Download or read book Belowground Responses to Elevation in a Tropical Montane Cloud Forest written by Caitlin Irene Looby and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 119 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tropical montane cloud forests (TMCF) are defined by their characteristic cloud cover. This cloud cover endows these forests with unique structural and functional characteristics. However, climate change is reducing cloud cover, and causing warmer temperatures and longer dry periods in TMCF. Studies show that there will be devastating effects on plant and animal species aboveground. But, few studies have investigated soil communities and associated processes in TMCF. The goal of this dissertation was to characterize soil fungal communities and associated properties to determine how they respond to elevation. And in turn, assess how soil fungi and decomposition may respond to projected climate change.In Chapter 1, I characterized soil fungal communities and associated properties along an elevation gradient in a TMCF in Monteverde, Costa Rica. I found that soil properties, fungal communities, and microbial processes varied with elevation and across seasons. In Chapter 2, I simulated the effects of climate change by performing a soil translocation experiment across this same gradient. I found that fungal decomposers and pathogens may increase under warmer, drier conditions. I also found that decomposition increased under these warmer, drier conditions. The results suggest that decomposition may increase, and plants and animals may be exposed to more pathogens. In Chapter 3, I compared canopy and ground soils along two elevation gradients. I also assessed if these two soil types differed in how their properties, fungal communities, and extracellular enzyme activity (EEA) varied with elevation. I found that fungal communities differed between canopy and ground soils. Moreover, canopy soils had greater EEA than ground soils, suggesting that canopy soils have a greater decomposition potential and may contribute greatly to C cycling. Carbon dynamics in canopy soil may also be particularly responsive to climate change even more than we might predict based on observations from ground soil. Collectively, the results of my dissertation provide insights into how the structure and function of TMCF may be altered through changes in the fungal community.

Download or read book Tropical Montane Cloud Forests written by L. A. Bruijnzeel and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2011-01-06 with total page 793 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume represents a uniquely comprehensive overview of our current knowledge on tropical montane cloud forests. 72 chapters cover a wide spectrum of topics including cloud forest distribution, climate, soils, biodiversity, hydrological processes, hydrochemistry and water quality, climate change impacts, and cloud forest conservation, management, and restoration. The final chapter presents a major synthesis by some of the world's leading cloud forest researchers, which summarizes our current knowledge and considers the sustainability of these forests in an ever-changing world. This book presents state-of-the-art knowledge concerning cloud forest occurrence and status, as well as the biological and hydrological value of these unique forests. The presentation is academic but with a firm practical emphasis. It will serve as a core reference for academic researchers and students of environmental science and ecology, as well as practitioners (natural resources management, forest conservation) and decision makers at local, national, and international levels.

Download or read book Tropical Montane Forests in a Changing Environment written by Norma Salinas and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2021-09-24 with total page 119 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Andean Cloud Forest written by Randall W. Myster and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-11-12 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A book focused solely on Andean Cloud Forests (ACF) has never been published. ACF are high biodiversity ecosystems in the Neotropics with a large proportion of endemic species, and are important for the hydrology of entire regions. They provide water for large parts of the Amazon basin, for example. Here I take advantage of my many years working in ACF in Ecuador, to edit this book that contains the following sections: (1) ACF over space and time, (2) Hydrology, (3) Light and the Carbon cycle, (4) Soil, litter, fungi and nutrient cycling, (5) Plants, (6) Animals, and (7) Human impacts and management. Under this premise, international experts contributed chapters that consist of reviews of what is known about their topic, of what research they have done, and of what needs to be done in the future. This work is suitable for graduate students, professors, scientists, and researcher-oriented managers.

