U.S.-Brazil: Dissertation Improvement Grant on Mechanisms of Seed and Seedling Mortality Controlling the Distribution of Two Tropical Trees

这项美国-巴西合作科学项目资助了现场费用和购买一台用于统计分析的计算机，由巴西研究生M. Pacheco在现场完成他的博士论文。这项研究是在美国史密森学会和巴西国家亚马孙研究所之间的一个协会森林碎片生物动态项目的保护区内进行的。为了完成这项工作，帕切科将在亚马逊森林中度过400天。这笔拨款还为帕切科的顾问h·豪（H. Howe）提供了前往巴西的旅费。豪将拜访帕切科一次，为他提供建议，并监督他的研究。帕切科先生将进行研究，评估几类因素对亚马逊森林中两种热带棕榈树的分布和丰度的影响。其中一种偏爱在洪泛平原生长，而另一种偏爱在高原生长。通过研究这些密切相关的物种，本研究将试图区分非生物（水、光等）和生物（捕食、感染等）因素对两种物种空间分布的影响。了解这些影响将有助于预测热带树种对区域或全球气候变化以及与人类有关的活动的反应。它还将有助于了解保护和恢复工作所需的热带生物学。* * *

Howe 9314379 This U.S.-Brazil Cooperative Science Program award supports field expenses and purchase of a computer for statistical analysis, to be performed on site by M. Pacheco, a Brazilian graduate student working on his doctoral dissertation. The study is being developed in the reserves of the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments (BDFF) project, an association between the Smithsonian Institution of the U.S.A. and the Brazilian National Institute for Amazon Research (INPA). In order to complete his work, Mr. Pacheco will spend 400 days in the Amazon forest. The grant also provides for travel expenses to Brazil for H. Howe, Mr. Pacheco's adviser, who will visit him once, to advise him and to supervise his research. Mr. Pacheco will perform research to evaluate the influence of several classes of factors on the distribution and abundance of two tropical palm tree species in the Amazon forest. One of the species grows preferentially on flood plains, while the other one's preferential habitat are plateaus. By studying these closely related species, the research will attempt to distinguish between the effects of abiotic (water, light, etc.) and biotic (predation, infections, etc.) factors on the spatial distribution of the two species. Understanding of these effects will help in predicting the response of tropical tree species to changes in the regional or global climate, and to human related activities. It will also contribute to the understanding of the kind of tropical biology required in conservation and restoration efforts. ***