Collaborative LTREB: Experimental and Observational Studies of Mangrove Forest Structure and Gap Dynamics

这项拟议的研究继续对巴拿马加勒比海沿岸红树林的再生进行长期调查。红树林是热带海岸线的主要植被类型，居住着一种独特的动植物，通常分布在沿潮汐梯度的地带。红树林还为人类提供资源和服务，包括捕捞甲壳类动物和鱼类的苗圃，保护海岸线，以及捕获高地地区径流中携带的沉积物和污染物。由于与资源开采(例如水产养殖、采矿)和开发有关的森林砍伐，它们现在是最受威胁的沿海生境之一。在研究区，红树林的结构和动态是通过闪电造成的不同年龄的树冠空隙的马赛克更新的产物。这项研究采用长期观测和野外实验来确定决定干扰后更新模式的机制以及红树林物种沿潮汐梯度的分布。这是有史以来对红树林群落生态进行的最全面的研究之一。除了加强我们对非生物和生物过程对森林动态的贡献的总体理解之外，它还为预测和补救危及这些宝贵湿地的人为变化提供了重要信息。该项目为众多大学生提供了研究经验，并支持史密森大学加莱塔海洋实验室的环境教育计划。

The proposed research continues a long-term investigation of regeneration in mangrove forests on Panama's Caribbean coast. Mangrove forests are a dominant vegetation type along tropical shorelines and are inhabited by a unique fauna and flora that are often distributed in zones along the tidal gradient. Mangroves also provide resources and services to humans, including nursery grounds for harvested crustaceans and fishes, shoreline protection, and trapping of sediments and pollutants carried in runoff from upland areas. They are now among the most threatened of coastal habitats due to deforestation associated with resource exploitation (e.g. aquaculture, mining) and development. In the study area, mangrove forest structure and dynamics are the products of regeneration across a mosaic of differently aged canopy gaps created by lightning. This study employs long-term observations and field experiments to identify the mechanisms that determine patterns of regeneration following disturbance and the distributions of mangrove species along the tidal gradient. This is one of the most comprehensive studies of mangrove community ecology ever conducted. In addition to enhancing our general understanding of the contributions of abiotic and biotic processes to forest dynamics, it is providing vital information for predicting and remediating human-caused alterations that endanger these valuable wetlands. The project provides research experience to numerous university students, and supports the environmental education program at Smithsonian's Galeta Marine Laboratory.