| Literature DB >> 15705843 |
Uzay U Sezen1, Robin L Chazdon, Kent E Holsinger.
Abstract
Secondary forests are more extensive than old-growth forests in many tropical regions, yet the genetic composition of colonizing populations is poorly understood. We analyzed the parentage of a founder population of 130 individuals of the canopy palm Iriartea deltoidea in a 24-year-old second-growth forest in lowland Costa Rica. Among 66 trees in adjacent old-growth forest, only two individuals contributed 56% of the genes in founders. Second-growth trees had lower genetic diversity and larger patches of similar genotypes than old-growth trees. Recovery of genetic diversity of populations in tropical second-growth forests may take many generations and will require continued dispersal from genetically diverse source populations.Entities:
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Year: 2005 PMID: 15705843 DOI: 10.1126/science.1105034
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Science ISSN: 0036-8075 Impact factor: 47.728