Tropical Dry Forests in the Americas: Ecology, Conservation, and Management

ISBN-13: 9781466512009 / Angielski / Twarda / 2013 / 556 str.

Arturo Sanchez-Azofeifa; Jennifer S. Powers

Opis

Although 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.

Spis treści

Selected Contents: Tropical Dry Forests in the Americas: The Tropi-Dry Endeavour. Tropical Dry Forest Ecological Succession in Mexico: Synthesis of a long-term study. The status of knowledge, conservation and management of tropical dry forest in the Magdalena river valley, Colombia. Brazilian Tropical Dry forest on basalt and limestone outcrops: status of knowledge and perspectives. Tropical dry forests of Northern Minas Gerais, Brazil: diversity, conservation status and natural regeneration. A Review of Remote Sensing of Tropical Dry Forests. Phenological patterns of tropical dry forest along latitudinal and successional gradients in the Neotropics. Plant functional trait variation in tropical dry forests: A review and synthesis. Nutrient Cycling in Tropical Dry Forests. Edge Influence on canopy openness and understory microclimate in two neotropical dry forest fragments. Fruit-eating bats and birds of three seasonal tropical dry forests in the Americas. Spatio-temporal dynamics of insects in a Brazilian Tropical Dry Forest. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: essential belowground organisms in tropical dry environments. An evaluation of Rainfall interception in secondary TDFs. Linkages between ecosystem structure, composition and leaf area index along a tropical dry forest chronosequence in Mexico. Seed Germination of Arboreal-Shrub Species with Different Dispersal Mechanisms in a Brazilian Tropical Dry Forest. Inter-specific and inter-annual variation in foliar phenological patterns in a successional mosaic of a dry forest in the Central Llanos of Venezuela. Floristic, Structural and Functional Group Variations in Tree Assemblages in a Brazilian Tropical Dry Forest: Effects of Successional Stage and Soil Properties. Tree diameter growth of three successional stages of tropical dry forests, Parque Nacional Santa Rosa, Costa Rica. CO₂ enrichment effects in the spectral signature of lianas and tree species from tropical dry forests. Tropical dry forests in L

O autorze

Arturo Sánchez-Azofeifa, Jennifer S. Powers, Geraldo W. Fernandes, Mauricio Quesada