The objective of this project is to identify factors responsible for arrested succession in old-fields in a tropical rainforest in Mexico. Four arrested old-fields will be compared with four fields in late succession, defined by the abundance of the indicator species of late succession, Cecropia obtusifolia. The factors involved in its absence in arrested fields will be investigated from the seed to the sapling stage. Soil seed bank and its viability will be compared between arrested and non-arrested stages. Space availability as potential colonization sites will equally be compared. Sown seeds, following two different densities, will be followed to determine removal by predators and seed viability. These will be compared between stages. Growth and survival of the seedlings will be compared between arrested and non-arrested sites, until they reach the sapling stage. Microclimatic and edaphic conditions will be monitored for possible correlation with growth and survival of the seedlings. Factors preventing C. obtusifolia from occurring in arrested sites may indicate forces detaining succession, which are important to control fallow periods in traditional agriculture.
