Most forest gaps are small but large gaps contribute most total gap area.

Evidence

Most gaps are small (Fig. 1), although a disproportionate amount of total gap area is contributed by large gaps. The smallest gaps result from fallen liana tangles, limbs, or the gradual disintegration of a standing dead tree; the largest gaps result from multiple treefalls. — S. T. A. Pickett and P. S. White, eds., The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and…, 387

Categorization

• XREF: Mirrors how chronic small disturbances vs. rare catastrophic ones shape landscapes differently — parallel to the frequent-disaster/rare-catastrophe distinction from ch.1. — connects to: Microclimate inside a forest gap depends on gap diameter relative to tree height. — S. T. A. Pickett and P. S. White, eds., The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and…, 164; Pioneers dominate large gaps but occupy only debris-free portions of them — S. T. A. Pickett and P. S. White, eds., The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and…, 458
• SHARE: The Gabon breakdown of gap causes (single treefalls = 51% of gaps) is a nerdy stat for the course field-trip people.

Broader Connections

• Pioneers dominate large gaps but occupy only debris-free portions of them #responds-to (0.70) — S. T. A. Pickett and P. S. White, eds., The Ecology of Natural Disturbance and…, 458