Germination provides many potentially unrecognized sources of variation in the
regeneration niche. In this study we relate germination requirements and seed size for 16 …

Seed germination in the seasonal tropical forest on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, was
studied at the community level to (1) determine the seasonal timing of germination of the …

Summary 1 We investigated the relationship between seed mass and the suitability of
microsites for germination for five small‐seeded (< 2· 4 mg fresh mass) photoblastic …

Abstract Background and Aims In neotropical forests, very small-seeded pioneer species (<
0· 1 mg seed mass) recruit preferentially in small tree fall gaps and at gap edges, but large …

1 We examined the abundance and distribution patterns of pioneer seeds in the soil seed
bank, and of pioneer seedlings in 53 recently formed gaps, in a 50‐ha forest dynamics plot …

Most forest tree seeds from the humid tropics germinate soon after dispersal forming carpets
of semi-dormant seedlings. Delayed germination and enforced dormancy is frequent among …

Two approaches were used to examine the relationship between seed size and typical
establishment conditions in woody species of tropical rain forests. First we compared seed …

1 We examined how seed size and seedling growth rate influence recruitment success of
neotropical pioneer species. We investigated the soil seed bank, and followed seedlings …

The presence of leaf litter of different depths within a tropical forest creates many different
microsites for plant establishment. The amount and distribution of leaf litter within a forest …

Variation in plant species performance in response to water availability offers a potential
axis for temporal and spatial habitat partitioning and may therefore affect community …