Download or read book Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest written by J S Singh and published by . This book was released on 2018-03-26 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tropical dry deciduous forests (TDFs) can be found in severe and extremely variable climates characterized by low annual rainfall, 5-6 dry months within the annual cycle, and nutrient-poor soil. Several terms have been used for this vegetation type such as seasonally dry tropical forest (SDTF), tropical dry deciduous forest, monsoon forest, caatinga, cuabal, etc. More than any other factor, the lack of precipitation during a prolonged portion of the year is what produces true dry forest, an ecosystem type characterized by plants and animals with specific adaptations to survive the long dry season. Deciduousness is the single most important adaptation among plants to the extended droughts. Most of the trees drop their leaves after the rains end, and essentially halt photosynthesis, as they would otherwise be unable to survive the water loss during the dry season. TDFs are subject to intensive anthropogenic disturbances and are among the most at-risk ecosystems in the world. In order to assess the conservation status of this forest type, information is required on its distribution pattern, climate, the structure and functional traits of its vegetation, phenology, strategies for coping with drought and nutrient poverty, and disturbances and their effects. In this book, we review important studies on TDFs around the globe, particularly those in the northern dry deciduous forests of India. We put forward the claim that those TDFs that experience drought and arise on nutrient-poor sites feature adaptations such as deciduousness, as well as a variety of nutrient conservation strategies. They also experience biotic disturbances, which can result in fragmentation and ecosystem conversion, and therefore exhibit changes in biomass, productivity, and soil microbial biomass, etc.
Download or read book Tropical Dry Forests written by Ravi Kant Chaturvedi and published by . This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tropical dry forests (TDFs) constitute one of the most dominant forests, accounting for approximately 45% of all tropical forests. These forests are distributed over an extensive geographical range, spanning large areas of Africa, Latin America, and the Asia Pacific. TDFs occur in severe and extremely variable climate characterized by low annual rainfall and 5-6 months of the dry period within the annual cycle, and nutrient-poor soil. Due to extreme drought conditions, TDFs exhibit deciduousness and various other adaptative features (viz., fire resistance, desiccation tolerance, herbivore defence, high root:shoot ratio, longer seed viability) to establish in the severe environmental conditions, which makes these forests exceptionally critical. These forests are one of the most productive with high biodiversity, but unfortunately, due to persistent anthropogenic pressures in terms of burning, mining, indiscriminate forest cutting, lopping, and increased extraction of non-wood forest products, these forest communities have become one of the most endangered ecosystems. Disturbances in TDFs have resulted in fragmentation and ecosystem conversion, and therefore, these forests exhibit changes in their biomass and productivity. Anthropogenic pressure is rapidly becoming a growing concern globally due to its negative impacts on the structure and composition of the vegetation. In addition, due to their higher net primary productivity, these forests have a considerable effect on the global carbon cycle. Uncontrolled harvesting for gaining temporal benefits is a major cause of forest destruction and deforestation which may lead to major loss. Deforestation and clearing of forests have resulted in soil erosion, soil degradation and loss of biodiversity, socio-economic damages to food components, water and health, as well as the loss of people's cultural ethnicity. In order to assess the conservation status of TDFs, information is required on its distribution pattern, climate, structural and functional traits of the vegetation, phenology, strategies against drought, nutrient deficiency, and disturbances. This book discusses various issues, obstacles and opportunities for protection, regeneration and management of TDFs worldwide, as well as information gaps in the areas referred to above, which may be of critical significance in adapting and mitigating responses to the current climate change scenario. The book is intended to help in collection of detailed knowledge and to address the concerns from environmental scientists, forestry experts, planners, policymakers and the general public. Starting with a description of plant composition of worldwide TDFs, the book evaluates plant diversity, biomass dynamics, carbon storage, late history and current status of anthropogenic disturbances, distribution pattern of lichen communities, relevance of tree crown architecture, effects of forestry management practices, degradation and traditional land-use practices, impact of changing environment on carbon dynamics, estimating ecosystem services using a geospatial approach, productivity and carbon accumulation, habitat heterogeneity and its impact on organic matter, nutrient pool and nitrogen mineralization, phosphorus and litter decomposability traits. For re-development of TDFs, the book describes improved low-input tree establishment methods, impact of drought and plant mechanisms to mitigate drought stress, importance of serotiny related to delayed seed dispersal, and foraging efficiency of fine roots in relation to carbon dynamics in a changing environment.
