@article{fdi:010093792,
  title = {{C}hanges in community composition and functional traits after cyclones and fire in a {P}acific rainforest},
  author = {{K}eppel, {G}. and {I}banez, {T}homas and {W}ebb, {E}.{L}.},
  editor = {},
  language = {{ENG}},
  abstract = {{T}ropical cyclones are common disturbances on many {P}acific islands and affect forest structure and community composition. {H}owever, we know little about the process of succession after disturbances in the tropical {S}outh {P}acific. {W}e utilize published data of vegetation surveys in a lowland tropical rainforest reserve in {S}amoa that were undertaken within 1 year, and after 6 and 15 years, after two cyclones and a fire that occurred in 1990 and 1991. {W}e combine these surveys with functional trait data from literature and the field. {C}ommunity and functional composition differed little from inferred pre-cyclone conditions soon after the disturbances but had changed considerably 6 years after the disturbance. {E}arly successional species with functional trait characteristics relating to resources acquisition and faster growth (lower wood density, larger leaf area, shorter maximum height, smaller seeds) had become dominant 6 years after the disturbances, but had declined considerably by 15 years. {N}o clear differences in community-weighted means of functional traits were detected


between burned and unburned forest, but community composition differed considerably. {I}n particular, the introduced rubber tree, {F}untumia elastica, which was functionally intermediate between early and late successional species, had become very abundant in burned forest. {O}ur results suggest that ecological functions may be more resilient to cyclone disturbance than community composition, but this requires further study. {O}ur findings highlight the impact of cyclones on community composition and functioning, the importance of long-term data for investigating the recovery after disturbances, and the potential of multiple disturbances to facilitate the proliferation of invasive species.},
  keywords = {{PACIFIQUE} ; {SAMOA} {ILES} ; {TAFUA} {PENINSULE}},
  booktitle = {},
  journal = {{P}acific {S}cience},
  volume = {77},
  numero = {2-3},
  pages = {209--232},
  ISSN = {0030-8870},
  year = {2024},
  DOI = {10.2984/77.2.6},
  URL = {https://www.documentation.ird.fr/hor/fdi:010093792},
}