Abstract
We review research on the species composition, structure, functioning, and response to disturbance of mahogany plantations in Puerto Rico. The review includes nine plantations at seven sites from dry to wet life zones, two soil parent materials (limestone and volcanic), three plantation designs (block, line, and taungya), and plantation ages from 18 to 64 years. Mahogany grew well regardless of plantation design or soil parent material but the species differed. Small-leaf mahogany grew better than big-leaf and the big-leaf × small-leaf hybrid mahogany in the dry life zone, on degraded sites, and on shallow limestone soils. Small-leaf mahogany failed to grow in moist to wet life zones. Big-leaf and hybrid mahogany had the fastest rates of growth and yield in moist life zones, regardless of soil parent material. All plantations were invaded by native tree species and increased in species richness and vertical stratification with age. All plantation species exhibited abundant regeneration under mature plantation canopies. More nutrients accumulated in vegetation and plantation litter than in vegetation and fine litter of paired secondary forests. Nutrient return to the forest floor was pulsed because of dry season peaks of leaf fall and mast fruit production by mahogany trees. Fruit production in both plantations and paired secondary forests influenced nutrient cycles by increasing nutrient return and accumulation on the forest floor, thereby decreasing within-stand nutrient use efficiency. Small-leaf mahogany had half the litterfall but more litter standing stock than did big-leaf or hybrid mahogany. Hurricane Hugo reduced tree biomass, opened the canopy, and created a pulse of mass and nutrient fall in paired plots of hybrid mahogany and a secondary forest stand. Six years after the hurricane, the plantation returned more nutrients to the forest floor than did the paired secondary forest but had a lower nutrient use efficiency and a similar nutrient turnover rate.
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Lugo, A.E., Fu, S. (2003). Structure and Dynamics of Mahogany Plantations in Puerto Rico. In: Lugo, A.E., Figueroa Colón, J.C., Alayón, M. (eds) Big-Leaf Mahogany. Ecological Studies, vol 159. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-21778-9_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-21778-9_15
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