FBS 10 (LEC) 1a

Lowland evergreen rainforest
Upper montane rainforest
Tropical Subalpine forest
Forest over ultramafic
Forest over limestone
Beach forest
Mangrove forest
Peat swamp forest
freshwater swamp forest

Forest formations and growth forms

Lowland Evergreen

Rainforest

Most luxuriant of all plant

communities

•Typical tropical rainforest

formation in the Philippines

•Tall, dense, evergreen forest to

45 m

•Three strata or canopy layers

(top-emergent -

Dipterocarpaceae; main stratum

at about 24-36; smaller trees and

saplings)

•occurs from coastal flats up to c.

900-1100 m altitude

Lowland Evergreen

Rainforest

Characteristics of

vegetation:

rich in tree flora,

➢with buttresses,

➢cauliflory, ramiflory,

➢pinnate leaves,

➢lamina of mesophyl size,

woody vines or lianas are

frequent

vascular epiphytes are

occasional to frequent

Upper Montane Rainforest

•Mossy forest (abundance of

mosses and liverworts that

cover the branches and

trunks)

•Occurs on mountains above

c. 1,000 m, with the upper

limit varying depending on

the locality, size and height of

the mountain

•Topography is often rough

with steep ridges and ravines

Upper Montane Rainforest

•Increase in cloudiness and

climatic conditions are very moist

and strong winds are frequent,

hence, the mossy condition and

dwarfed, crooked trees are

characteristics of this formation

•Trees irregularly shaped and

often only 10 m tall or less, rarely

20 m, with gnarled, slender stems

and dense, broccoli-like

subcrowns composed of twigs

with shot internodes.

•Canopy more or less flat on the

surface

Tree fern: Genus Cyathea

Mt Banahaw

(2,300 m) tallest

tree reaches 14 m tall with

many tending to lean

downslope

Mt Makiling

6-8 m tall with

dense covering of moss, ferns

and other epiphytes

Mt Data

(2,200 m) – only

small patches of upper

montane remains, many are

converted to commercial

vegetable farms

Tropical Subalpine Forest

•also includes pine type forest

transition of upper montane to

tropical subalpine is through a

gradual ecotone, thus, no general

qualitative differences in the

physiognomy between these two

formations

•Stature remains short or becomes

shorter; forest canopy becomes more

open, leaf sizes become smaller

(nanophylls); bryophytes cover and

epiphytes become more sparse

•Many nanophylly shrubby species

Mt Halcon

(2,582 m) –summit

vegetation and floristic

assemblages are similar to the

subalpine vegetation of Mt

Kinabalu and Mt Withelm

Mt Pulag

(2,880) Tallest tree is up to 6 m only

Elements of subalpine forest

may be present in

Forest over ultramafic

known for hosting plants with high levels of endemism, particularly species that can absorb high amounts of nickel.

bracteatus

fruticosus

philippinensis

speciosus

verdugonianus

types of Philippine ironwoods

Forest over limestome

•Most limestone occur at lower

elevations, some with unique

vegetation, including forests,

often with high endemism

•Structure varies depending on

the site and physical habitat,

from short stunted trees on

exposed vertical cliffs up to 35 m

tall in gentle slopes

•Molave type of forest are on

limestone hills in region with

seasonally dry climates

Forest over limestome

•Forest is open, with few scattered large trees, usually

with sprawling, climbing and small erect bamboos.

•Dominant trees are short-boled, irregular in form, with

wide-spreading, often deciduous crown

Beach Forest

forms a

narrow strip of woodland along

the sandy and gravelly beaches of

the seacoast beyond the upper

tidal limits. It can be bordered on

its sides by limestones or other

rocks, or it merges with the

mangrove formation.

•Species of beach formation have

fruits and seeds adapted for

water dispersal

•Its composition is uniform

throughout SE Asia, with many of

Mangrove forest

•Often referred to as the forest of

the sea because it uniquely

inhabits the tidal sea fringes,

usually above the mean sea level

in the intertidal zones of coastal

marine environments and river

estuaries.

•Trees have special adaptation

that allows them to survive in the

tidal wetland habitat;

•Tolerance to saline, unstable,

water-logged oxygen-poor soils

Mangrove forest

•Buttresses, stilt or prop

roots, knee roots, and

pneumatophores for

support and gas exchange

are present;
•Elaborate, large lenticels

•Water-bouyant propagules can survive

dispersal by brackish and seawater for

many weeks and over long distance

Viviparous propagules

seeds

germinated while attached to the

parent tree

Cryptoviviparous

seeds germinated

while still attached to the parent tree

but covered with intact fruit wall

Nypa fruticans

occur on inland edge

of mangrove and upper tidal limit of

estuaries especially along water

courses.

peat

formed from waterlogged

soils prevent dead leaves and

wood from full decomposing,

which over time builds up into a

thick layer of blackish substrate

Peat Swamp forest

•Occurs in areas where water

table is higher than the

surrounding areas, with peat

often about 50 cm deep or

more, acidic (pH<=4)

•The only incoming water is

from rain and therefore low

in nutrients

Peat Swamp forest

Tends to have concentric zonation

of vegetation, a sequence of forest

subtypes from the edge of the

formation to the center, representing

succession in time, with the

innermost peat layer thicker being

the oldest formed.

•The outermost zones usually have

more diverse, dense community of

taller and bigger diameter trees,

becoming less diverse, open

community of shorter (low canopy)

and small diameter trees towards

the center.

•This zonation mirrors the conditions

of decreasing fertility towards the

center.

Freshwater swamp forest

•Regularly to occasionally

inundated with mineral-rich

freshwater (pH>=6) from rivers

and streams with the water

level fluctuating, allowing

periodic drying of the soil

surface.

•In some areas, the freshwater

swamp formation may be

flooded daily, or only a few days

a month, or only seasonally

Freshwater swamp forest

•The flora and structure of this

formation may vary from only palms

and pandans (Pandanus sp.), to low

scrub with scattered trees, to forest

dominated by a single species, or

mixed freshwater swamp forest

resembling a low evergreen rain

forest.

•Some tree species may have stilt

roots or plank buttresses.

•Known freshwater swamp forest;

Leyte Sab-a Basin, Agusan Marsh,

and Ligawasan Marsh

•Sago Palm (Metroxylon sagu) is one

common species