Low rates of background canopy-gap disturbance in a seasonally dry forest in the Yucatan Peninsula with a history of fires and hurricanes

2001 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 895-902 ◽  
Author(s):  
MATTHEW B. DICKINSON ◽  
SHARON M. HERMANN ◽  
DENNIS F. WHIGHAM
Keyword(s):  
Canopy Gap ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Gap Formation ◽  
Neotropical Forests ◽  
Phase Dynamics ◽  
Seasonally Dry ◽  
High Resource ◽  
Tree Community ◽  
Dry Tropical Forests ◽  
History Of

Isolated canopy gaps involving one to several trees occur continuously and frequently in many moist and wet neotropical forests (sensu Holdridge et al.1971), shaping tree community structure through a shifting mosaic of patches of high resource availability for small and young trees (Denslow 1980). Though there are few relevant data (Jans et al. 1993), forests with significant seasonal drought are expected to have lower rates of canopy-gap formation (gaps ha-1 γ-1), smaller gap sizes, and, thus, lower rates of canopy disturbance (%γ-1, see review in Whigham et al. 1999). At the extreme, very dry tropical forests do not appear to fit the gap-phase dynamics concept (Swaine et al. 1990).

scholarly journals Tree community dynamics of a northern Minas Gerais seasonally dry forest

Revista CERES ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 234-242
Author(s):  
Geovany Heitor Reis ◽  
Rubens Manoel dos Santos ◽  
Diego Gualberto Sales Pereira ◽  
Jean Daniel Morel ◽  
Paola Ferreira Santos
Keyword(s):  
Structural Changes ◽  
Community Dynamics ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Minas Gerais ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Seasonally Dry ◽  
Tree Community ◽  
Dead Trees ◽  
New Recruits

ABSTRACT This study aimed to characterize the dynamics, structural changes and floristics of a Northern Minas Gerais Seasonally Deciduous Forest tree community, in a 5 year interval. In 2005, 10 (20 x 20m) plots were allocated. All trees (CBH ≥ 10 cm) were tagged and measured. A second census was carried out in 2010 in order to measure surviving, new recruits and dead trees. In 2005, 46 species were recorded, moving to 45 in 2010. No significant differences were found for Shannon - diversity (H’ = 2.62 nats ind-1 in 2005; H’ = 2.60 nats ind-1 in 2010) and Pielou eveness (J = 0.683 in 2005; J = 0.682 in 2010) in the interval. A total of 57 dead records (rate of 1.64% year-1) were found whereas 18 trees were recruited (rate of 0.53% year-1). Despite the higher mortality as compared to recruitment, the results suggest that the community remained stable in both structural and diversity terms in the interval considered.

scholarly journals Tree species diversity in a seasonally-dry forest: the case of the Pinkaití site, in the Kayapó Indigenous Area, Southeastern limits of the Amazon

2004 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 435-443 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodolfo Salm
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Forest Structure ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Natural Disturbance ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Research Station ◽  
Tree Species Diversity ◽  
Seasonally Dry ◽  
Great Heterogeneity ◽  
History Of

This study investigates patterns of forest structure and tree species diversity in an anthropogenic palm grove and undisturbed areas at the seasonally-dry Pinkaití research station, in the Kayapó Indigenous Area. This site, managed by the Conservation International do Brasil, is the most southeastern site floristically surveyed in the Amazon until now. The secondary and a nearby undisturbed forest were sampled in a group of 52 floristic plots of 0.0625-ha (25x25-m) where all trees with DBH > 10 cm were measured and identified. The analyses were complemented with other two floristic plots of 1-ha (10x1000-m). The present study has shown that the Pinkaití, like other seasonally-dry forests, have great heterogeneity in forest structure and composition, associated with biotic characteristics of the most important tree species, natural disturbance and history of land-use. The palm grove, moderately dominated by the arborescent palm Attalea maripa (Aubl.) Mart., presented high tree species diversity and was floristically similar to undisturbed forests at the study site. It is discussed the importance of large arborescent palms for the seasonally-dry Amazon forests regeneration.

