Tropical Dry Forests: Remote sensing and ecological fingerprints of ecosystem succession

季节性干旱热带森林（TDFs）占所有热带森林的42%，包含丰富的独特生物多样性。与热带雨林相比，该生态系统中的植物物种具有生长速度较慢、繁殖期受限以及结构和生理多样性更高的特点。TDFs是世界各地社区生态系统服务的重要储存库。据估计，仅在美洲，就有近6 000万人受益于它们提供的服务（如水的生产、授粉）。尽管这些生态、生物物理/水文过程十分重要，但人们对它们及其与这些生态系统服务的联系知之甚少。

Seasonally dry tropical forests (TDFs) account for 42% of all tropical forests and contain a wealth of unique biodiversity. Plant species in this ecosystem are characterized by slower growth rates, restricted reproductive episodes, and more structural and physiological diversity than found in tropical rainforests. TDFs are important reservoirs of ecosystem services for communities around the world. In the Americas, alone, it is estimated that nearly 60 million people benefit from the services that they provide (e.g. water production, pollination). Despite of their importance, little is known about these ecological, biophysical/hydrological processes and their linkages to these ecosystems’ services.