RESPONSES OF TREE SPECIES TO HURRICANE WINDS IN SUBTROPICAL WET FOREST IN PUERTO-RICO - IMPLICATIONS FOR TROPICAL TREE LIFE-HISTORIES

1 The effect of a category 4 hurricane (Hurricane Hugo, 18 September 1989) on subtropical wet forest in Puerto Rico was examined at stand and species levels with respect to the frequency of tree damage, mortality, and resprouting. Data were collected from a 16-ha plot of secondary forest consisting of approximately 13 000 trees >10 cm DBH representing 88 species. 2 Roughly one-quarter of the trees suffered some type of damage involving the main stem, and mortality due to the hurricane was 9%. Mortality among trees was primarily due to uprooting and broken stems. Many surviving trees sprouted new branches following the hurricane, indicating that this was an important component of stand recovery following hurricane damage. 3 Patterns of species-specific damage and recovery (investigated using 26 common species) appeared to form two distinct groups. One group ('pioneers'), represented by three species, suffered a high frequency of stem breakage and mortality during the hurricane and had a low capacity to sprout new branches after being damaged. The remaining species ('nonpioneers') lost many branches during the hurricane, thereby suffering low to moderate stem damage and mortality, and sprouted many new branches following the hurricane. Stem breakage and related species-specific characteristics were significantly correlated with wood density and shade tolerance. 4 Species exhibited few significant size-specific relationships (using DBH) with respect to hurricane damage, mortality, or resprouting, with the exception of branch damage, which often increased as a function of tree size. 5 The study revealed significant differences among tree species in the degree and type of damage suffered during a hurricane and in the ability to recover from damage and resume a position in the forest canopy. Nonpioneers dominate early in recovery because of the ability to survive a storm and sprout new branches following the storm, while the immediate impact of a hurricane on the abundance of pioneer species is strongly negative.