Flower and Seed Production, Seedling Dynamics, and Tree Life Cycles

We present highlights derived from 36 years of weekly observations of flower and seed production and 25 years of annual observations of seedling dynamics at Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama. Highlights concern levels and causes of spatial, temporal, and interspecific variation in flower production, seed production, seed dispersal, and seedling recruitment, growth, and survival as well as the consequences for plant regeneration and diversity. Full tree life cycles are assembled by combining seed production, seedling dynamics, and observations of larger plants from the 50-ha Forest Dynamics Plot and are used to evaluate the costs of dioecy, lifetime insights from functional traits, and interspecific variation in the impact of lianas among host tree species. A variety of results demonstrate the importance of long-term observations to understand forest dynamics and responses to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and a changing climate.