LTREB: Mangrove Forest Structure and Gap Dynamics: Experimental Studies of the Roles of Competition and Herbivory

LTREB：红树林结构和间隙动态：竞争和食草作用的实验研究

• 批准号: 0108146
• 负责人: Wayne Sousa
• 金额: $ 29.99万
• 依托单位: University of California-Berkeley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2001
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2001-07-01 至 2007-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0108146&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: LTREB; Mangrove; Forest; Structure; Gap

LTREB: MANGROVE FOREST STRUCTURE AND GAP DYNAMICS: EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES OF THE ROLES OF COMPETITION AND HERBIVORYThe proposed research continues long-term monitoring of the patterns and mechanisms of gap regeneration in mangrove forests on the Caribbean coast of Panama, and their effects on forest structure and stability. Fieldwork includes sampling vegetation in a variety of permanent plots and transects along a tidal gradient as well as in natural light gaps. Soil physicochemical characteristics and the light environment will be monitored to evaluate if changes in vegetation are associated with changes in abiotic characteristics. This study includes a number of field experiments that test hypotheses that have been proposed to explain mangrove zonation, including the Physiological Specialization, Included Niche Competition, Tidal Sorting and Dominance-Predation hypotheses. In addition, an herbivore exclusion experiment will assess the impact of insect folivores and stem-borers on the growth, survival, and distribution of species along the tidal gradient, as well as the mediating effect of herbivory on interspecific competition. In general, these studies will advance our understanding of the interactions of disturbance with competition and herbivory in structuring natural ecosystems, and thereby contribute to our ability to predict the ecological consequences of various human-caused alterations of these endangered wetlands.

LTREB：红树林结构和林隙动态：竞争和异地竞争作用的实验研究拟议的研究将继续对巴拿马加勒比海沿岸红树林林隙更新的模式和机制及其对森林结构和稳定性的影响进行长期监测。野外工作包括在各种永久地块和沿潮汐梯度的横断面以及自然光隙中对植被进行采样。将监测土壤的物理化学特征和光环境，以评估植被的变化是否与非生物特征的变化有关。本研究包括大量野外实验，以检验已提出的红树林区划假说，包括生理特化假说、生态位竞争假说、潮汐排序假说和优势捕食假说。此外，一项食草动物排除实验将评估昆虫叶食虫和食茎虫对物种沿潮汐梯度的生长、生存和分布的影响，以及食草动物对种间竞争的中介作用。总体而言，这些研究将增进我们对构建自然生态系统中干扰与竞争和草食的相互作用的理解，从而有助于我们预测这些濒危湿地各种人为变化的生态后果。