Download or read book Handbook of Research on the Conservation and Restoration of Tropical Dry Forests written by Bhadouria, Rahul and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2019-09-27 with total page 490 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tropical dry forests are the most exploited and endangered ecosystems in the world. A combination of climatic and human factors often reduce these forests to patches of dry scrubs or savannas. Because these ecosystems experience a more arduous and less anticipated environment, they are more prone to environmental stress as plant communities are developed. Therefore, urgent research is necessary to understand both the detrimental issues and problem-solving approaches to conserving these important forests. The Handbook of Research on the Conservation and Restoration of Tropical Dry Forests is a pivotal reference source that combines theory and practice on the current trends and issues in this important ecological subject and discusses future challenges towards conservation strategies of these tropical dry forests. While highlighting topics such as forest management, natural regeneration, and silviculture, this publication examines the anthropogenic impacts on tropical dry forests and the necessity to rebuild their ecosystems. This book is ideally designed for state forest agency professionals, resource managers, non-governmental organization agents, ecologists, botanists, environmentalists, students, and researchers seeking current research on the threats to these forests.
Download or read book Caatinga written by José Maria Cardoso da Silva and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-01-09 with total page 487 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book provides in-depth information on Caatinga’s geographical boundaries and ecological systems, including plants, insects, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. It also discusses the major threats to the region’s socio-ecological systems and includes chapters on climate change and fast and large-scale land-use changes, as well as slow and small-scale changes, also known as chronic human disturbances. Subsequent chapters address sustainable agriculture, conservation systems, and sustainable development. Lastly, the book proposes 10 major actions that could enable the transformation of Caatinga into a place where people and nature can thrive together. “I consider this book an excellent example of how scientists worldwide can mobilize their efforts to propose sound solutions for one of the biggest challenges of modern times, i.e., how to protect the world’s natural ecosystems while improving human well-being. I am sure this book will inspire more research and conservation action in the region and perhaps encourage other groups of scientists to produce similar syntheses about their regions.” Russell Mittermeier, Ph.D. Executive Vice-Chair, Conservation International
Download or read book Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests written by Rodolfo Dirzo and published by Island Press. This book was released on 2012-09-26 with total page 409 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Though seasonally dry tropical forests are equally as important to global biodiversity as tropical rainforests, and are one of the most representative and highly endangered ecosystems in Latin America, knowledge about them remains limited because of the relative paucity of attention paid to them by scientists and researchers and a lack of published information on the subject. Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests seeks to address this shortcoming by bringing together a range of experts in diverse fields including biology, ecology, biogeography, and biogeochemistry, to review, synthesize, and explain the current state of our collective knowledge on the ecology and conservation of seasonally dry tropical forests. The book offers a synthetic and cross-disciplinary review of recent work with an expansive scope, including sections on distribution, diversity, ecosystem function, and human impacts. Throughout, contributors emphasize conservation issues, particularly emerging threats and promising solutions, with key chapters on climate change, fragmentation, restoration, ecosystem services, and sustainable use. Seasonally dry tropical forests are extremely rich in biodiversity, and are seriously threatened. They represent scientific terrain that is poorly explored, and there is an urgent need for increased understanding of the system's basic ecology. Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests represents an important step in bringing together the most current scientific information about this vital ecosystem and disseminating it to the scientific and conservation communities.
