VEGETATION COLONIZATION OF LANDSLIDES IN THE BLUE MOUNTAINS, JAMAICA

The floristics and nutrient relations of the vegetation on landslides 15 yr old and > 50 yr old were studied in a montane rain forest. A total of 33 species were recorded on the 15-yr-old sites and 50 species on the > 50-yr-old sites. The dominant woody species on all sites was Clethra occidentalis; fast-growing pioneer species characteristic of the forest edge were generally absent. Vegetation development on these sites was slow. On the 15-yr-old sites almost all individuals were <1 m in stem length, and on older landslides all individuals were < 5 m in stem length. For 15-yr-old sites, harvested aboveground biomass ranged between 350 and 820 g/m2, 79 percent of which was accounted for by a nitrogen-fixing lichen. On the oldest landslides, biomass ranged between 970 and 4690 g/m2 and was accounted for primarily by woody plants. Foliar concentrations of N, P, K, and Ca all increased (P < 0.01, data for all species combined) from the 15-yr-old to the older sites.