Recruitment and decay of a pulse of Cecropia in Nicaraguan rain forest damaged by hurricane Joan: Relation to mutualism with Azteca ants

In October 1988, Hurricane Joan severely damaged 500,000 ha of rain forest in southeastern Nicaragua. By and large, the forest is regenerating directly without passing through a secondary stage. However, an apparent exception to the pattern of direct regeneration was the behavior of Cecropia, a pioneer tree which experienced a dramatic pulse of recruitment in some areas. Nineteen ninety-one was the peak year of recruitment of Cecropia, but since then its pulse has decayed rapidly due to heavy mortality. The decline appears to be related to the unusually low rate of occupation by Cecropia's mutualistic Azteca ants: unoccupied trees had significantly higher mortality rates than occupied trees.