Download or read book Structure and Functioning of Epiphyte Communities in a Seasonal Tropical Forest written by Laurel Kaitlyn Goode and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Vascular Epiphytes written by David H. Benzing and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2008-01-07 with total page 380 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This synthesis of the growing body of information from research on epiphytes and their relations with other tropical biota provides a comprehensive overview of basic functions, life history, evolution, and the place of epiphytes in complex tropical communities. Epiphytes comprise more than one-third of the tropical vascular flora in some tropical forests. Growing within tropical forest canopies, epiphytes are subject to severe environmental constraints, and their diverse adaptations make them a rich resource for studies of water balance, nutrition, reproduction and evolution.
Download or read book Tropical Forest Community Ecology written by Walter Carson and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-08-31 with total page 686 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Historically, tropical ecology has been a science often content with descriptive and demographic approaches, which is understandable given the difficulty of studying these ecosystems and the need for basic demographic information. Nonetheless, over the last several years, tropical ecologists have begun to test more sophisticated ecological theory and are now beginning to address a broad array of questions that are of particular importance to tropical systems, and ecology in general. Why are there are so many species in tropical forests and what mechanisms are responsible for the maintenance of that vast species diversity? What factors control species coexistence? Are there common patterns of species abundance and distribution across broad geographic scales? What is the role of trophic interactions in these complex ecosystems? How can these fragile ecosystems be conserved? Containing contributions from some of the world’s leading tropical ecologists, Tropical Forest Community Ecology provides a summary of the key issues in the discipline of tropical ecology: Includes contributions from some of the world’s leading tropical ecologists Covers patterns of species distribution, the maintenance of species diversity, the community ecology of tropical animals, forest regeneration and conservation of tropical ecosystems
Download or read book Understanding Patterns and Mechanisms of Forest Canopy Diversity and Ecosystem Functions in a Changing World written by Akihiro Nakamura and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2022-09-23 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
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 Reproductive Ecology of Tropical Forest Plants written by K.S. Bawa and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 1991-01-15 with total page 452 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reproductive Ecology of Tropical Forest Plants reviews recent developments in the reproductive ecology of tropical forest plants and explores the implications of current findings on forest structure, function, management, and conservation. It examines how insights gained from reproductive ecology can be helpful in the management of tropical forest resources and discusses directions of future research.
Download or read book Linking Composition Structure and Functions of Biodiversity written by Ivan Andres Diaz and published by . This book was released on 2009 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Forest canopy was inhabited by a large diversity of insects, arachnids, annelids and mollusks; notable patterns included a general lack of ants and a preponderance of detritivores. Trees with epiphytes supported 20% more invertebrate species in the tree crown and twice the invertebrate biomass of similar trees without epiphytes. Finally, large trees with epiphytes attracted more bird visits than similar trees without epiphytes, and forest plots with greater epiphytic biomass supported significantly greater bird abundance; bird species richness was not affected. My findings identify large old trees as a critical structural dimension of mature forest that defines forest canopy communities as unique assemblages that contribute significant diversity and biomass to south-temperate rainforest. Continuing research also reveals that ecological functions (such as water and nutrient retention, pollination, seed dispersal, predation) of canopy communities supported by large trees are both unique and significant within the forest ecosystem. Implications for sustainable forest management practices are discussed.
Download or read book Foundations of Tropical Forest Biology written by Robin L. Chazdon and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 880 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a timely collection of pioneering work in the study of these diverse and fascinating ecosystems. It consists of facsimiles of papers chosen by world experts in tropical biology as the 'classics' in the field.
Download or read book Living far from the ground Strategies of forest epiphytes written by Paolo Giordani and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2023-05-02 with total page 122 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Vascular Plants as Epiphytes written by Ulrich Lüttge and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In his lectures my teacher Karl Mägdefrau used to say that one only becomes a real plant scientist when one enters a tropical rainforest. For me this initiation occurred in 1969 in northern Queensland, Australia, and was associated with the greatest excitement. On another level it received confirmation when I set out in 1983 together with some friends and colleagues for the first detailed ecophysiological studies of epiphytes in the wet tropics in situ in the island of Trinidad and later for similar work in Venezuela. This then promoted the idea of organizing a special symposium on "The evolution and ecophysiology of vascular plants as epiphytes" during the XIV International Botanical Congress in luly 1987 in Berlin, and to ask some of the speakers to produce chapters for a small monograph on the interesting ecologically defined group of plants "epiphytes" as presented in this volume of "Ecological Studies". The enthusiasm of the participants of the symposium giving reports and adding to the discussion was most stimulating, and it appears that epiphytes might gain well-deserved, wider consideration in the future. The cooperation with the authors of this book was very pleasant and I appreciated the new contacts established with adepts of the "epiphyte community". The chapters were organized and arranged covering first more gen eral aspects with setting the scene in Chapter 1, the evolution of epi phytism in Chapter 2 and the role of CO -concentrating mechanisms in 2 Chapter 3.
Download or read book Plants on Plants The Biology of Vascular Epiphytes written by Gerhard Zotz and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-09-01 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book critically reviews advances in our understanding of the biology of vascular epiphytes since Andreas Schimper’s 1888 seminal work. It addresses all aspects of their biology, from anatomy and physiology to ecology and evolution, in the context of general biological principles. By comparing epiphytes with non-epiphytes throughout, it offers a valuable resource for researchers in plant sciences and related disciplines. A particular strength is the identification of research areas that have not received the attention they deserve, with conservation being a case in point. Scientists have tended to study pristine systems, but global developments call for information on epiphytes in human-disturbed systems and the response of epiphytes to global climate change.
