Canopy Trimming Experiment (CTE) plant seedling measurements

Seedlings were measured before and after treatments to determine how alterations in canopy openness and detritus affect seedling densities and life histories (growth, mortality, recruitment). It was predicted that plots experiencing canopy openness with detritus removed would have the quickest increase in seedlings (recruitment and growth), especially of early successional (light demanding) species, such as Cecropia. Seedlings in plots that received no canopy manipulation but had detritus deposited is predicted to have near-total mortality initially (low light and high physical inhibition due to detritus). Treatment plots experiencing both canopy manipulation and addition of detritus would initially experience near-total mortality, with some light demanding seedlings establishing and growing through detritus with time.