densities than in control sites at 11 mo. In the burn plot, bamboo basal area recovered to pre-burn levels after 2 y and approached that of an undisturbed control area after 3 y. Though other natural disturbances are relevant, we conclude that forest fires should favour the spread and dominance of Guadua species in the south-west Amazon.

Two main types of hollow tree are frequently found in savannas: trees with external splits (externally damaged trees), and trees with no or little visible external damage, but with their entire core removed (internally damaged or ‘piped’ trees). As this may affect trunk mechanical resistance and tree survivorship, we studied the incidence of these two types of cavity in relation to two possible causal agents, fire and termites, in a West African savanna. Overall, the proportion of damaged adult trees (height >2 m) reached 36%, and up to 84% for Crossopteryx febrifuga. In this species, almost all (93%) damaged individuals showed signs of digging by fungus-grower and wood-feeder termites. External damage was more frequent in the more fire-prone shrubby savanna, suggesting that while termites are responsible for the piping, fire is responsible for the later opening of the trunk. Trees growing in the more fire-prone savanna tended to reach significantly smaller sizes, both in height and basal diameter, than in the less intensely burnt woody savanna. There was also evidence that piped trees were taller than externally damaged trees. This strongly suggests that fire causes an increased mortality of adult trees through lateral opening of the trunks causing later breakage.

We performed a pot experiment in which 540 seedlings of nine non-pioneer light-demanding tree species were grown for 12 months in shade houses at three light levels, 46% daylight, 13% daylight and 2% daylight, to examine the mechanisms contributing to the coexistence of seedlings of non-pioneer light-demanding tree species in secondary successional tropical rain forest in Hainan, China. Growth and survival of tree seedlings were compared at different light levels, and the morphological and physiological correlates of high-light seedling growth and low-light survival across species were determined. For all species, mortality was very low in the 46% daylight and 13% daylight treatment but increased significantly in the 2% daylight treatment. Seedling survival in 2% daylight treatment was positively related to seed mass. Trade-off between high-light growth and low-light survival was more evident in the relationship with 2% daylight treatment as compared with 13% daylight treatment. Relative growth rate in the 2% daylight treatment was not significantly related to relative growth rate in the 13% daylight or 46% daylight treatment; although a slight negative correlation was apparent. Interspecific variation in RGRm was only closely correlated with net assimilation rate (NAR). The results provide some support for the niche-partitioning hypothesis.

The tropical montane conifer tree Widdringtonia whytei is found in small fragments on Mulanje Mountain in Malawi. A study was conducted with the objectives of determining the effect of population size, tree stem diameter and crown position on the proportion of viable seeds per cone produced by W. whytei at three sites (Sombani, Chambe and Lichenya) on Mulanje Mountain. Three population sizes, namely small (fragments with ≤10 cone-bearing trees), medium (fragments with 11–20 cone-bearing trees) and large (fragments with >20 cone-bearing trees) and isolated trees were sampled at each study site. In each fragment, four cone-bearing trees were randomly located, 20 mature cones were collected from each tree and the viability of seeds was tested. Only 23% of the seeds per cone were viable but seed viability per cone was highly variable among fragments. Large fragment populations produced the highest proportion of viable seeds per cone (30%), followed by similar proportions in small fragments (28.3%) and isolated trees (26.1%), with the lowest proportions in medium-sized fragments (18.7%), indicating a non-linear relationship between viable seed output per cone and population size. Tree stem diameter and crown position had no effect on the proportion of viable seeds per cone. Further studies are needed to identify the factors that lead to the low viable seed output per cone, and how this influences whole-tree seed production in W. whytei.

The forests of western Amazonia support high site-level biological diversity, yet regional community heterogeneity is poorly understood. Using data from line transect surveys at 37 forest sites in south-eastern Peru, we assessed whether local primate assemblages are heterogeneous at the scale of a major watershed. We examined patterns of richness, abundance and community structure as a function of forest type, hunting pressure, land-management regime and geographic location. The primate assemblage composition and structure varied spatially across this relatively small region of Amazonia (≈ 85 000 km2), resulting from large-scale species patchiness rather than species turnover. Primate species richness varied among sites by a factor of two, community similarity by a factor of four and aggregate biomass by a factor of 45. Several environmental variables exhibited influence on community heterogeneity, though none as much as geographic location. Unflooded forest sites had higher species richness than floodplain forests, although neither numerical primate abundance nor aggregate biomass varied with forest type. Non-hunted sites safeguarded higher abundance and biomass, particularly of large-bodied species, than hunted sites. Spatial differences among species assemblages of a relatively generalist taxon like primates in this largely undisturbed forest region imply that community heterogeneity may be even greater in more species-rich taxa, as well as in regions of greater forest habitat diversity.

Leaf fluctuating asymmetry (FA) is considered an important indicator of environmentally induced stress in plants, but the relationship between herbivory and FA levels is not clear. In this study we compared leaf size and shape, leaf area consumed by herbivorous insects, and FA levels between individuals of Heliocarpus pallidus (Tiliaceae) from two adjacent and contrasting habitat types (deciduous and riparian) in the Chamela–Cuixmala tropical dry-forest biosphere reserve. Ten individuals of H. pallidus were collected in each habitat type. Leaf shape was assessed using geometric morphometric techniques. Results indicated statistically significant differences in leaf shape between individuals from the two habitat types. In individuals from the riparian habitat leaf area (mean = 42.3 ± 1.2 cm2), herbivory levels (mean = 25.5% ± 1.8%) and FA levels (mean = 0.38 ± 0.04 cm) were significantly higher than in individuals from the deciduous habitat (17.2 ± 3.5 cm2; 9.6% ± 1.0% and 0.18 ± 0.04 cm, respectively). Within habitats, significant correlations were found between total leaf area and percentage leaf area removed by insects (R2 = 0.92 in riparian habitats, R2 = 0.9 in deciduous habitats), and between percentage leaf area removed and FA (R2 = 0.70 in riparian habitats, R2 = 0.79 in deciduous habitats). As has been suggested for other plant species, it is possible that the more favourable conditions in the riparian habitat enhance leaf growth, resulting in higher FA. Also, individuals in this habitat might be characterized by lower chemical defence and/or higher nutritional quality, which would explain the higher herbivory levels.

