摘要
Key message In the Chocó biogeographic region, forest thinning decreases competition and increases growth evenness among individuals of Euterpe oleracea, which could be important to the development of sustainable species management. Abstract The main goal of this study was to characterize and compare the effect of disturbance and competitive thinning in structuring the size–abundance relationship, growth, and mortality of populations of E. oleracea inhabiting forests subjected to clearing. The study was conducted in permanent plots located in the Atrato River valley, Chocó biogeographic region in Colombia. In each of these plots, we took repeated measurements of E. oleracea height and density during 1997-008. Two treatments were implemented in each plot: unthinned (control) and thinned. We found a significant change over time in the height–abundance relationship of E. oleracea populations due to forest thinning. In unthinned forest plots, E. oleracea exhibits asymmetric intraspecific competition for light. However, this relationship is reversed in thinned forest plots where plant uptake of aboveground resources becomes more evenly distributed among individuals. Forest thinning promotes a switch in the developmental state of the E. oleracea populations. The decrease in the asymmetric light competition enhances the relative performance of smaller stems in relation to the larger ones, diminishing the inequality in the size–abundance distribution of unthinned forest. Although more research is still required, this study offers an insight into new management techniques for seeking alternative sustainable uses of tropical rain forests, but particularly for the quite degraded forests in the Chocó biogeographic region.