invasive species
Carbon Sequestration and Plan Community Dynamics Following Reforestation of Tropical Pasture
Tue, 01/24/2012 - 10:40 — leonmiSilver W.L., Kuppers L.M., Lugo A.E. et al. Carbon Sequestration and Plan Community Dynamics Following Reforestation of Tropical Pasture. Ecological Applications, Vol 14(4), 2004 pp 1115-1127.
Abstract:
Conversion of abandoned cattle pastures to secondary forests and plantations
in the tropics has been proposed as a means to increase rates of carbon (C) sequestration
from the atmosphere and enhance local biodiversity. We used a long-term tropical reforestation
project (55–61 yr) to estimate rates of above- and belowground C sequestration
and to investigate the impact of planted species on overall plant community structure.
Thirteen tree species (nine native and four nonnative species) were planted as part of the
reforestation effort in the mid to late 1930s. In 1992, there were 75 tree species (.9.1 cm
dbh) in the forest. Overall, planted species accounted for 40% of the importance value of
the forest; planted nonnative species contributed only 5% of the importance value. In the
reforested ecosystem, the total soil C pool (0–60 cm depth) was larger than the aboveground
C pool, and there was more soil C in the forest (102 6 10 Mg/ha [mean 6 1 SE]) than in
an adjacent pasture of similar age (69 6 16 Mg/ha). Forest soil C (C3-C) increased at a
rate of ;0.9 Mg·ha21·yr21, but residual pasture C (C4-C) was lost at a rate of 0.4 Mg·ha21·yr21,
yielding a net gain of 33 Mg/ha as a result of 61 years of forest regrowth. Aboveground
C accumulated at a rate of 1.4 6 0.05 Mg·ha21·yr21, to a total of 80 6 3 Mg/ha. A survey
of 426 merchantable trees in 1959 and 1992 showed that they grew faster in the second
33 years of forest development than in the first 22 years, indicating that later stages of
forest development can play an important role in C sequestration. Few indices of C cycling
were correlated with plant community composition or structure. Our results indicate that
significant soil C can accumulate with reforestation and that there are strong legacies of
pasture use and reforestation in plant community structure and rates of plant C sequestration.
Hurricane Disturbance Alters Secondary Forest Recovery in Puerto Rico
Wed, 07/27/2011 - 13:06 — ckassFlynn DFB, Uriarte M, Crk T et al (2009) Hurricane disturbance
alters secondary forest recovery in Puerto Rico.
Biotropica 42:149–157
Abstract:
Land-use history and large-scale disturbances interact to shape secondary forest structure and composition. How introduced species respond to disturbances such as
hurricanes in post-agriculture forest recovery is of particular interest. To examine the effects of hurricane disturbance and previous land use on forest dynamics and
composition, we revisited 37 secondary forest stands in former cattle pastures across Puerto Rico representing a range of exposure to the winds of Hurricane Georges in
1998. Stands ranged from 21 to480 yr since agricultural abandonment and were measured 9 yr posthurricane. Stem density decreased as stands aged, while basal area
and species richness tended to increase. Hurricane disturbance exerted contrasting effects on stand structure, contingent on stand age. In older stands, the basal area of
large trees fell, shifting to a stand structure characteristic of younger stands, while the basal area of large trees tended to rise in younger stands with increasing hurricane
disturbance. These results demonstrate that large-scale natural disturbances can alter the successional trajectory of secondary forest stands recovering from human land
use, but stand age, precipitation and soil series were better predictors of changes in stand structure across all study sites. Species composition changed substantially
between census intervals, but neither age nor hurricane disturbance consistently predicted species composition change. However, exposure to hurricane winds tended to
decrease the abundance of the introduced tree Spathodea campanulata, particularly in smaller size classes. In all sites the abundance of the introduced tree Syzygium
jambos showed a declining trend, again most strongly in smaller size classes, suggesting natural thinning through succession.
Impacts of disturbance initiated by road construction in a subtropical cloud forest in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico
Sun, 07/24/2011 - 11:25 — ckassOlander, Lydia P.; Scatena, F.N; Silver, Whendee L. 1998. Impacts of disturbance initiated by road construction in a subtropical cloud forest in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. Forest Ecology and Management 109 ;33-49.
