Recruitment limitation for three tree species in BCI, Panama

Recruitment limitation – the failure of a species to establish recruits at an available site – is a potential determinant of plant communities’ structure, causing local communities to be a limited subset of the regional species pool. Recruitment limitation results from three mechanisms: i) lack of seed sources (i.e., source limitation), ii) failure of available seeds to reach recruitment sites (i.e., dispersal limitation), and iii) failure of arrived seeds to establish at a location (i.e., establishment limitation). Here, we evaluated the relative importance of these mechanisms in three co-occurring tree species (Dipteryx oleifera, Attalea butyracea, and Astrocaryum standleyanum) that share seed dispersers/predators. The study was set up on Barro Colorado Island (Panama) at 62 1-ha sites with varying tree densities. Source limitation was estimated as the proportion of sites that would be reached by seeds if seeds were distributed uniformly. Dispersal limitation was estimated from the nu...