The effect of treefall gaps on the understorey structure and composition of the tropical dry forest of Nizanda, Oaxaca, Mexico: implications for forest regeneration

2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanus A. Dechnik-Vázquez ◽  
Jorge A. Meave ◽  
Eduardo A. Pérez-García ◽  
José A. Gallardo-Cruz ◽  
Marco Antonio Romero-Romero
Keyword(s):  
Forest Regeneration ◽  
Tropical Dry Forest ◽  
Canopy Gaps ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Gap Formation ◽  
Understorey Vegetation ◽  
Phase Dynamics ◽  
Treefall Gaps ◽  
Almost All

Abstract:The role of canopy gaps in tropical dry forest (TDF) dynamics remains unclear. Here, 75 canopy gaps, mostly formed by the fall of Bursera spp. and Pachycereus pecten-aboriginum individuals, are described, and their potential consequences for forest regeneration are analysed in a Mexican TDF. In 50 randomly selected gaps, understorey vegetation was sampled with a paired design (inside and outside gaps) and by distinguishing two plant height categories. In total, 1940 plants were recorded (63% in gaps and 37% in non-gap plots). Community attributes (density, community cover, taxonomic richness and Shannon diversity) were significantly higher for both height categories in gap plots. Conversely, neither an NMDS ordination nor a multinomial classification of 187 species by habitat affinities revealed floristic segregation between gaps and non-gaps; almost all species were classified as habitat generalists, with only a few opportunistic forbs (but no single tree species) being classified as gap specialists. The most important effects of gap formation are significant increases in plant abundance and species richness, but not a different species composition. Against earlier views that gap-phase dynamics is inconsequential for TDF dynamics, these results suggest a more active, albeit modest, role of treefall gaps in TDF, through promoting an abundant establishment.

A coupled phylogeographical and species distribution modelling approach recovers the demographical history of a Neotropical seasonally dry forest tree species

2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (23) ◽  
pp. 5845-5863 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosane G. Collevatti ◽  
Levi Carina Terribile ◽  
Matheus S. Lima-Ribeiro ◽  
João C. Nabout ◽  
Guilherme de Oliveira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Distribution ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Species Distribution Modelling ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Distribution Modelling ◽  
Seasonally Dry ◽  
History Of ◽  
Seasonally Dry Forest ◽  
Modelling Approach

scholarly journals Endemics and Cosmopolitans: Application of Statistical Mechanics to the Dry Forests of Mexico

Entropy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (6) ◽  
pp. 616
Author(s):  
Michael G. Bowler ◽  
Colleen K. Kelly
Keyword(s):  
Species Richness ◽  
Statistical Mechanics ◽  
Alien Species ◽  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Single Site ◽  
Seasonally Dry ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests ◽  
Dry Tropical Forests

Data on the seasonally dry tropical forests of Mexico have been examined in the light of statistical mechanics. The results suggest a division into two classes of species. There are drifting populations of a cosmopolitan class capable of existing in most dry forest sites; these have a statistical distribution previously only observed (globally) for populations of alien species. We infer that a high proportion of species found only at a single site are specialists, endemics, and that these prefer sites comparatively low in species richness.

scholarly journals Analyzing the edge effects in a Brazilian seasonally dry tropical forest

2016 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. M. Arruda ◽  
P. V. Eisenlohr
Keyword(s):  
Edge Effects ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Forest Canopy ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Forest Edges ◽  
Dry Forests ◽  
Seasonally Dry ◽  
Dry Tropical Forests ◽  
Microclimatic Conditions

Abstract Due to the deciduous nature of dry forests (widely known as seasonally dry tropical forests) they are subject to microclimatic conditions not experienced in other forest formations. Close examinations of the theory of edge effects in dry forests are still rare and a number of questions arise in terms of this topic. In light of this situation we examined a fragment of the dry forest to respond to the following questions: (I) Are there differences in canopy cover along the edge-interior gradient during the dry season? (II) How does the microclimate (air temperature, soil temperature, and relative humidity) vary along that gradient? (III) How does the microclimate influence tree species richness, evenness and abundance along that gradient? (IV) Are certain tree species more dominant closer to the forest edges? Regressions were performed to address these questions. Their coefficients did not significantly vary from zero. Apparently, the uniform openness of the forest canopy caused a homogeneous internal microclimate, without significant differentiation in habitats that would allow modifications in biotic variables tested. We conclude that the processes of edge effect commonly seen in humid forests, not was shared with the dry forest assessed.

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