Regeneration ecology II: Population dynamics.

Abstract

Abstract This chapter discusses the establishment and development of populations of juvenile oaks. Variability is a normal characteristic of tree populations, and it can be described in relation to specific tree attributes. For example, an oak forest can be described by the size or age distributions of its member trees, and how those distributions vary in time and space. Populations of one tree species also interact with other species, each with unique ecological requirements and competitive advantages and disadvantages that lead to variation in patterns of establishment, growth and survival. Population variability is further increased by forest disturbances. Predicting the responses of tree populations to forest disturbances, whether natural or of human origin, is fundamental to the practice of silviculture.