Canopy Herbivory and Soil Processes in a Temperate and Tropical Forest

温带和热带森林林冠的食草动物和土壤过程以树叶为食的昆虫通过将粪便和树叶碎片落在森林地面上，可以影响森林土壤的质量。它们还可以改变通过树冠的雨水的化学性质。草食动物活动对森林土壤性质的影响知之甚少。昆虫可能会改变土壤肥力和落叶分解的速度。在这个项目中，研究人员将研究昆虫食草动物对温带和热带森林土壤的影响。取样和实验方法将用于评估冠层食草动物对土壤养分和分解的影响。这项研究的结果将提高对自然和管理森林如何保持其肥力的理解，以及昆虫在森林和土壤健康中发挥的作用。

Abstract99-15133LowmanCanopy Herbivory and Soil Processes in a Temperate and Tropical ForestInsects that feed on the foliage of trees can influence the quality of forest soils by dropping feces and fragments of leaves onto the forest floor. They can also modify the chemistry of rainwater that passes through the canopy. The effects of herbivore activity on the properties of forest soils are poorly understood. Potentially, insects may change soil fertility and the rates of decomposition of leaves that have fallen to the forest floor. In this project, the investigators will study the effects of insect herbivores on forest soils in a temperate and tropical forest. Sampling and experimental approaches will be used to assess the effects of canopy herbivores on soil nutrients and decomposition. The results of this study will improve understanding of how natural and managed forests maintain their fertility, and the role that insects play in forest and soil health.