Chronosequence Studies
Forest Recovery after Swidden Cultivation across a 40-year Chronosequence in the Atlantic Forest of Southern Bahia, BrazilbackgroundSecondary forest with a range of ages was compared to old growth forest in the Serra do Conduru State Park in Southern Bahia, Brazil in terms of species composition and structure. Open access copy available |
Tropical Dry Forest Recovery: Processes and Causes of ChangeBACKGROUNDThis paper aims at unraveling processes and pathways of tropical dry forest (TDF) secondary succession occurring after traditional shifting-cultivation practices. It focuses on the study of community dynamics, the development of forest structure, and changes in floristic composition, to understand what makes a group of species to be present, dominant, and eventually disappear, at a certain space and time. The work begins with a section on the use of tree rings to determine the ages of fallows. Open access copy available |
Forest Regeneration in a Chronosequence of Tropical Abandoned Pastures: Implications for Restoration EcologyBackgroundDuring the mid‐1900s, most of the island of Puerto Rico was deforested, but a shift in the economy from agriculture to small industry beginning in the 1950s resulted in the abandonment of agricultural lands and recovery of secondary forest. This research examines the natural regeneration patterns on these abandoned agricultural lands in four different regions of Puerto Rico. Available with subscription or purchase |
Soil organic matter dynamics during 80 years of reforestation of tropical pasturesBackgroundLand disturbance affects soil physical and chemical properties. Some properties may be recovered over long periods of reforestation. Mosaic-pattern landscapes with shifting usages over time, common in the mountainous tropics, can reveal dynamic soil properties. This study reports on changes in soil carbon over 80 years of secondary forest growth on abandoned pasture over a chronosequence in Puerto Rico. Open access copy available |