We investigated morph differences in attributes that contribute to rewarding floral visitors of the distylous shrub Palicourea demissa at La Mucuy cloud forest in Venezuela. In both morphs, we measured nectar production from flowers subjected to repeated removals at 2-h intervals (10 plants per morph) and flowers that accumulated nectar for 24 h (10 plants per morph). In both cases, floral visitors were excluded. In addition, we quantified nectar availability (30 plants per morph), floral visitation (10–12 plants per morph) and legitimate pollination (30 plants per morph) throughout the day. We explored morph differences in the variables mentioned above using analyses of variance, and the effects of nectar variation on floral visitation and legitimate pollination using regression models. We observed 1205 floral visits, grouped into six hummingbird (94.7%) and three insect species (5.3%), across observations (264 h). Coeligena torquata was the most frequent floral visitor (34%) in both morphs (1.4–1.7 visits per plant h−1). Nectar production and availability, and visitation rate were similar between morphs. Visitation rate and legitimate pollen deposition increased with the nectar production in both morphs, but levels of legitimate pollination were higher on short-styled flowers than long-styled flowers. These results show that short-styled and long-styled flowers reward floral visitors equally, but frequency and foraging behaviour of long-billed pollinators can promote asymmetrical legitimate pollination.

Sprouting may play a significant role in maintenance of plant diversity where prevailing disturbance frequency and severity allows. When disturbance frequency and severity decrease, strong sprouters may be outcompeted. As a result, species composition and diversity may change. This study was carried out to investigate the relationship between sprouting, succession and species diversity in a coastal dune forest that currently suffers from low-severity, chronic disturbance due to sea winds and loose sand substrate. Historically, the site was occupied by shifting cultivators who left the site about 80 y ago. Data on trees that were at least 1.3 m tall from 42 sample plots measuring 20 × 20 m were used. The plots were ranked in order of advancement of succession using the first axis of Principal Components Analysis of forest structural variables. Regeneration pattern was examined using analysis of stem diameter frequency distribution. Abundance and regeneration of strong basal sprouters, incidence of basal sprouting and species diversity decreased with advancement of succession. Only a few species could regenerate under the canopy of late-successional sites. Basal sprouts decreased with advancement of succession whereas trunk sprouts increased. These results suggest that maintenance of high species diversity may need a level of disturbance that allows regeneration and maintenance of strong basal sprouters.

Pollinator visits to flowers of self-incompatible tropical trees are critical for plant fecundity. However, few studies have examined how much of the variance in tropical tree fecundity is explained by individual attributes of trees (e.g. number of flowers), and how much is due to contextual variables such as distances to nearest flowering neighbours. Using multiple regressions we examined the relative contributions of these factors to the pollination and fecundity of Goetzea elegans, a mainly self-incompatible tree endemic to Puerto Rico. We studied the largest wild population of the species during the peak flowering and collected data on the frequency of pollinator visits (N = 25 trees), and the fecundity of the whole population (N = 105), including the visitation rate of two pollinators (the honey bee Apis mellifera and the bananaquit Coereba flaveola), the total number of flowers produced by each tree, and the total fruit set and seed viability per tree. We also recorded the distance to flowering conspecifics and heterospecifics, and the height for each tree. Flower number had a strong positive effect on pollinator visitation, but distance to nearest neighbours was equally or more important than flower number in influencing fecundity. Also, competition for limited pollinators between G. elegans and other species has a stronger effect than the facilitation that conspecifics may provide. Our results suggest that pollinator visits and aspects of fecundity of G. elegans depend both on the attributes of individual plants, and on those of the community of other nearby plants.

Locating activity hotspots – areas of higher density, more intense use, or distinct social units – is a prerequisite for answering many questions in animal ecology. However, for many species, carrying out such research from direct observations in tropical habitat is time-consuming and unrealistic for non-habituated animals. This study aimed to locate chimpanzee home ranges from transect nest counts. For validation purposes, 233 line transects were sampled within the home ranges of four habituated social groups of chimpanzees in Taï National Park, Côte d'Ivoire. In total, 373 km of transects were surveyed over 188 days and 683 nests of chimpanzee were recorded. First, we characterized heterogeneity of nest distribution patterns, including variation in density and group size within the area. Second, we used scan statistics, a likelihood-based cluster technique to locate chimpanzee social groups and compared them with the known home range boundaries. Chimpanzee nest distribution was characterized by a positive density and group-size gradient away from the range periphery. Furthermore, nest distribution clusters corresponding to the four groups could be successfully identified, although additional clusters for, for example, low-density areas between social groups seem to be an unavoidable by-product. The approach taken can be extended to a wide spectrum of data stemming from direct observations, camera traps, acoustic or genetic sampling to derive information about structure and patchiness of wild animal populations.