Multiple successional pathways in human-modified tropical landscapes: new insights from forest succession, forest fragmentation and landscape ecology research

Multiple successional pathways in human-modified tropical landscapes: new insights from forest succession, forest fragmentation and landscape ecology research

Introduction

With the rise of deforestation, secondary forests and human-modified tropical landscapes (HMTL) have become an important source of ecosystem services yet there is limited knowledge concerning the successional process of these ecosystems. 

Goals & Methods

The goal of this study is to identify the main drivers of successional pathways In HTML and secondary forests at multiple scales. The authors draw on tropical forest succesion, forest fragmentation, and landscape ecology research to achieve this. 

Conclusions & Takeaways

The primary takeaways of this research is that research on secondary forests and HTML must be expanded. The authors propose more comprehensive explanatory models and integration of other fields, such as forest fragmentation and landscape ecology research. The authors conclude that secondary forests and HTML must be incorporated into conservation planning in order to achieve goals at a large scale. 

Reference: 

Arroyo-Rodríguez V, Melo FPL, Martínez-Ramos M, et al. Multiple successional pathways in human-modified tropical landscapes: new insights from forest succession, forest fragmentation and landscape ecology research. Biological Reviews. 2015;92:326–340. doi:10.1111/brv.12231.

Affiliation: 

  • Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Michoacán, Mexico.
  • Departamento de Botânica, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Brazil
  • Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
  • Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, CT, U.S.A.
  • Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, Mexico
  • Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia, Universidade Federal da Paraiba, Cidade Universitária, Paraiba, Brazil.