Impacts of Disturbance
Effects of Invasive Alien Plants on Fire RegimesBackgroundThis article considers how invasive plant species affect native ecosystems by altering fuel properties, fire behavior and fire regime characteristics. These may impact the ability of a site to restore to its previous state. Open access copy available |
Four Opportunities for Studies of Ecological SuccessionBackgroundThe authors introduce two approaches to the study of forest succession: 1) Standardized experimental manipulation - removal or addition of abiotic and biotic factors - across ecological gradients can help elucidate the drivers of succession and 2) the use of meta-analyses of successional data improve the ability to observe temporal changes across broader geographical scales. Available with subscription or purchase |
The Savannization of Moist Forests in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta, ColombiaBackgroundThis study in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta seeks to determine if savannas are natural or caused by anthropogenic factors. The authors use climate data from the past and present, the location of vegetation, and land use history to test their hypothesis. Available with subscription or purchase |
Reforestation of mangroves after severe impacts of herbicides during the the Viet Nam war: the case of Can GioBackgroundDue to years of armed conflict and the extensive use of toxic chemicals in Vietnam in the 1960s, tens of thousands of hectares of mangrove forests were destroyed. In 1978, the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minhi City recognized this lost and began investing in reforestation efforts. Open access copy available |
Drought, Fire, and Tree Survival in a Borneo Rainforest, East Kalimantan, IndonesiaBackgroundWhile draughts and fires are seen as important components of tropical forests, large-scale assessments of the effects of these events are scarce. This paper compares the forest stand level impact between severe drought and a subsequent extensive fires on forest stand in a lowland rainforest in East Kalimantan. Open access copy available |
Mangrove forests: Resilience, protection from tsunamis, and responses to global climate changebackgroundAvailable with subscription or purchase |
Disturbance and Tropical Pioneer Species: Patterns of Association Across Life History StagesBAckgroundThe authors studied pioneer species common in the Sinharaja World Heritage Reserve in Sri Lanka to characterize differences in relation to canopy openness and type, and intensity of disturbance using a combination of field work, canopy photos, and regression models. Available with subscription or purchase |
Disturbance, Recovery and Resilience in Tropical Forests: A Focus on the Coastal Peat Swamp Forests of Malaysian BorneoBackgroundThis thesis represents four years of work investigating the long-term ecological changes that have occurred in the coastal peat swamp forests of Sarawak, in Malaysian Borneo over the Late Holocene. Research Goals & MethodsThree peat cores were extracted from sites along the coast of northern Borneo and fossil pollen and charcoal analysis performed on them in order to look at how vegetation has changed in the past, and what factors may have caused disturbances to the baseline forest communities Open access copy available |
Ecological restoration, rehabilitation and recuperation- national plan for ecosystem restoration (Colombia: Restauración ecológica, rehabilitación y recuperación- plan nacional de restauración de ecosistemas)EnglishbackgroundIn recent years, restoration efforts in Colombia have focused mostly on the control of invasive plants such as Ulex europaeus and the restoration of riparian forests. Nevertheless, to tackle biodiversity loss and forest disturbance and attaining the restoration of affected ecosystems, a more integral strategy is required. Open access copy available |
Seed inputs to microsite patch recovery on two tropandean landslides in EcuadorBackgroundRegeneration of landslides is typically initiated by seed rain. This study reports on seed rain, seed pool, and plant cover on two Ecuadorian landslides. Open access copy available |
