Asignación de recursos e influencia de los cotiledones en el crecimiento de plántulasde Nectandra ambigens (Blake) C. K. Allen (Lauraceae) en una selva tropical húmeda

In the tropical rain forest, those species having cotyledons, endosperm, or both, which function as storage of parental resources, have a higher probability of surviving as part of the regeneration process. In this study, the influence of cotyledons on the growth of Nectandra ambigens seedlings was analyzed, as well as patterns of resource allocation to shoot, roots and leaves. After germination, seeds where grown under the forest canopy. Five surveys were made at two month intervals. The seedling and cotyledon biomass were significantly different along the time. A negative and significant correlation between cotyledon and seedling biomass was observed. An increase in photosynthetic biomass was measured getting resource from stem biomass and not from roots. This study shows the dependence of Nectandra ambigens seedlings on parental resources for the initial 250 days, which makes them successful in persisting on the forest floor and becoming part of the advanced regeneration.