CRB: Restoring Seasonal Tropical Forests in Mexico: Using Designer Communities to Direct Succession

9981607 Allen.9981607这项研究是根据热带季节性森林种植树木的菌根和生态生理学的最新研究成果进行的。确定可衡量的恢复目标是恢复生态学的中心问题之一，尤其是在物种丰富和受干扰的系统中，如季节性热带森林。将在两个地点建立设计者群落，以启动演替，并测量发展中群落对1)树木随时间的生态生理特征，2)定居植物物种的生物多样性，3)菌根真菌多样性及其对植物生长的影响，以及4)土壤性质的反馈。由于热带森林具有高度的贝塔多样性，原始物种组成不能复制，但可以选择具有明确生态生理特征的物种，这些物种可能会减缓或加速演替。这些特征包括快速和缓慢生长的植物，遮阳和遮荫植物，大种子和小种子物种，抗旱性，叶组织的C/N，木材密度等。将建立三种群落，即晚系列群落、早期系列群落和混合系列物种。实验将检验被管理群落的生长速度和系列状态将对群落和土壤性质产生不同反馈的假设。树冠关闭的速度会有所不同，动物种子传播者和植物定居的多样性也会有所不同。总体而言，该项目将提供必要的信息，说明设计师社区作为指导演替和恢复退化热带土地上本地植被的机制的价值。

9981607AllenThe proposed research follows upon current research on mycorrhizae and ecophysiology of planted trees in seasonal tropical forest. Defining measurable goals for restoration is one of the central issues in restoration ecology, and is especially problematic in species rich and disturbed systems such as seasonal tropical forests. Designer communities will be established to initiate succession in two sites, and measure the feedbacks that developing communities have on 1) ecophysiological characteristics of trees over time, 2) biodiversity of colonizing plant species, 3) mycorrhizal fungal diversity and effects on plant growth, and 4) soil properties. Because of the high beta diversity in tropical forest, the original species composition can not be duplicated, but species with defined ecophysiological characteristics can be selected that may either slow or hasten succession. These characteristics include fast and slow-growing plants, sun and shade plants, large and small-seeded species, drought tolerance, C/N of leaf tissue, wood density, and others. Three kinds of communities will be established, late seral, early seral, and a mix of seral species. Experiments will test the hypothesis that the growth rate and seral status of the managed community will have different feedbacks on community and soil properties. The rate of canopy closure will vary, as will animal seed dispersers and diversity of plant colonization. Overall, this project will provide needed information on the value of designer communities as a mechanism to direct succession and restore native vegetation to degraded tropical lands.