Plant Diversity ›› 2010, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (4): 367-377.DOI: 10.3724/SP.J.1143.2010.10064

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Diaspore Traits of 145 Tree Species from a Tropical Seasonal Rainforest in Xishuangbanna, SW China

 YANG  Xiao-Fei-1,2, TANG  Yong-1, CAO  Min-1   

  1. 1 Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences,
    Mengla  666303, China; 2 Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  • Received:2010-03-23 Online:2010-08-25 Published:2010-05-27

Abstract:

In this paper, we described fruit and seed traits of 145 tree species from a 20 ha tropical seasonal rainforest dynamics plot. The fruiting of most tree species occurred in rainy season(7103%). Fewer species had fruit in dry season. Flesh fruits, such as drupes, capsules and berries, were very common in the plot and, fruits were mainly black, yellow and brown colored. Most species were animal dispersed(5655%). Species with large seeds(maximum seed length >10 mm)were predominate(5310%), followed by mediumsized seeds(2-10 mm), and small seeds(<2 mm in length). Seed mass varied from 23×105  to 2229 g, the majority of species(7655%) produced seeds with a mass ranged from 001 to 10 g. The mass of seeds collected exhibited a significant seasonal changes. Seeds collected in rainy season were heaver than seeds collected in dry season. Unassisted dispersal species tended to have large seed, and species dispersed by wind tended to have small seeds. A significant positive correlation was found between the seed mass and maximum DBH of the species.

Key words:  Fruits, Seeds, Diaspore traits, Tropical seasonal rainforest

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