Impacts of Disturbance
Floristic Composition, Structure and Natural Regeneration in a Moist Semi-Deciduous Forest following Anthropogenic Disturbances and Plant InvasionbackgroundThis study examines the floristic composition, structure and natural regeneration in three forest types: disturbed forest (DF), undisturbed forest (UF), and disturbed-invaded forest (DIF) in Tinte Bepo forest reserve in Ghana. In addition, this study also considers how anthropogenic disturbances and plant invasion affect plant species composition. Open access copy available |
Consequences of plantation harvest during tropical forest restoration in UgandaBackgroundTimber plantations have recently received considerable attention as a forest restoration strategy for heavily degraded lands in the humid tropics. Plantations can facilitate secondary forest regrowth by providing an understory environment more favorable for native plant recruitment than unmanaged degraded habitats. This study explores how using plantations as a restoration tool affects forest succession; how initial floristics affect successional pathways; and the effect of fire exclusion or other interventions. Open access copy available |
Native Tree Species Regeneration and Diversity in the Mountain Cloud Forests of East AfricabackgroundThis study evaluates the diversity of native species regeneration within 3 native and exotic forest plantations of the indigenous forests of Tatia Hills, East Africa. Research Goals & MethodsResearchers monitoried species diversity, richness and similarity of regenerated species between exotic plantations of pine, eucalyptus and cypress, as well as between native and exotic forests. Open access copy available |
Tree density, basal area and species diversity in a disturbed dry tropicalforest of northern India: implications for conservationBackgroundDry tropical forest communities are among the world’s most threatened systems. Rapid measures are required to protect and restore them in degraded landscapes. For planning conservation strategies, there is a need to determine the essential measurable properties, such as number of species and basal area, that best describe the dry forest vegetation and its environment, and to document quantitative relationships among them. Open access copy available |
Ecological Significance of Crown Functional Traits Across Size Classes and Disturbance Environments in Eight Pioneer Species in a Sri Lankan Rain ForestbackgroundThis article evaluates the tree crown characteristics of eight pioneer tree species in the Shorea-Mesua vegetation type (an aseasonal, mixed dipterocarp forest) around the Sinharaja World Heritage Forest Reserve in southwest Sri Lanka. Research Goals & MethodsThe crown surface area, crown volume, and live crown ratio were measured as well as evaluated for their correlation with tree size classes and disturbance causes. Available with subscription or purchase |
The Ecophysiology of Pioneer Tree Species in Relation to their Disturbance Ecology in a Wet Lowland Rainforest, Sri LankaBackgroundThis dissertation evaluates pioneers species and their response to light availability and disturbance characteristics in the Shorea-Mesua vegetation type (an aseasonal, mixed dipterocarp forest) around the Sinharaja World Heritage Forest Reserve in southwest Sri Lanka. Open access copy available |
Releasing Rain Forest Succession: A Case Study in the Dicranopteris linearis Fernlands of Sri LankabackgroundThis study evaluates the effectiveness of different site treatments for controlling the invasive fern Dicranopteris linearis which has arrested forest succession in areas of the Sinharaja Man and Biosphere (MAB) reserve in lowland Sri Lanka. The fernlands, which had existed in the reserve for 10-20 years before this study, are favored by forest clearance for swidden agriculture and periodic fires. Available with subscription or purchase |
The Global Conservation Status of MangrovesbackgroundThis research evaluates mangrove stands in 16 countries and island states throughout the neo- and paleotropics. Relying on site visits, the authors evaluate the local impacts on mangroves and the attitudes toward mangroves. Available with subscription or purchase |
Seedling survivorship, growth, and response to disturbance in Belizean mangalBackgroundSpecies zonation patterns across tidal gradients in mangrove forests are formed by successful seedling establishment and maintained by replacement of adults by conspecific seedlings. These two processes have rarely been examined experimentally in neotropical mangrove. This study examines survivorship and growth of seedlings of Rhizopora mangle and Avicennia germinans across a tidal gradient in Belize. Open access copy available |
Tropical forest recovery: Legacies of human impact and natural disturbancesBackgroundLand-use history interacts with natural forces to influence the severity of disturbance events and the rate and nature of recovery processes in tropical forests. This perspective article highlights several trends in tropical forest recovery processes emerging from recent literature. Open access copy available |
