Do Mammals and Insects Control Tropical Forest Diversity? A Community-level Experimental Test

这一建议挑战了关于热带雨林的普遍观点， 林隙阶段动态是最重要的组成部分， 再生循环，用于确定 热带森林这项研究是第一个实验性的 测试假设，哺乳动物和昆虫在林下的 成熟热带森林控制树种多样性。这 这一假说对热带森林有重要影响 动态、多样性、保护和管理。 最近 观察表明，当森林失去哺乳动物时， 草食动物和种子捕食者，它们发展出低等植物物种 多样性 哺乳动物区系完整的森林物种数量高， 多样性许多热带森林的偷猎和过度捕猎 保护区正威胁着食草哺乳动物的数量。如果 哺乳动物食草动物比森林更重要， 动物区系可能会以加速的速度丧失树种多样性， 率 巴拿马巴罗科罗拉多岛（BCI）上的森林将被 在这项研究中研究。我们的研究结果表明，差距不 影响这些森林的物种多样性;因此， 必须确定林下植被中的树种丰度 在那里，种子，幼苗和树苗暴露在密集的 食草动物我们建议测试的假设，草食动物和 种子传播控制建立，组成， 物种丰富的热带森林中的树种多样性。 %%% 在过去的十年里，对热带森林的研究 重点是间隙阶段动力学的作用， 树种多样性的决定因素。尽管对种子的研究 捕食是常见的，这个项目代表了第一次尝试 进行社区一级的实验测试， 哺乳动物和昆虫对热带森林多样性的影响。的 研究结果对保护和 热带地区生物多样性管理 地区

This proposal challenges the prevalent view about tropical forests that gap phase dynamics is the most important part of the regeneration cycle for determining species composition of tropical forests. This research is the first to experimentally test the hypothesis that mammals and insects in the understory of mature tropical forest control tree species diversity. This hypothesis has important ramifications for tropical forest dynamics, diversity, conservation, and management. Recent observations suggest that when forests lose their mammalian herbivores and seed predators they develop low plant species diversity. Forests with intact mammalian fauna have high species diversity. Poaching and over-hunting in many tropical forest reserves are threatening mammalian herbivore populations. If mammalian herbivores are important, than forests that lose their fauna are likely to lose tree species diversity at an accelerated rate. The forest on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama, will be studied in this research. Our findings indicate that gaps do not affect species diversity in these forests; therefore, the abundance of tree species must be determined in the understory where seeds, seedlings, and saplings are exposed to intensive herbivory. We propose to test the hypothesis that herbivory and seed dispersal control the establishment, composition, and diversity of tree species in species-rich tropical forests. %%% For the past ten years, research in tropical forests has focused on the role of gap-phase dynamics as the primary determinant of tree species diversity. Although studies of seed predation are common, this project represents the first attempt to conduct a community-level experimental test of the effects of mammalian and insect herbivores on tropical forest diversity. The results have important implications for the conservation and management of biodiversity in tropical regions.