Collaborative research: The impact of an empty forest on tree recruitment and community structure

合作研究：空森林对树木补充和群落结构的影响

• 批准号: 1258148
• 负责人: Haldre Rogers
• 金额: $ 34.16万
• 依托单位: William Marsh Rice University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-05-01 至 2016-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1258148&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; research; impact; empty; forest

Fruit-eating vertebrates have experienced steep declines in abundance and diversity in many of the tropical forests in Asia, Africa, and South America. Many of the tropical trees that need high light to grow from seeds to adults depend largely on these vertebrates to carry their seeds to new openings, or gaps, in the forest created by treefalls. This project will investigate whether the disappearance of fruit-eating vertebrates is reducing the abundance of these trees and causing forest gaps to persist and accumulate. To test this, researchers will compare forests on the island of Guam, which has lost nearly all its fruit-eating vertebrates due to the introduction of a predatory snake, and on three nearby islands that retain native, fruit-eating, forest birds and, in one case, a native, fruit-eating bat. Studies will measure the dynamics of forest gaps on the islands, compare the light requirements of 16 common tree species, and test the effects of experimentally preventing dispersal of seeds on islands that do have birds. This research will directly aid state and federal agencies to manage and restore tropical forests on Guam. Results should also be of use to managers of other tropical forests, since many pioneer species in the tropics are dispersed by vertebrates, and enlarge our understanding of the potential environmental consequences of introducing species to new areas. The project will provide scientific training for Pacific Islanders and run a special, three-week course in island ecology for students from local colleges.

在亚洲、非洲和南美洲的许多热带森林中，以水果为食的脊椎动物的数量和多样性都急剧下降。许多热带树木需要强光才能从种子成长为成年树，它们在很大程度上依赖于这些脊椎动物将种子带到由树木坠落造成的森林中的新开口或空隙。该项目将调查食果脊椎动物的消失是否正在减少这些树木的丰富度，并导致森林空隙持续并积累。为了验证这一点，研究人员将对关岛的森林和附近三个岛屿的森林进行比较。关岛由于一种捕食性蛇的引入，几乎失去了所有食果脊椎动物。关岛附近的三个岛屿保留了原生的、以水果为食的森林鸟类，还有一种原生的、以水果为食的蝙蝠。研究将测量岛屿上森林空隙的动态，比较16种常见树种的光照需求，并测试通过实验防止种子在确实有鸟类的岛屿上传播的效果。这项研究将直接帮助州和联邦机构管理和恢复关岛的热带森林。研究结果也应该对其他热带森林的管理者有用，因为热带的许多先锋物种是被脊椎动物分散的，并扩大了我们对将物种引入新地区的潜在环境后果的理解。该项目将为太平洋岛民提供科学培训，并为当地大学的学生举办为期三周的岛屿生态学特别课程。