Hydrology and Biogeochemistry of Tropical Montane Cloud Forests: What Do We Really Know?

Bruijnzeel, L. A.; Proctor, John

doi:10.1007/978-1-4612-2500-3_3

Cited by 212 publications

(206 citation statements)

References 90 publications

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“…Litterfall in tropical upper montane forests has often been reported to be lower than in forests of lower elevations (Bruijnzeel and Proctor 1995;Heaney and Proctor 1989;Moser et al 2007). Along an elevational transect at Volcán Barva (Costa Rica), which is not far from our study sites in the Cordillera de Talamanca, total litterfall at four different sites decreased continuously from 900 g m -2 y -1 at 100 m a.s.l.…”

Section: Litterfall In Tropical Montane Forestsmentioning

confidence: 57%

“…However, it is not yet clear how litter mass changes with elevation. Litterfall was found to be relatively low in some montane forests (Bruijnzeel and Proctor 1995;Heaney and Proctor 1989;Moser et al 2007), whereas other studies suggest that there is no systematic change in litterfall with elevation (Clark et al 2001;Kitayama and Aiba 2002). Most studies on litterfall in tropical forests refer to old-growth forests.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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High litterfall in old-growth and secondary upper montane forest of Costa Rica

2008

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Tropical upper montane forests usually comprise trees of small stature with a relatively low aboveground productivity. In contrast to this rule, in the Cordillera de Talamanca (Costa Rica), tall trees ([35 m in height and more than 60 cm in diameter) are characteristic for the upper montane old-growth oak forests which are growing at an altitude of almost 3,000 m close to the alpine timberline. For these exceptional forests, productivity data are not yet available. In this study, we analyzed litterfall and its components (tree leaves, litter of epiphytic vascular and non-vascular plants, mistletoes, twigs and other canopy debris) in three forest stands belonging to different successional stages and related seasonal changes in litterfall to micrometeorological variables. The studied stands were early-successional forest (10-15-year-old), mid-successional forest (40-year-old), and old-growth forest. The stands are dominated by Quercus copeyensis and are located at 2,900-m altitude. Total litterfall was highest in the mid-successional forest (1,720 g m -2 y -1 ), and reached 1,288 g m -2 y -1 in the old-growth forest and 934 g m -2 y -1 in the earlysuccessional forest. Litter mass was dominated by leaves in all stages (56-84% of total litterfall). In the oldgrowth forest, however, twigs and small canopy debris particles (33%), epiphytes (6%), and mistletoes (5%) also contributed substantially to litter mass. Leaf litterfall showed a clear seasonal pattern with a negative correlation to monthly precipitation and highest values in the dry season (January-April). However, the strongest correlation existed with minimum air temperature (negative), probably because temperatures already dropped at the end of the rainy season, when precipitation had not yet declined and leaf shedding already increased. In contrast, litterfall of epiphyte mass, and twigs and other debris was mostly dependent on occasional strong winds. We conclude that the upper montane oak forests of the Cordillera de Talamanca are exceptional with respect to the large tree size and the relatively high productivity as indicated by litterfall. Litter mass was especially high in the mid-successional and old-growth forests, where the observed annual totals are among the highest recorded for tropical forests so far.

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Section: Litterfall In Tropical Montane Forestsmentioning

confidence: 57%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

High litterfall in old-growth and secondary upper montane forest of Costa Rica

2008

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“…The liquid water mixing ratio (g kg −1 ) contains the amount, in total mass, of cloud droplets and raindrops per kilogram of dry air, and therefore accounts for the two completely nonfrozen cloud microphysics hydrometeors in the atmospheric regional model cloud module that indicate the cloud formation and rain development process in the tropics. It has been reported that changes in wind patterns and vertical wind motions should also produce changes in cloud base heights, an important parameter in tropical montane cloud forests [Hamilton et al, 1993;Bruijnzeel and Proctor, 1993;Still et al, 1999;Nair et al, 2003;Ray et al, 2006;Lawton et al, 2011]. A montane cloud forest is defined as a tropical or subtropical moist forest in elevated terrain in which the cloud base is persistently or seasonally at or below the vegetation canopy level.…”

