Variability within the 10-year pollen rain of a seasonal neotropical forest

The effect of seasonal and multiannual environmental variability on the abundance and composition of Neotropical pollen rain was investigated using ten years of seasonal aerial pollen samples from Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama. Using canonical correspondence analysis, we identified the environmental variables that most account for intra-annual and inter-annual variability in tropical pollen production and found that pollen rain samples effectively captured the strong seasonality and stratification of pollen flow within the forest canopy. Inter-annual variation in pollen rain composition varied most strongly with the preceding year’s precipitation, with a smaller secondary effect of the current year’s temperature and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR). Our results demonstrate the relative stability of the long-term pollen rain as a larger regional signal of flowering response to climatic variability, while also suggesting that paleoecological interpretations of modern pollen assemblages need to adjust for skewed short-term variability in pollen influx from neighboring pollen taxa.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.S.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Ecol, Evol, Conservation Biol

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2012

Author dc:creator

• Haselhorst, Derek

Contributors dc:contributor

• Punyasena, Surangi W.

• Barro Colorado Island
• climate
• palynology
• Panama
• phenology
• plant reproduction
• seasonality

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2011 Derek Haselhorst

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/29672

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/29672