Download or read book Hydro meteorological Functioning of Tropical Montane Cloud Forests in the Orinoco River Basin written by and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 206 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Monteverde written by Nalini M. Nadkarni and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2000-03-09 with total page 598 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve has captured the worldwide attention of biologists, conservationists, and ecologists and has been the setting for extensive investigation over the past 30 years. Roughly 40,000 ecotourists visit the Cloud Forest each year, and it is often considered the archetypal high-altitude rain forest.This volume brings together some of the most prominent researchers of the region to provide a broad introduction to the biology of the Monteverde, and cloud forests in general. Collecting and synthesizing vital information about the ecosystem and its biota, the book also examines the positive and negative effects of human activity on both the forest and the surrounding communities. Ecologists, tropical biologists, and natural historians will find this volume an indispensable resource, as will all those who are fascinated by the magnificent wonders of the tropical forests.

Download or read book Effects of Nitrogen Additions on Above and Belowground Carbon Dynamics in Two Tropical Forests written by and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Anthropogenic nitrogen (N) deposition is increasing rapidly in tropical regions, adding N to ecosystems that often have high background N availability. Tropical forests play an important role in the global carbon (C) cycle, yet the effects of N deposition on C cycling in these ecosystems are poorly understood. We used a field N-fertilization experiment in lower and upper elevation tropical rain forests in Puerto Rico to explore the responses of above- and belowground C pools to N addition. As expected, tree stem growth and litterfall productivity did not respond to N fertilization in either of these Nrich forests, indicating a lack of N limitation to net primary productivity (NPP). In contrast, soil C concentrations increased significantly with N fertilization in both forests, leading to larger C stocks in fertilized plots. However, different soil C pools responded to N fertilization differently. Labile (low density) soil C fractions and live fine roots declined with fertilization, while mineral-associated soil C increased in both forests. Decreased soil CO2 fluxes in fertilized plots were correlated with smaller labile soil C pools in the lower elevation forest (R2 = 0.65, p\0.05), and with lower live fine root biomass in the upper elevation forest (R2 = 0.90, p\0.05). Our results indicate that soil C storage is sensitive to N deposition in tropical forests, even where plant productivity is not N-limited. The mineral-associated soil C pool has the potential to respond relatively quickly to N additions, and can drive increases in bulk soil C stocks in tropical forests.

Download or read book The Ecology of Tropical East Asia written by Richard Corlett and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2014 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An updated edition of the only book dedicated to the terrestrial ecology of the East Asian tropics, authored by a world-renowned tropical ecologist

Download or read book Silviculture written by Ana Cristina Gonçalves and published by BoD – Books on Demand. This book was released on 2021-03-10 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Silviculture is integral for the perpetuity and sustainability of forest stands and their yields. It encompasses several methods and techniques that make the bridge between individual trees and the stand. This book focuses on sustainable forest management with chapters on such topics as afforestation, thinning, pest control, and mitigation of climate change, among others.

Download or read book Canopy Soil Nutrient Cycling and Response to Elevated Nutrient Levels Along an Elevation Gradient of Tropical Montane Forests written by Amanda Matson and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although canopy soils can contribute significantly to aboveground labile biomass, they are often overlooked in nutrient cycling studies. In forests with large accumulations of canopy soil, such as those found in tropical montane regions, this could contribute to an incomplete understanding of nutrient cycling in the overall forest. Canopy soils are collections of organic material commonly found on the branches of trees in humid forests; they are primarily made up of decomposed epiphytic material but also include intercepted litter, dust, invertebrates, fungi and microorganisms. There are on...

Download or read book The Conservation of Mount Kilimanjaro written by William Dubois Newmark and published by IUCN. This book was released on 1991 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Restoring Tropical Forests written by Stephen D. Elliott and published by Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. This book was released on 2013 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Restoring Tropical Forests is a user-friendly guide to restoring forests throughout the tropics. Based on the concepts, knowledge and innovative techniques developed at Chiang Mai University's Forest Restoration Research Unit, this book will enable improvements in existing forest restoration projects and provide a key resource for new ones. The book presents three aspects of the restoration of tropical forest ecosystems: the concepts of tropical forest dynamics and regeneration that are relevant to tropical forest restoration, proven restoration techniques and case studies of their successful application, and research methods to refine such techniques and adapt them to local ecological and socio-economic conditions.