Section: Comarazamy and González: Regional And Local Climate Changes mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[27] These results for accumulated precipitation are of particular importance for small island states, mainly because tropical rain and montane cloud forests provide much of the natural resources, including fresh water, consumed in these countries [Hamilton et al, 1993;Bruijnzeel and Proctor, 1993;Franco et al, 1997;Pounds et al, 1999;Still et al, 1999;Lawton et al, 2011]. Therefore, it is equally important that the results for accumulated precipitation differences be compared with other data sets.…”

Section: Comarazamy and González: Regional And Local Climate Changes mentioning

confidence: 99%

Regional long-term climate change (1950-2000) in the midtropical Atlantic and its impacts on the hydrological cycle of Puerto Rico

Comarazamy

González

2011

J. Geophys. Res.

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[1] Large-scale climate data for the north tropical Atlantic (NTA) region show that air temperatures have increased during the past 50 years (1955-1959 to 2000-2004) with moderate warming near the Caribbean islands to considerable heating in the northern region. This pattern may be driven by sea surface temperature anomalies in the same region of study that follow relatively small changes in the Caribbean basin to stronger anomalies in the northeast. These changes might be associated with changes in the long-term pattern of the NTA high-pressure system that drives climate in the region. A series of mesoscale numerical experiments were designed to study the regional impacts these large-scale changes have on the hydrological cycle of the island of Puerto Rico. Results indicate that increased easterly surface winds for the 1950-2000 time frame disrupts a pattern of inland moisture advection and convergence zone, increasing cloud base heights and reducing the total column liquid water content over high elevations. This combination of factors produces a reduction in precipitation over the central and eastern mountains of Puerto Rico.

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“…In a premontane forest in Costa Rica at 870 m asl, Freiberg (1997) (Bruijnzeel and Proctor, 1995;Bruijnzeel and Veneklaas, 1998;Stadtmüller, 1987).…”

Section: Altitudementioning

confidence: 99%

Epiphytic bryophytes and habitat variation in montane rainforest, Peru

Romanski¹,

Pharo

Kirkpatrick³

2011

The Bryologist

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A total of 190 holoepiphytic and 5 hemiepiphytic vascular plant species were collected from the canopy and the trunk of an emergent Ficus L. species host that is common to a Peruvian cloud forest. One hundred and fourteen of the vascular epiphyte species were orchids. A large majority of the vascular species were rare in occurrence. Vascular epiphyte diversity and density was highest in the outer canopy zone of the host crown. In the inner canopy zone there was a dearth of epiphytes, attributed to a high rate of epiphyte slumping on the smooth-barked branches. The trunk had a different suit of species to those found in the canopy.During the wet season, the thickening of epiphytic matter in the outer canopy zone appeared to contribute to a large amelioration of daytime and nocturnal temperatures through evaporation and heat retention respectively.Nocturnal temperatures were highest in the outer canopy zone, and were lowest on the forest floor. The latter was attributed to the downward flow of the product of radiative cooling as a result of the heterogeneous canopy on the steep slope.Epiphyte clumps appear to slump before competition causes the loss of early successional species. Some species showed a preference for more shaded epiphyte clumps and many were more frequent on smaller branch diameters. Most species showed a moderately high niche overlap with a large number of other species, which suggested a high degree of species coexistence.Epiphyte slumping is suggested to be the major driving mechanism for the maintenance of non-equilibrium in the community. Aspects of the phenologies of epiphytes, age-structure of the community and high environmental variation could be other mechanisms for the maintenance of a high degree of species coexistence.iii

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Hydrology and Biogeochemistry of Tropical Montane Cloud Forests: What Do We Really Know?

Cited by 212 publications

References 90 publications

High litterfall in old-growth and secondary upper montane forest of Costa Rica

High litterfall in old-growth and secondary upper montane forest of Costa Rica

Regional long-term climate change (1950-2000) in the midtropical Atlantic and its impacts on the hydrological cycle of Puerto Rico

Epiphytic bryophytes and habitat variation in montane rainforest, Peru

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