Download or read book Tropical Dry Forests in the Americas written by Arturo Sanchez-Azofeifa and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2013-08-29 with total page 566 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Under threat from natural and human disturbance, tropical dry forests are the most endangered ecosystem in the tropics, yet they rarely receive the scientific or conservation attention they deserve. In a comprehensive overview, Tropical Dry Forests in the Americas: Ecology, Conservation, and Management examines new approaches for data sampling and analysis using remote sensing technology, discusses new ecological and econometric methods, and critically evaluates the socio-economic pressures that these forest are facing at the continental and national levels. The book includes studies from Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil that provide in-depth knowledge about the function, status, and conservation efforts of these endangered forests. It presents key elements of synthesis from standardized work conducted across all sites. This unique contribution provides new light in terms of these forests compared to each other not only from an ecological perspective but also in terms of the pressures that they are facing, and their respective responses. Written by experts from a diversity of fields, this reference brings together the many facets of function, use, heritage, and future potential of these forests. It presents an important and exciting synthesis of many years of work across countries, disciplines, and cultures. By standardizing approaches for data sampling and analysis, the book gives readers comparison information that cannot be found anywhere else given the high level of disparity that exists in the current literature.
Download or read book Neotropical Savannas and Seasonally Dry Forests written by R. Toby Pennington and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2006-05-25 with total page 509 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: More often than not, when people think of a neotropical forest, what comes to mind is a rain forest, rather than a dry forest. Just as typically, when they imagine a savanna, they visualize the African plains, rather than those dry woodlands and grasslands found in the Neotropics. These same preconceptions can be found among scientists, as these ne
Download or read book Tropical dry forests written by Reuben Blackie and published by CIFOR. This book was released on 2014-08-01 with total page 38 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This discussion paper assesses the state of knowledge on tropical dry forests as it relates to CIFORs strategy and identifies research opportunities that align with CIFORs strategic goals. Over the past two decades, CIFOR has accumulated a substantial body of work on dry forests, with a particular focus on African dry forests. This paper is intended to build on that work, by gathering wider research from around the world, as CIFOR seeks to widen the geographic scope of its research on dry forests. The present assessment explores five themes: climate change mitigation and adaptation; food security and livelihoods; demand for energy; sustainable management of dry forests; and policies and institutional support for sustainable management. These themes emerged as priority areas during discussions on dry forest research priorities held at CIFORs Dry Forests Symposium in South Africa in 2011. Research on these themes should be considered a priority, given the importance of dry forests to people and ecosystems around the world and the threats posed to them.
Download or read book Costa Rican Natural History written by Daniel H. Janzen and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2018-12-14 with total page 829 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume is a synthesis of existing knowledge about the flora and fauna of Costa Rica. The major portion of the book consists of detailed accounts of agricultural species, vegetation, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds, and insects. "This is an extraordinary, virtually unique work. . . . The tremendous amount of original, previously unpublished, firsthand information is remarkable."—Peter H. Raven, Director, Missouri Botanical Garden "An essential resource for anyone interested in tropical biology. . . . It can be used both as an encyclopedia—a source of facts on specific organisms—and as a source of ideas and generalizations about tropical ecology."—Alan P. Smith, Ecology
Download or read book Biodiversity and Ecosystem Processes in Tropical Forests written by Gordon H. Orians and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although biologists have directed much attention to estimating the extent and causes of species losses, the consequences for ecosystem functioning have been little studied. This book examines the impact of biodiversity on ecosystem processes in tropical forests - one of the most species-rich and at the same time most endangered ecosystems on earth. It covers the relationships between biodiversity and primary production, secondary production, biogeochemical cycles, soil processes, plant life forms, responses to disturbance, and resistance to invasion. The analyses focus on the key ecological interfaces where the loss of keystone species is most likely to influence the rate and stability of ecosystem processes.
