Factors affecting phenological patterns of bombacaceous trees in seasonal forests in Costa Rica and Mexico

We compared phenological patterns of tree species of the family Bombacaceae in three seasonal forests in Mexico and Costa Rica whose dry seasons vary in duration and intensity. The objectives were to (1) determine intraspecific variation in phenology between sites in different geographic locations w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of botany 2003-07, Vol.90 (7), p.1054-1063
Main Authors: Lobo, Jorge A, Quesada, Mauricio, Stoner, Kathryn E, Fuchs, Eric J, Herrerias-Diego, Yvonne, Rojas, Julissa, Saborio, Guido
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bats
Bombacaceae
Competition
Costa Rica
Dry forests
Dry seasons
Flowering
Forest ecology
Forests
Mexico
nectarivorous bats
Neotropics
Phenology
Plant ecology
Plant reproduction
Plants
Pollen
pollinator competition
Pollinators
Trees
Tropical Biology
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Summary:We compared phenological patterns of tree species of the family Bombacaceae in three seasonal forests in Mexico and Costa Rica whose dry seasons vary in duration and intensity. The objectives were to (1) determine intraspecific variation in phenology between sites in different geographic locations with different precipitation regimes. (2) compare interspecific phenological patterns within sites during one year, and (3) document seasonal pollinator use of floral resources at one site in relation to the flowering phenology of these species. To determine the sequence of phenological events in trees of the family Bombacaceae across three study sites, phenology of marked individuals was recorded every 2 wk from September 2000 through August 2001 for six species. To estimate the importance of bombacaceous species in the diet of nectarivorous bats, pollen samples were collected from the bodies or feces of bats once every 2 wk during flowering. Our study suggests that phenological patterns of the Bombacaceae family in Neotropical dry forests are mainly constrained by phylogenetic membership and adaptive selective pressures associated with competition for pollinators. Abiotic factors related to precipitation and soil water content appear to be regulating leaf flushing and abscission, but the principal causes of flowering are related to ultimate factors associated with competition for pollinators. This study is the first that evaluates the phenological pattern of species and genera of the same family at different latitudes in a similar life zone.
ISSN:0002-9122
1537-2197
DOI:10.3732/ajb.90.7.1054