Download or read book Gradients in a Tropical Mountain Ecosystem of Ecuador written by Erwin Beck and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2008-01-24 with total page 525 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fascinating work that provides a wealth of information on one of the world’s most biodiverse ecosystems. This is the result of investigations by almost 30 groups of researchers from various disciplines. They performed ecosystem analyses following two gradients: an altitudinal gradient and a gradient of land use intensity and ecosystem regeneration following human use. Based on these analyses, this volume discusses these findings in a huge variety of subject areas.

Download or read book Physiological Ecology of the Alpine Timberline written by W. Tranquillini and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the European Alps the importance of forests as protection against ava lanches and soil erosion is becoming ever clearer with the continuing increase in population and development of tourism. The protective potential of the moun tain forests can currently only be partially realised because a considerable propor tion of high-altitude stands has been destroyed in historical times by man's extensive clearing ofthe forests. The forests still remaining are of limited effec tiveness, due to inadequate density of trees and over-maturity. Considerable efforts, however, are now being made in the Alps and other mountains of the globe to increase the high-altitude forested area through reforestation, to raise depressed timberlines, and to restore remaining protection forests using suit able silvicultural methods to their full protective value. This momentous task, if it is to be successful, must be planned on a sound foundation. An important prerequisite is the assembly of scientific facts con cerning the physical environment in the protection forest zone of mountains, and the course of various life processes of tree species occurring there. Since the introduction of practical field techniques it has been possible to investigate successfully the reaction of trees at various altitudes to recorded factors, and the extent to which they are adapted to the measured situations. Such ecophysio logical studies enable us to recognize the site requirements for individual tree species, and the reasons for the limits of their natural distribution.

Download or read book Forest Canopies written by Margaret Lowman and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2004-09 with total page 543 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The treetops of the world's forests are where discovery and opportunity abound, however they have been relatively inaccessible until recently. This book represents an authoritative synthesis of data, anecdotes, case studies, observations, and recommendations from researchers and educators who have risked life and limb in their advocacy of the High Frontier. With innovative rope techniques, cranes, walkways, dirigibles, and towers, they finally gained access to the rich biodiversity that lives far above the forest floor and the emerging science of canopy ecology. In this new edition of Forest Canopies, nearly 60 scientists and educators from around the world look at the biodiversity, ecology, evolution, and conservation of forest canopy ecosystems. Comprehensive literature list State-of-the-art results and data sets from current field work Foremost scientists in the field of canopy ecology Expanded collaboration of researchers and international projects User-friendly format with sidebars and case studies Keywords and outlines for each chapter

Download or read book Causes and Consequences of Species Diversity in Forest Ecosystems written by Aaron M. Ellison and published by MDPI. This book was released on 2019-07-30 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue Causes and Consequences of Species Diversity in Forest Ecosystems that was published in Forests

