In Tropical Forest Ecology, Egbert G. Leigh, Jr., one of the world's foremost tropical ecologists, introduces readers to the tropical forest and describes the intricate web of interdependence among the great diversity of tropical plants and animals. Focusing on the tropical forest of Barro Colorado Island, Panama, Leigh shows what Barro Colorado can tell us about other tropical forests--and what tropical forests can tell us about Barro Colorado. This book considers three essential questions for understanding the ecological organization of tropical forests. How do they stay green with their abundance of herbivores? Why do they have such a diversity of plants and animals? And what role does mutualism play in the ecology of tropical forests? Beautifully written and abundantly illustrated, Tropical Forest Ecology will certainly appeal to a wide variety of scientists in the fields of evolution, tropical biology, botany, zoology, and natural history.
This book considers three essential questions for understanding the ecological organization of tropical forests. How do they stay green with their abundance of herbivores? Why do they have such a diversity of plants and animals?
Importance of tropical forests. Functions of tropical forests. Economic. Forest products. Timber. Fuelwood. Non- timber forest products. Ecotourism. Environmental services. Reserve for biodiversity. Regulation of climate. Local effects. Global effects. Social. Subsistence for local populations. The need for an integrated approach to Forest conservation and management. Characteristics of tropical forests. Characteristics relevant to management and conservation. High diversity. Latitudinal gradients of species diversity. The latitude effect. Effects of elevation on species diversity. Effects of soil fertility on species diversity. Influence of stress on species diversity. Other factors influencing diversity. Theories to explain high diversity in the tropics. Benefits of high diversity. Defense against pests and diseases. Complementarity. Implications of high diversity for forest management. Reproductive ecology of tropical trees. Timing/frequency of flowering and seed production. Modes of reproduction of tropical trees. Species interactions in the tropics. Energy flow. Delineation of the tropics. Primary production. Production patterns within the tropics. Light environment of tropical forests. Availability of light. Responses of plants to light. Light distribution in the forest. Herbivory. Decomposition. Nutrient cycling. Cycling rates in the tropics. Leaching and weathering. Nutrient-conserving mechanisms. "Direct" nutrient cycling. Concentration of roots near the soil surface. Nutrient storage in wood biomass. Other nutrient-conserving mechanisms. Role of soil organic matter in nutrient conservation. Effects of disturbance on nutrient stocks in the soil. Implications for forestry. Conclusion. Classification of tropical forests. Classification based on forest structure. Classification based on forest function. Climatic classifications. Functional variation along climatic gradients. Classification based on species. Classification at the community level. Classification based on "temperament" of species. Classification based on successional stage. Forest classification based upon soil nutrient status. Implications for management. The unesco classification system. Conclusion. Deforestation in the tropics. Rates of deforestation. Causes of deforestation. Proximate causes of deforestation. Expansion of agriculture. Wood extraction. Development of infrastructure. Underlying causes of deforestation. Economic. Political and institutional factors. Technological. Cultural. Demographic. External debt and deforestation. Effects of deforestation. Environmental effects of deforestation. Social and economic effects of deforestation. Effects on indigenous peoples. Effects on traditional rural peoples. Effects on recently arrived rural peoples. Benefits and costs of deforestation at the international and national levels. International. National. Conclusion. Management of tropical forests. Introduction. Natural forest management. Sustainable forest management. Systems used in management of natural forests in tropical regions. Natural regeneration systems. Partial clearing systems. Reduced impact logging (ril). Ecological and economic feasibility of methods of management of natural tropical forests. Criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management. Certification of forest management. Obstacles to sustainable forest management. Management of secondary forests. Techniques for management of secondary forests. Management for non-timber forest products (ntfps). Is forest management compatible with conservation of biodiversity?. Effects of forest management on wildlife. Reserves. Setting priorities. Conclusion. Plantations and agroforestry systems. Introduction. Plantation forestry: alternative to supplying the world's timber demand?. Plantation productivity. Sustainability of forest plantations. Plantations of native tree species. Mixed species plantations. Plantations and the conservation of biodiversity. Plantations in the landscape. Plantations as a tool for economic development. Agroforestry. Most frequently used agroforestry systems. Functions of agroforestry systems. Restoration of degraded tropical forest ecosystems. Recovery of degraded forests. Enrichment planting of degraded and secondary forests. Rehabilitation of degraded pasture and cropland. Recovery of the soil's productive capacity. Restoration of areas invaded by aggressive vegetation. Recovery of biodiversity in degraded lands. Conclusion. Approaches for implementing ustainable management techniques. Introduction. Top-down development. Top-down conservation planning. Bottom- up development. Participatory action. A case study of participatory action research and development case i: uruani: where par failed. Case ii: porto de moz: where par succeeded. Community forestry. Globalization. Globalization and forest resources. Case study of globalization. Locally centered development and integrated natural resource management (inrm). Importance of scale in efficiency of production. Conclusion. Conclusions. Introduction. Tropical forest classification. Tropical deforestation. Management of tropical forests. Plantations and agroforestry systems. Political and economic development strategies for sustainable forest development. References. Subject index.
Recovery of a tropical forest with maximum carbon content can take hundreds of
years (Montagnini and Nair 2004). Some tropical countries have recently started
programs of incentives to encourage tree plantation development to help offset C
emissions. Since 1966, Costa Rica has contributed payments for environmental
services (ES) such as promoting forest conservation, sustainable forest
management, and tree plantations through the assignment of differential
incentives for each ...
