WHAT THE EVIDENCE SAYS
Twenty-five years of records from 148 plots showed richness rising with stand age. Plot-level conspecific negative density dependence did not change significantly with age for recruitment or survival, but growth shifted from destabilizing to stabilizing. Rare species experienced stronger recruitment and growth effects.
WHY IT MATTERS / OUR READ
A regeneration census, survival record and canopy growth series are not interchangeable measures of recovery after disturbance.
CAVEATS / UNCERTAINTY
Observational density effects are not proof of a management treatment; outcomes differ by species abundance and demographic stage.
SOURCE
Nature Communications — Zhu et al. (30 Oct 2026)
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