Download or read book Plant Water Relations in Seasonally Dry Tropical Montane Cloud Forests written by Gregory Rubin Goldsmith and published by . This book was released on 2012 with total page 190 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seasonal changes in water availability have been demonstrated to play a fundamental role in determining plant survival-mortality dynamics in a number of different ecosystems. Tropical montane cloud forests are often considered to be aseasonal environments that do not experience significant water deficits; however, there is growing recognition that many of these rare ecosystems experience one or more dry seasons annually. Moreover, many tropical montane cloud forests are projected to experience decreases in dry season precipitation and increases in dry season temperature as a function of climate change. While the regular presence of clouds may mitigate plant water stress occurring during the dry season, clouds are also projected to decrease in frequency, intensity and cover. At present, little is known about the plant-climate interactions in tropical montane cloud forests. In order to improve our understanding of the effects of climate change on tropical montane cloud forests, I studied how seasonal changes in water availability affect plant functioning using observational and experimental approaches at a number of different scales: In Chapter 1, I present the results from a study on tropical montane cloud forest ecohydrology. Despite longstanding recognition of the unique nature of hydrologic cycling in tropical montane forests, comprehensive and comparative studies remain limited. I studied the intra- and inter-annual variation in the inputs, pools and fluxes of water in a seasonally dry tropical montane cloud forest near Veracruz, Mexico using hydrogen and oxygen stable isotope ratios in water. There was significant seasonal variation in the hydrogen and oxygen stable isotope ratios of precipitation inputs driven by differences in the origin and size of storm events. This variation facilitated the separation of different pools of water, revealing the presence of two separate soil water pools, one highly mobile pool contributing to streams and a second less mobile pool being used by plants. At the peak of the dry season, the predominant deciduous and evergreen tree species were accessing shallow soil water from this second, less mobile pool. The results provide a foundation upon which to better understand the coupling between the hydrology and ecology of tropical montane cloud forests now and given projected scenarios of climate change. In Chapter 2, I present the results from a study on the effects of a sustained decrease in water availability on the growth and physiology of tropical montane cloud forest plant seedlings. Research on the functional response of tropical plants to seasonal changes in water availability has largely focused on tropical lowland ecosystems. I conducted an experimental dry-down of seedlings from four common tropical montane plant species in the genus Ocotea at a common site near Monteverde, Costa Rica. Despite only a small decrease in soil water availability, plants subjected to the experimental dry down demonstrated species-specific reductions in both physiology and growth. The results indicate that water is likely to play a strong role in tropical montane cloud forest plant functioning. In Chapter 3, I present the results from a study on the interactions between clouds and tropical montane cloud forest plants, with a focus on the prevalence and significance of foliar water uptake. Foliar water uptake, the direct uptake of water accumulated on leaf surfaces into leaves, is a common phenomenon in ecosystems that experience frequent fog or cloud immersion, but has not been studied in tropical montane cloud forests. I quantified cloud cover patterns in two neighboring, seasonally dry tropical montane cloud forests near Monteverde, Costa Rica using remote sensing data. I then correlated these patterns with ground-based observations of leaf wetting occurring due to the physical impaction of cloud moisture on leaf surfaces. During the dry season, when rainfall is reduced and leaf wetting due to clouds is the primary source of water in the ecosystem, leaf wetting events resulted in foliar water uptake in all species studied. While all the species demonstrated the capacity to improve their leaf water potential as a result of foliar water uptake, this capacity differed between the two forests and among the species studied within a forest. The results indicate that changes in the frequency, intensity, and duration of cloud cover projected to occur as a function of regional warming will not affect all species or forests equally. In Chapter 4, I present the results from a study on the effects of leaf wetting events and the resultant foliar water uptake on leaf water pressure-volume relations. Research on foliar water uptake has almost exclusively focused on the implications of additional water for leaf water potential and its impacts on photosynthetic performance. However, the study of pressure-volume relations can provide important insights into whether foliar water uptake alters traits responsible for the movement and conservation of water in leaves. I compared the pressure-volume relations of leaves rehydrated through both xylem and foliar water uptake compared to xylem alone in four tropical montane plant species near Monteverde, Costa Rica. Rehydration through both pathways caused inconsistent differences among species; however, one species demonstrated a decrease in the modulus of elasticity and an increase in capacitance that may be a function of differences in leaf anatomy. The results indicate that changes in pressure-volume traits associated with leaf wetting and foliar water uptake may have consequences for plant functioning and suggest that future research should more explicitly consider the role of leaf wetting in plant-water relations. Taken together, these studies suggest that the annual dry season experienced by the tropical montane cloud forests studied herein result in plant water deficits that impact plant functioning. However, these plant water deficits can be mitigated by the presence of clouds. The species-specific nature of many of the results indicate that projected changes in dry season water availability may alter plant survival-mortality dynamics and thus affect the species composition of tropical montane cloud forests in the future.