Species Characteristics

Tree species effects on soil properties in experimental plantations in tropical moist forest

Background

Forest soil properties are influenced by the complex interactions of vegetation, soil type, geology, management, and climactic patterns. Tree species can differ in their long-term effects on soils. This study resamples one of the earliest replicated experimental sites at La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica, used to examine the effects of native tropical tree species on soil properties, to examine longer term effects on soil properties.

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Soil carbon differences among forest, agriculture, and secondary vegetation in lower montane Ecuador

Background

Changes in land use and land cover may affect soil properties and processes. Conversion of forest to cultivation is assumed to result in a decrease in soil nutrients. In the lower montane region of Ecuador, shifting cultivation patterns mean that forest clearing is occurring simultaneously with recolonization of secondary vegetation on abandoned agricultural lands.

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Effects of forest clearing and succession on the carbon and nitrogen content of soils in Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands

Background

Conversion of tropical forest lands to agriculture or pasture affects soil organic matter, moisture, and nutrients. This study examines the effects on soil carbon, nitrogen, and moisture at depths up to 100 cm of conversion from forest to agriculture and pasture.

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Moringa oleifera (Moringaceae): ethnobotanical studies in Guatemala

Background

This article reviews an ethnobotanical survey and a prelimary agronomic study in order to understand the popular uses and viability of Moringa oleifera, a widely-used and well-known plant in Guatemala. 

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Economic Botany of Spondias Purpurea

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This article reviews the Neotropical fruit Spondias purpurea (Anacardiaceae) - "Ciruela" or "Ovo", describing the cultivation, yields, and economics of the fruit.

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O recobrimento do Brasil (The Recovery of Brazil)

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Fruit Production of the Ungurahua Palm (Oenocarpus bataua subsp. bataua, Arecaceae) in an Indigenous Managed Reserve

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This article reviews the biology and use of the Amazonian palm Oenocarpus batua, known in Ecuador as ungurahua. It is a mid-story palm that grows throughout the terra firme sites in the Amazon Basin and wet coastal areas of Ecuador, Trinidad, and Panama.

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Patterns of Seed Longevity and Germination in the Tropical Rainforest

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This article reviews the factors that affect seed longevity and germination in tropical trees by providing an introduction to literature on the subject.

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Apuntes sobre algunas especies forestales nativas de la sierra Peruana (Notes about several forest native species from the highlands of Peru)

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Antecedentes

Desde 1860, la reforestación en la Sierra Peruana se realizó principalmente con Eucalipto, cambiando a Pinus radiata durante las décadas de 1950-1970. La necesidad de reforestar tierras mas elevadas, despertó el interés por la propagación y uso de especies forestales nativas las cuales se encuentran mejor adaptadas a estas condiciones y presentan diversos usos y beneficios.

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Enriquecimiento de plantaciones de Pinus patula con especies nativas en el sur del Ecuador (Enrichment of Pinus patula plantations with native species in southern Ecuador)

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