Effect of Arrival Time on Recruitment, Mortality, and Reproduction in Successional Plant Populations

Delay in immigration significantly reduced emergence, delayed reproduction, and reduced seed production per unit area, but had little effect on juvenile mortality of Daucus carota L. (Umbelliferae) in southern Michigan old fields. Establishment of reproductive populations was most sensitive to events prior to seedling emergence. Reductions in seedling emergence and delays of reproduction were strongly responsive to the present of perennial grasses.