Collaborative Research: Impacts of severe drought on tropical forest post-disturbance recovery

预计今后十年热带森林干旱的频率和严重程度将增加。此外，飓风的强度预计也会随着气候变暖而上升。飓风破坏了森林结构，增加了林下的光照和温度。对光照条件增加有反应的树种对水分胁迫也特别敏感。因此，从飓风中恢复的森林可能容易受到干旱的影响。本项目研究波多黎各热带森林的恢复过程，包括水分胁迫对重新生长的树木的影响。研究人员正在从飓风玛丽亚（2017年）中恢复的森林中进行降雨操纵实验。该项目正在帮助描述和预测森林对气候变化的适应能力。研究结果正在与在美国林务局工作的科学家和管理人员分享。九名早期职业科学家正在获得生态研究的宝贵经验。一系列网络研讨会也在与公众交流结果。该项目正在波多黎各的卢基略实验森林进行大规模的部分降雨排除实验。正在从附近16公顷的卢基略森林动态图中收集更多的数据。这些数据包括飓风玛丽亚（2017年）和其他两个飓风通过后收集的长期人口信息。这一信息有助于了解树木对干旱和飓风破坏的联合影响的生理生态反应。该项目描述了降雨量变化情况下飓风后的恢复情况。通过在生态系统人口模型中纳入并改进树木水力学和飓风破坏对水和碳动力学的影响，该研究正在推进各种气候变化情景对树种组成和碳动态的影响的评估。该项目部分得到了综合有机系统综合生态生理学计划的支持。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，认为值得支持。

The frequency and severity of drought in tropical forests is expected to increase in the next decade. Further, the intensity of hurricanes is also anticipated to rise with a warming climate. Hurricanes damage the forest structure, increasing understory light and temperature. Tree species that respond to increased light conditions are also particularly sensitive to water stress. As a result, forests recovering from hurricanes may be susceptible to drought. This project studies the recovery process in a tropical forest in Puerto Rico, including the impacts of water stress on re-growing trees. The researchers are conducting a rainfall manipulation experiment in a forest that is recovering from Hurricane Maria (2017). The project is helping characterize and predict forest resilience to climate change. Results are being shared with scientists and managers working in the U.S. Forest Service. Nine early career scientists are gaining valuable experience in ecological research. A series of webinars are also communicating results with the public. The project is conducting a large-scale partial rainfall exclusion experiment in the Luquillo Experimental Forest in Puerto Rico. Additional data is being collected from the nearby 16-ha mapped Luquillo Forest Dynamics Plot. These data include long-term demographic information collected after the passage of Hurricane Maria (2017) and two other hurricanes. This information is adding to the understanding of the ecophysiological responses of trees to the joint impacts of drought and hurricane damage. The project is characterizing post-hurricane recovery under variable rainfall conditions. By including and improving representation of tree hydraulics and the effects of hurricane damage on water and carbon dynamics in the Ecosystem Demography model, the research is advancing assessment of the impacts of various climate change scenarios on tree species composition and carbon dynamics.This project was partially supported by the Integrative Ecological Physiology program in Integrative Organismal Systems.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.