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 Living in a Dynamic Tropical Forest Landscape written by Nigel Stork and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2009-01-26 with total page 652 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book brings together a wealth of scientific findings andecological knowledge to survey what we have learned about the“Wet Tropics” rainforests of North Queensland,Australia. This interdisciplinary text is the first book to providesuch a holistic view of any tropical forest environment, includingthe social and economic dimensions. The most thorough assessment of a tropical forest landscape todate Explores significant scientific breakthroughs in areasincluding conservation genetics, vegetation modeling, agroforestryand revegetation techniques, biodiversity assessment and modeling,impacts of climate change, and the integration of science innatural resource management Research achieved, in part, due to the Cooperative ResearchCentre for Tropical Rainforest Ecology and Management (theRainforest CRC) Written by a number of distinguished internationalexperts contains chapter summaries and section commentaries
Download or read book Tropical Forest Canopies Ecology and Management written by K.E. Linsenmair and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-14 with total page 361 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Almost half of all life on earth may exist in the world's forest canopies. They may also play a vital role in maintaining the planet's climate, yet they remain largely unexplored owing to difficulties of access. They are renowned for their great diversity and role in forest functioning, yet there are still great gaps in the understanding of this `last biological frontier'. This seminal book shows how canopy science is now in a position to answer many of the outstanding questions, among which are some of the most pressing environmental issues society is presently facing. It represents a major summary of the current understanding of canopy ecology, and maps a path forward into a greater understanding of tropical forest ecology and management at a time when the very future of this ecosystem is threatened by humanity's actions.
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 Botanical Conservation in Coffee Farms written by Jeannine H. Richards and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As forests become increasingly fragmented and degraded, land-sharing practices that allow human uses and biodiversity to coexist become even more important. In this dissertation, I evaluate the potential for shade-grown coffee farms to offer habitat for epiphytes-plants that grow in trees without connection to the ground-while simultaneously benefitting farmers. My work combines methods from community and functional ecology with those from people-environment geography. I integrate these data to paint a comprehensive picture of the potential for shade coffee farms to fulfill the needs of both plants and people. In the chapters that follow, I use data from 31 shade coffee farms and 2 protected forests to consider the ecology of epiphytes in shade coffee, including community assembly and environmental filtering, and the interests of farmers in managing trees within their farms. I first investigate how epiphytes initially colonize shade trees, looking at a chronosequence of tree age across 87 plots to follow epiphyte accumulation over time. Epiphytes take several years to initially colonize trees, but colonization accelerates over time. Key taxonomic groups accumulate in shade trees at different rates and environmental filtering and dispersal limitation appear to drive community assembly. Because epiphyte communities take considerable time to establish, newly planted trees in coffee farms require consistent land tenure and long-term management to become valuable habitat for diverse epiphyte communities. Stand age and complexity interact with farm macroclimate to determine epiphyte species composition in shade coffee farms. I use structural equation modelling to assess the relative strength of these factors in structuring epiphyte communities. While stand structure and climate both have strong effects on epiphyte richness, the effect of climate is mostly mediated through bryophyte cover. Since bryophytes are highly susceptible to desiccation and vulnerable to climate change, vascular epiphyte species that strongly associate with them may also be at risk. Abiotic conditions in shade coffee farms are warmer and drier than in forests, so differences in functional traits between epiphytes in the two habitat types may foreshadow functional shifts under climate change scenarios. Distributional data from two coffee farms and adjacent protected forest and functional trait data for 37 common species suggest that epiphytes in coffee farms may be responding to multiple layers of abiotic factors including microclimate within the tree, microclimate within the farm, and macroclimate across the landscape. Moreover, while some epiphyte groups seem to follow similar trait spectra as ground-rooted taxa, those rules may not hold true for all epiphytes. To put these ecological findings into context, I conducted 33 semi-structured interviews with owners and managers of shade coffee farms. While coffee producers value trees for the many ecosystem services they provide, they know very little about epiphytes. Economic situation, access to technical knowledge, and producers' personal values all influence tree management, and thus epiphyte habitat, on farms. Because farmers saw many benefits from trees and few detrimental effects of epiphytes, there is great potential for conservation interventions to add and maintain trees in coffee farms, providing suitable substitute habitat for many epiphyte species.
Download or read book Tropical Rain Forest Ecosystems written by H. Lieth and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2012-12-02 with total page 733 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: After publication of the first volume of the Tropical Rain Forest, the International Journal of Mycology and Lichenology commented ``This is a welcome addition to the literature on the ecology of tropical rain forests. The book provides a wealth of data and stimulating discussions and is of great interest to ecologists interested in tropical areas.'' Whereas the first volume dealt with system-ecological aspects such as community organization and processes, the present volume concentrates on biogeographical aspects such as species composition, diversity, and geographical variation.Recent ecological research in the tropical rain forest has greatly extended our understanding of biogeographical patterns of variation in the various groups of organisms, and has revealed many of the ecological and evolutionary forces that led to the present patterns of variation. Many important systems of co-evolution between the tropical rain forest ecosystems have also come to light, and the loss of species and related damage is better understood in quantitative terms.This volume presents a comprehensive review of these and other features of the rain forest ecosystem structure, and the ecological processes operating that system. General chapters on abiotic and biotic factors are followed by specific chapters on all major groups of organisms. Prospects for the future are discussed and research needs clearly stated. Also the human exploitation of the system, its effects and its limits are discussed. The book is extensively illustrated by photographs, graphs, and tables, and comprehensive bibliographies follow each chapter. Author, systematic and subject indices complete the book.It is a must for all ecologists, agriculturists, foresters, agronomists, hydrologists, soil scientists, entomologists, human ecologists, nature conservationists, and planners dealing with tropical areas. Biologists and environmentalists will also find the volume of great interest.
