Secondary Succession In Tropical Forest Research Articles

A Remote Sensing Approach to Understanding Patterns of Secondary Succession in Tropical Forest

Monitoring biodiversity on a global scale is a major challenge for biodiversity conservation. Field assessments commonly used to assess patterns of biodiversity and habitat condition are costly, challenging, and restricted to small spatial scales. As ecosystems face increasing anthropogenic pressures, it is important that we find ways to assess patterns of biodiversity more efficiently. Remote sensing has the potential to support understanding of landscape-level ecological processes. In this study, we considered cacao agroforests at different stages of secondary succession, and primary forest in the Northern Range of Trinidad, West Indies. We assessed changes in tree biodiversity over succession using both field data, and data derived from remote sensing. We then evaluated the strengths and limitations of each method, exploring the potential for expanding field data by using remote sensing techniques to investigate landscape-level patterns of forest condition and regeneration. Remote sensing and field data provided different insights into tree species compositional changes, and patterns of alpha- and beta-diversity. The results highlight the potential of remote sensing for detecting patterns of compositional change in forests, and for expanding on field data in order to better understand landscape-level patterns of forest diversity.

Below-ground secondary succession in tropical forests of Borneo

Abstract:As the destruction and severe disturbance of primary tropical forest continues, it is important to understand how these forests may recover from perturbations. Considerable work has been done on above-ground recovery but below-ground processes are less well understood. To determine changes in root mass during tropical secondary succession in lowland forests of Central Borneo, samples were taken from stands of increasing ages since abandonment of agriculture (1, 3, 14 and 31 y) with a primary forest control (six plots from 1-y-old stands and three from all other ages). Root mass and elemental concentrations were determined and soils were chemically analysed. There was no increase in root mass with stand age for fine-root (< 2 mm diameter) or small-root (< 5 mm diameter) mass but there was a trend for coarse-root mass (5–10 mm diameter) to increase with stand age. Negative correlations were shown between root mass and soil nutrient status. Fine-root C concentrations increased with stand age but there was no clear effect of stand age on fine-root N or P. Fine-root mass did not increase significantly with stand age suggesting a rapid recovery; instead, soil nutrient status appeared to be the most important factor controlling root mass. Of the soil nutrients measured in this study, N had a stronger control over root mass than P suggesting that this element may be limiting during secondary succession in tropical lowland forests of Borneo.

An Important Beginning

An Important Beginning

Secondary Succession and Indigenous Management in Semideciduous Forest Fallows of the Amazon Basin1

ABSTRACTTo the discussion on secondary succession in tropical forests, we bring data on three under‐addressed issues: understory as well as overstory changes, continuous as opposed to phase changes, and integration of forest succession with indigenous fallow management and plant uses. Changes in vegetation structure and species composition were analyzed in secondary forests following swidden agriculture in a semideciduous forest of Bolivian lowlands. Twenty‐eight fallows, stratified by four successional stages (early = 1–5 yr, intermediate = 6–10 yr, advanced = 12–20 yr, and older = 22–36 yr), and ten stands of mature forests were sampled. The overstory (plants ≥5 cm diameter at breast height [DBH]) was sampled using a 20 × 50 m plot and the understory (plants <5 cm DBH) in three nested 2 × 5 m subplots. Semistructured interviews provided information on fallow management. Canopy height, basal area, and liana density of the overstory increased with secondary forest age. The early stage had the lowest species density and diversity in the overstory, but the highest diversity in the understory. Species composition and abundance differentiated mature forests and early successional stage from other successional stages; however, species showed individualistic responses across the temporal gradient. A total of 123 of 280 species were useful with edible, medicinal, and construction plants being the most abundant for both over‐ and understories. Most of Los Gwarayo preferred mature forests for making new swidden, while fallows were valuable for crops, useful species, and regenerating timber species.

Successional Immobilization of Nutrients and Biologically Mediated Recycling in Tropical Forests

Successional Immobilization of Nutrients and Biologically Mediated Recycling in Tropical Forests