Assessing recruitment limitation: concepts, methods and case-studies from a tropical forest.

Abstract

In this paper, an outline of the methods for measuring seed limitation, establishment limitation and their components are presented. These methods are applicable to any study that quantifies seed rain at an unbiased sample of locations in a community or explicitly measures the shapes of seed shadows. The usefulness of these methods were evaluated by using them in several species in tropical forest. The implications of observed seed and establishment limitation for tropical forest diversity and conservation are assessed.