Abstract:
The impacts of road construction and the spread of exotic vegetation, which are common threats to upper elevation tropical forests, were evaluated in the subtropical cloud forests of Puerto Rico. The vegetation, soil and microclimate of 6-month-old road®lls, 35-year-old road®lls and mature forest with and without grass understories were compared. Recent road®lls had higher light levels, soil temperatures, bulk densities, larger pools of exchangeable soil nutrients and higher soil oxygen concentrations; but lower soil moisture, soil organic matter and total soil N than the mature forest. On the 35-year-old road®lls, bulk density, soil pH and P pools were statistically similar to the mature forest while soil moisture, total N and base cations were different. The total aboveground biomass of 6-month-old road®lls was about 2 Mg/ha and dominated by a variety of monocot and herbaceous species. The 35-year-old road®ll areas had a biomass of 10.5 Mg/ha, 77% of which was nonwoody. Seedling density, tree density and total woody biomass were 12, 28 and 2% of mature forest sites, respectively. In these areas, where soils were disturbed during construction, accumulation of biomass is the slowest known for the LEF. It may take 200-300 years for biomass to attain mature forest levels. In areas that were not directly disturbed during construction, the road has had little effect on the vegetative composition beyond a 5±10 m zone immediately adjacent to the pavement. Although non-native monocots, one of which had been planted along the road 35 years earlier, were copious along the disturbed roadside, they were generally absent from the mature forest and only abundant in habitats of anthropogenic origin.
Non-Indigenous Bamboo along Headwater Streams of the Luquillo Mountains, Puerto Rico: Leaf Fall, Aquatic Leaf Decay and Patterns of Invasion
Fri, 07/22/2011 - 09:52 — ckassO'CONNOR, PAUL J.; COVICH, ALAN P.; SCATENA, F. N.; LOOPE, LLOYD L. 2000. Non-indigenous bamboo along headwater streams of the Luquillo Mountains, Puerto Rico: leaf fall, aquatic leaf decay and patterns of invasion. Journal of Tropical Ecology 16 :499-516.
Abstract:
The introduction of bamboo to montane rain forests of the Luquillo Mountains, Puerto Rico in the 1930s and 1940s has led to present-day bamboo monocultures in numerous riparian areas. When a non-native species invades a riparian ecosystem, in-stream detritivores can be affected. Bamboo dynamics expected to in¯uence stream communities in the Luquillo Experimental Forest (LEF) were examined. Based on current distributions, bamboo has spread downstream at a rate of 8 m y-1. Mean growth rate of bamboo culms was 15.3 cm d-1. Leaf fall from bamboo stands exceeded that of native mixed-species forest by c. 30% over a 10-mo study. Bamboo leaves (k = -0.021), and leaves from another abundant riparian exotic, Syzygium jambos (Myrtaceae) (k = -0.018), decayed at relatively slow rates when submerged in streams in ®ne-mesh bags which excluded macro-invertebrate leaf processors. In a second study, with leaf processors present, bamboo decay rates remained unchanged (k = -0.021), while decay rates of S. jambos increased (k = -0.037). Elemental losses from bamboo leaves in streams were rapid, further suggesting a change in riparian zone / stream dynamics following bamboo invasion. As non-indigenous bamboos spread along Puerto Rico streams, they are likely to alter aquatic communities dependent on leaf input.
Effects of an invasive tree on community structure and diversity in a tropical forest in Puerto Rico
Thu, 07/21/2011 - 15:50 — ckassBrown, K. A. ; Scatena, F. N., and Gurevitch, J. 2006. Effects of an invasive tree on community structure and diversity in a tropical forest in Puerto Rico. . Forest Ecology and Management . 2006; 226:145-152.
Abstract:
We report the effects of an invasive tree (Syzygium jambos, Myrtaceace) on species composition, plant diversity patterns, and forest regeneration in primary and secondary forest in the Luquillo Mountains of northeastern Puerto Rico, including the area in and around the Caribbean National Forest (CNF) and the Luquillo Long Term Ecological Research site (Luquillo LTER). Land use history was reconstructed using aerial photographs from 1936 to 1989 and study sites were categorized into four groups that corresponded to their status in 1936: unforested, young secondary, mature secondary, and primary forests. In randomly selected forest stands in each forest type, we measured the abundance of invasive and native tree species, seedling recruitment for S. jambos as well as soil nutrient pools and tested for the effects of land use history on S. jambos density and diversity. A partial Mantel test was used to control for historical and elevational differences across study sites. The results indicate that S. jambos density was highest in habitats classified in 1936 as unforested, young, or mature secondary forests. Compared to all other forest classes, species diversity was significantly higher in primary forests. However, there was no statistically significant difference between observed and estimated species richness across the four forest types. S. jambos density and species diversity were strongly negatively correlated, even after controlling for land use history and elevation. There was significantly higher S. jambos seedling recruitment in areas that were either unforested or had young secondary forests in 1936. The results also indicate that S. jambos is able to establish viable populations in habitats with different soil nutrient status. S. jambos has also altered vegetation composition and diversity patterns in habitats where it is the dominant tree species. After nearly 185 years since its introduction to the island, S. jambos is not only well established within 30 m of stream channels, its presence does not appear to be limited by topographic, soil nutrient, or elevational conditions. This study suggests that land use change and subsequent plant invasions have produced a new vegetation assemblage that has led to potentially long-term changes in community structure, species composition, and successional trajectory in regenerating secondary forests in the Luquillo Mountains.