Download or read book Fundamentals of Soil Ecology written by David C. Coleman and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2004-07-19 with total page 404 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Publisher Description
Download or read book Terrestrial Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar written by and published by . This book was released on 2004 with total page 536 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As part of a global effort to identify those areas where conservation measures are needed most urgently, World Wildlife Fund has assembled teams of scientists to conduct ecological assessments of all five continents. Terrestrial Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar is the latest contribution, presenting in a single volume the first comprehensive assessment of biodiversity patterns, threats to biodiversity, and resulting conservation priorities across the African continent and its islands. Looking at biodiversity and threats in terms of biological units rather than political units, the book offers a comprehensive examination of African biodiversity across all biomes and multiple taxonomic groups. In addition to the seven main chapters, the book includes twenty essays by regional experts that provide more depth on key issues, as well as nine detailed appendixes that present summary data used in the analyses, specific analytical methodologies, and a thorough text description for each of Africa's 119 terrestrial ecoregions. Terrestrial Ecoregions of Africa and Madagascar provides a blueprint for conservation action and represents an unparalleled guide for investments and activities of conservation agencies and donor organizations.
Download or read book Forest Water Interactions written by Delphis F. Levia and published by Springer. This book was released on 2020-02-06 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The United Nations has declared 2018-2028 as the International Decade for Action on Water for Sustainable Development. This is a timely designation. In an increasingly thirsty world, the subject of forest-water interactions is of critical importance to the achievement of sustainability goals. The central underlying tenet of this book is that the hydrologic community can conduct better science and make a more meaningful impact to the world’s water crisis if scientists are: (1) better equipped to utilize new methods and harness big data from either or both high-frequency sensors and long-term research watersheds; and (2) aware of new developments in our process-based understanding of the hydrological cycle in both natural and urban settings. Accordingly, this forward-looking book delves into forest-water interactions from multiple methodological, statistical, and process-based perspectives (with some chapters featuring data sets and open-source R code), concluding with a chapter on future forest hydrology under global change. Thus, this book describes the opportunities of convergence in high-frequency sensing, big data, and open source software to catalyze more comprehensive understanding of forest-water interactions. The book will be of interest to researchers, graduate students, and advanced undergraduates in an array of disciplines, including hydrology, forestry, ecology, botany, and environmental engineering.
Download or read book Advances in Legume Biology written by C. H. Stirton and published by . This book was released on 1989 with total page 864 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Tropical Nature written by Adrian Forsyth and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2011-05-24 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Seventeen marvelous essays introducing the habitats, ecology, plants, and animals of the Central and South American rainforest. A lively, lucid portrait of the tropics as seen by two uncommonly observant and thoughtful field biologists. Its seventeen marvelous essays introduce the habitats, ecology, plants, and animals of the Central and South American rainforest. Includes a lengthy appendix of practical advice for the tropical traveler.
Download or read book The Mekong written by Ian Charles Campbell and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2009-11-20 with total page 647 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Mekong is the most controversial river in Southeast Asia, and increasingly the focus of international attention. It flows through 6 counties, China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam. The 4 downstream countries have formed the Mekong River Commission to promote sustainable development of the river and many of their people depend on it for their subsistence ? it has possible the largest freshwater fishery in the world, and the Mekong waters support rice agriculture in the delta in Viet Nam (which produces about 40% of that country's food) as well as in Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. China is now building the first large mainstream dam on the river, and has proposals for several more. These dams are likely to affect the downstream countries. Several of the downstream countries also have plans for large scale hydropower and irrigation development which could also impact the river. This book will provide a solid overview of the biophysical environment of the Mekong together with a discussion of the possible impacts, biophysical, economic and social, of some possible development scenarios. It is intended to provide a technical basis which can inform the growing political and conservation debate about the future of the Mekong River, and those who depend on it. It is aimed at river ecologists, geographers, environmentalists and development specialists both in the basin and (especially) outside for whom access to this material is most difficult. This book will be the first comprehensive treatment of the Mekong system. - The first comprehensive overview of all aspects of the Mekong River system - Deals with a regionally critical ecosystem and one under threat - The Mekong supports the world's largest freshwater fishery and provides water underpinning a major regional rice paddy system - Presents the authoritative findings of the Mekong River Commission's research for a wider audience for the first time outside of limited distribution reports
Download or read book Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo Pacific written by Eric D. Wikramanayake and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 680 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific offers a comprehensive examination of the state of the Indo-Pacific's biodiversity and habitats, moving beyond endangered or charismatic species to quantify for the first time the number of mammal and bird species, including endemics, in each ecoregion.
