What factors are related to establishment dynamics following disturbance in late-successional versus second-growth tropical forests of the Pacific islands? Are those relationships robust to interannual fluctuations in establishment? In three sites juveniles were enumerated in 30 (5 × 5-m) subplots within 45 × 50-m tree plots in 2004 and 2005, 2.5 and 3.5 y following a Category-3 tropical cyclone (hurricane), in the Vava'u Island Group, Kingdom of Tonga. Recruitment was almost three-fold greater in the second sample period. Spatial pattern of focal species density was related to density of other juveniles, proximity of conspecific adults and canopy cover in the two years using Seemingly Unrelated Regression. Shade-tolerant species were the most abundant recruits in late-successional sites, establishing near-conspecific adults and other juveniles, while shade-establishing species were recruiting in gaps in second-growth forest where they also constitute the canopy trees. This pattern, observed in both years, reinforces divergent successional trajectories for second-growth and late-successional forest.

Orchid diversity, distribution and host specificity were examined in a tropical watershed in the Luquillo Experimental Forest of Puerto Rico. Eleven orchid species occur in the area. The low diversity is attributed to island isolation and large-scale hurricane disturbances. Pleurothallis ruscifolia and Maxillaria coccinea were by far the most abundant species in the area and occurred on the largest number of host species and host zones. None of the orchids were host specific or host zone specialists although preferences for hosts and vertical host zones were encountered.

Only 8.2% of the 426 trees and shrubs and 24.4% of the 45 species surveyed were orchid phorophytes (= hosts). Examination of host distribution by diameter at breast height (DBH) showed that 80.5% were greater than 16 cm DBH. Orchid species in the area tend to occur on rough bark hosts, but their preferences are not statistically significant. Guarea guidonia (Meliaceae) and Dacryodes excelsa (Burseraceae) are the two most important orchid hosts in our study site comprising 62.9% of all host trees. Careful management of these two tree species is suggested, since these species may be crucial to the maintenance of orchid abundance and diversity in the area.

Ecologists agree on the importance of hurricanes in community dynamics in tropical forests but little is known of the responses of herbaceous species to large disturbances. The passage of Hurricane Georges over the island of Puerto Rico provided a unique opportunity to study the post-hurricane recovery of Heliconia caribaea, a large understorey herb. Five weeks after Georges, the types of vegetative damage, mortality and recovery were recorded and their relationship with plant size was established. The relationship between recovery strategy and leaf or stem damage severity was also determined. The abundance of H. caribaea seedlings in sites with severe or little forest canopy damage was recorded to determine the effects of canopy cover on seedling establishment. Most individuals showed severe leaf and stem damage. This was not related to plant size. Mortality was low and caused by fallen trees. Recovery was not associated with severity of leaf damage but more individuals with no signs of regeneration appeared among plants that had severe stem damage. Seedling abundance was higher in areas with severe canopy damage relative to those with closed canopy suggesting that hurricanes may benefit H. caribaea by creating suitable habitats for seedling establishment. We argue that recovery strategies like those exhibited by H. caribaea may be common among understorey plants, particularly in areas regularly subjected to large-scale disturbances.