Seedling and sapling dynamics of treefall pits and undisturbed florest floor in El Verde, Puerto Rico

Seedling and sapling dynamics in a Puerto Rican rain forest were compared between forest understory and soil pits created by the uprooting of 27 trees during Hurricane Hugo. No difference in N and P levels were found in pit or forest soils under two trees with N-fixing symbionts (Inga laurina and Ormosia krugii) compared to soils under a tree species without N-fixing symbionts (Casearia arborea), but other soil variables ( Al, Fe, K) did vary by tree species. Support for this work was provided by grants BSR-8811902, DEB-9411973, DEB-9705814 , DEB-0080538, DEB-0218039 , DEB-0620910 , DEB-1239764, DEB-1546686, and DEB-1831952 from the National Science Foundation to the University of Puerto Rico as part of the Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research Program. Additional support provided by the University of Puerto Rico and the International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service.