Exogenous Control of Forest Dynamics: Experimental Test of the Role of Edge

森林景观日益破碎。该项目将探索森林对这种破碎化反应的重要机制。本研究的目的是：1)通过实验确定边缘对森林内部动态的外源控制是否有抑制、促进或没有净效应；2)确定森林边缘与内部、周边景观相互作用的具体机制。本研究使用森林内部不常见的外来物种作为外部影响的指标，并考察了相关过程，包括种子输入、种子储存、种子和幼苗存活、幼苗捕食的作用以及细尺度扰动的作用。森林岛屿与周围景观之间的相互作用可能主要通过森林边缘发生。然而，现有的研究并没有表明边缘如何控制森林内部树苗的输入和生存。在破碎化景观中，植物在森林边缘的扩散和动植物相互作用在森林动态中起着关键作用。这些资料将与森林碎片的管理、破碎景观中森林的恢复和养护以及监测和补偿全球环境变化对破碎森林的影响有关。

Forest landscapes are increasingly fragmented. This project will explore an important mechanism of forest response to this fragmentation. The objectives of the proposed research are to 1) determine experimentally whether edges inhibit, facilitate, or have no net effect on the exogenous control of forest interior dynamics; and 2) to determine the specific mechanisms for the interaction between forest edge and interior, and the surrounding landscape. The study uses exotic species that are not common in forest interiors as indicators of external influence, & examines relevant processes, including seed input, seed storage, seed and seedling survival, role of seedling predation, and role of fine scale disturbances. %%% The interaction between forest islands and the surrounding landscape may occur principally through forest edges. Yet, existing research does not indicate how edges work to control the input and survival of tree seedlings in the forest interior. Plant dispersal and plant-animal interactions across forest edges play a key role in forest dynamics in fragmented landscapes. The information will be relevant to management of forest fragments, restoration and conservation of forests in fragmented landscapes, and monitoring and compensating for the effects of global environmental change on fragmented forests.