Research Coordination Networks in Biological Sciences (RCNBS): Comparative Demographic Analyses Using a Global Network of Large Plots

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The Center for Tropical Forest Science (CTFS) - a global network of rainforest research plots - compares data from tropical rainforests from around the globe to better understand the questions of why this ecosystem is the most diverse in the world and how this extraordinary diversity can be maintained. CTFS monitors over three million trees, managing a database of more than 10% of all tropical tree species. CTFS maximizes the potential for analyzing and synthesizing this enormous database of rainforest trees by increasing training and analytical capacity within the network. This Research Coordination Network, based on CTFS, will organize a series of month-long analytical and training workshops over five years, with the objective of: (1) building the technical expertise of US and developing world scientists in data analysis and modeling, and (2) developing generalizations about forest dynamics and the maintenance of species diversity in the tropics. The value of rainforests far exceeds even their great wealth of species; they are the largest terrestrial source of carbon storage in the world, provide storehouses of genes for drug and agricultural development, and provide local communities with environmental services such as watershed protection and local climate control. Yet rainforests are also one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world. The global standardized dataset from the CTFS network provides a unique resource for scientists to improve our global understanding of how these forests can be best managed and conserved.