Dynamics of tree species ecological groups in logged and unlogged tropical forests in the Venezuelan western plains

The study of tree mortality and recruitment contributes to the understanding of forest dynamics and, at the same time, supplies a baseline to evaluate the impact of human activities. The study site is a moist semi-deciduous forest located in the Caparo Forest Reserve, Venezuela. Tree data were obtained from permanent plots established in unlogged and logged stands. Successive measurements were taken during a 15 yr period. Tree species mortality and recruitment was analyzed for individuals with diameter at breast height （d）〉-- 10 cm. The species were classified according to their shade tolerance （low or intolerant, intermediate and high or tolerant） and the maximum height （hmax） （small〈15 m, medium： 15-30 m and large 〉30 m）. Palms were considered as a separate group. In the unlogged stands 307 and 274 trees ha-1 were found at the beginning and final time of the monitoring period, respectively. These trees were classified into 55 and 48 species, respectively. Among them predominate species from the shade intermediate tolerant and large size group and palms. Similarly, in the logged forest 155 and 207 trees ha^-1 were found, whereas 59 and 60 tree species were recorded. Only four species were found with 〉10 individuals had, the majority of these species belong to the functional group of shade intolerant medium size species, which may be partly explained by forest recovering after selective logging. In the unlogged stands the mean annual rate of tree mortality is 2.61% and the highest values corresponded to shade intermediate tolerant and intolerant small size species. Tree density was not significantly correlated to tree mortality in both forest conditions （logged and unlogged）. The recruitment rate in the unlogged forest was 1.33%, with the lowest values obtained for the same groups with highest mortality; whereas in the logged stands reached 2.58%, with the highest value for the shade tolerant small size species, followed by shade intermediate tolerant large size species. A significant difference was found between forest conditions for tree recruitment rates （H=0.0649）. In contrast, the correlation between tree mortality and recruitment was higher for logged （r=0.5988） than unlogged stands （r=0.4904） but not significant.

Effect of Some Bioproducts on Winter Mortality of Grafted Buds and the Number of Maiden Fruit Trees Produced in an Organic Nursery

In an organic nursery, various bioproducts were used to stimulate plant growth： Fertigo （granulated bovine manure）, Micosat, Humus UP （humic acids microbiologically enriched）, Humus Active ＋ Aktywit PM （beneficial microorganisms）, BioFeed Amin, BioFeed Quality, Tytanit, and Vinassa. One of the aims of the study was to determine the effect of these products on the ability of grafted buds of apple and sour cherry cultivars to survive the winter. Losses resulting from the freezing of buds during winter dormancy were calculated as the difference between the number of buds deemed to have taken in autumn and the number of live buds that began to develop properly in the spring of the following year. In autumn, the number of maiden trees obtained in each fertilization combination was also determined in the same nursery. The greatest tendency to die in winter was shown by apple and sour cherry buds in those combinations in which the rootstocks were supplied with a mineral fertilizer with NPK components, and the smallest where humic preparations （so-called vermiculites） were used. The type of fertilizer had an indirect influence not only on the number of grafted buds that died in winter as a result of freezing, but also on the final number of maiden trees obtained from a given area of the nursery.

Leaf turgor loss point at full hydration for 41 native and introduced tree and shrub species from Central Europe

The last years,Central European forests have suffered from drought as a direct consequence of climate change.All these forests have a long management history and it lies in the landowner’s responsibility to replant damaged forests.Hence,landowners and the government are searching currently for species suitable to replant in areas affected by tree die-offs.It is a matter of fact that good knowledge of drought resistance of species is a critical measure for the current replanting efforts.We determined a widely recognized trait for leaf drought tolerance(leaf water potential at turgor loss point at full hydration,πtlp)in 41 woody species native or introduced in Central Europe.The osmometric rapid assessment method was used to measure the leaf osmotic potential at full hydration(πosm)of sun-exposed leaves and converted toπtlp.Meanπtlp of the native species was−2.33±0.33 MPa.The less negativeπtlp was found in the introduced species Aesculus hypocastania and was at−1.70±0.11 MPa.The most negativeπtlp,and thus the potentially highest drought tolerance,were found in the introduced species Pseudotsuga menzesii and was at−3.02±0.14 MPa.High or less negativeπtlp is associated with lower drought tolerance,whereas low or more negativeπtlp stands for higher resistance to drought stress.For example,the two native species Illex aquifolium and Alnus glustinosa are species naturally associated with moist habitats and are characterized by the least negativeπtlp of−1.75±0.02 and−1.76±0.03 MPa,respectively.