| Gaia: | Natural regeneration of eight species of trees in three different types of gaps caused by selective logging of mahogany in a rainforest of Quintana Roo, Mexico, was studied. Point centered quarter method was applied randomly in each of the 10 replications per site. Height and density of the seedling and saplings were evaluated. Results indicate that selective logging creates gaps in which there are recruitment and growth of all eight species studied. In general, the type of gap did not show significant effect on plant density, but the growth of Swietenia macrophylla and Metopium brownei was significantly affected by the type of gap. Seedlings and saplings growing in gaps caused by roads and by falling of logs had significant higher heights than the control. After six years of disturbance, the gaps are an important reservoir seedlings and saplings of economically important trees with the possibility of conforming over time a rainforest dominated by these species.
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