Patrones espaciales de tamaño y mortalidad del roble (Quercus robur L.) en un bosque del litoral de Cantabria

Abstract

Quantitative spatial analysis provide inferences on tree population dynamics. Spatial patterns of pedunculate oak (Quercus robur L. ) in two forest plots were analysed in this work. Significative evidences of clumping for trees of smaller sizes and a random pattern for larger-sized ones were given. This results would be related to self-thinning occurrence. Open space availability seems to be the main factor that drive the structure evolution and the regeneration and mortality processes within oak populations. In one of the studied stands, poor spatial arrangement and random mortality are linked to oak populations developed in open space, and there are evidences of scarce intraspecific competition. In the other studied stand, established in old-growth forest, oak regeneration occurs in canopy gaps and, as a result, even-sized groups of trees in different ripeness stage arise. In the old-growth plot, oak mortality mainly occurs within small-sized groups of trees as a consequence of intraspecific competition.