Population dynamics of seed and seedlings of Albizia procera (Roxb.) in Mizoram, India

Seed production, dispersal, germination, and seedling establishment are critical life phases in the trees. Understanding these processes is crucial to recognizing species composition and directional change in ecosystem restoration. This study aims to estimate seed production, dispersal, and fate of the seed population of A. procera (Roxb.) as well as to evaluate its seedling growth performance in relation to microclimates in the natural conditions. Seed production was estimated from 15 sampled trees for three years, and seed dispersal using circular sample plots. Additionally, seeds fall under the mother tree were estimated using seed traps. The mean seed production of A. procera was 145,352 seeds in 2022, 43,607 seeds in 2023, and 41,490 seeds in 2024 seed/plant and it significantly differed between years (P < 0.001) and among individual trees. Strong positive correlations were found between total seed production and tree characteristics such as number of branches, mean number of sub-sub-branches, inflorescences, crown height, and crown diameter. In contrast, a strong negative correlation was observed between seed dispersal and dispersal distance from the mother tree ( r  = − 0.908 in 2022, r  = − 0.927 in 2023, and r  = − 0.855 in 2024). A majority of the seeds produced (55.02% in 2022, 54.25% in 2023 and 52.92 in 2024) fell under the mother tree while seeds disappearance decreased with increasing distance from the mother tree. Further, relative seedling growth rate was strongly influenced by soil temperature, moisture and relative humidity indicating their important role in the successful establishment of A. procera in natural conditions. The findings of this study may help in growth monitoring of A. procera and restoration of degraded land.