Modelling the tree population dynamics of the most abundant species in a Nigerian tropical rain forest

Matrix models were constructed and applied to tree communities in a Nigeria Tropical Rain forest. The matrices represented the stages of secondary succession of the most abundant species in the forest based on a 13-year study period. udy showed that vegetation changes would be fast in the first 50 years, in which period the top-canopy species would have replaced nearly 50% of the understorey species. But the rate of the process would slow down and attain a dynamic equilibrium at about 100 years. The limiting distribution of species composition would depend on the replacement probabilities but would be completely independent of the original species composition.