Phenology of the littoral forest of Sainte Luce, Southeastern Madagascar

Abstract

From January 2000 through December 2002, focal plant censuses were carried out to assess monthly leaf, flower, and ripe fruit presence for 423 individual plants (96 plant species, 39 families) within the littoral forest of Sainte Luce, Madagascar. Fruit-on-trail counts were conducted additionally in 2000 to allow comparison between both phenological methods. Despite low climatic seasonality and the absence of a dry season in the littoral forest, interannual phenological patterns were seasonal. Within year variability was present with clear periods of abundance and scarcity. All phenophases were highly intercorrelated and peaked from November through February. This was found in other humid Malagasy forests as well, while in dry Malagasy forests phenophases were separated in time perhaps due to the more seasonal climate. Temperature and day length seemed to influence all phenophases, the latter showing the strongest effect, while rainfall was only weekly associated with flushing and flowering. Differences in the presence of ripe fruits when comparing between sampling methods can be explained by the differential contribution of several life forms.