The Caribbean Lowland Evergreen Moist and Wet Forests

McClearn, Deedra; Arroyo‐Mora, J. Pablo; Castro, Enrique; Coleman, Ronald C.; Espeleta, Javier F.; García‐Robledo, Carlos; Gilman, Alex; González, José A.; Joyce, A. T.; Kuprewicz, Erin K.; Longino, John T.; Michel, Nicole L.; Rodriguez, Carlos Manuel Taboada; Romero, Andrea; Soto, Carlomagno; Vargas, Orlando; Wendt, Amanda; Whitfield, Steven M.; Timm, Robert M.

doi:10.7208/chicago/9780226121642.003.0016

Cited by 6 publications

(2 citation statements)

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“…Mean annual rainfall and temperature are ~4000 mm and ~26.5 C, respectively. Given the shared regional tree species pool, the areas surrounding La Selva once contained forests with likely similar tree species composition but have experienced significant deforestation during the past 50 years (McClearn et al, 2016).…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of large mammal exclusion on seedling communities depend on plant species traits and landscape protection in human‐modified Costa Rican forests

Huanca‐Nuñez,

Chazdon,

Russo

2023

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Large terrestrial herbivorous mammals (LTH‐mammals) influence plant community structure by affecting seedling establishment in mature tropical forests. Many of these LTH‐mammals frequent secondary forests, but their effects on seedling establishment in them are understudied, hindering our understanding of how LTH‐mammals influence forest regeneration in human‐modified landscapes. We tested the hypothesis that the strength of LTH‐mammals' effects on seedling establishment depends on landscape protection, forest successional stage and plant species' traits using a manipulative field experiment in six 1‐ha sites with varying successional age and landscape protection. In each site, we established 40 seedling plot‐pairs, with one plot excluding LTH‐mammals and one not, and monitored seedlings of 116 woody species for 26 months. We found significant effects of LTH‐mammal exclusion on seedling survival contingent upon the protection of forests at the landscape level and forest stage. After 26 months, survival differences between LTH‐mammal exclusion and non‐exclusion treatments were greater in protected than unprotected landscapes. Additionally, plant species' traits were related to the LTH‐mammals' differential effects, as LTH‐mammals reduced the survival of seedlings of larger‐seeded species the most. Overall, LTH‐mammals' effects translated into significant shifts in community composition as seedling communities inside and outside the exclosures diverged. Moreover, lower density and higher species diversity were found as early as 12 and 18 months outside than inside exclosures. Synthesis and applications. Insight into the interactions between LTH‐mammals and seedling communities in forest regeneration can be instrumental in planning effective restoration efforts. We highlight the importance of landscape protection in seedling survival and the role of LTH‐mammals in promoting seedling diversity in mature forests but also in secondary successional forests. The findings suggest that conservation efforts and possibly trophic rewilding can be important approaches for preserving diversity and influencing the trajectory of secondary tropical forest succession. However, we also caution that an overabundance of LTH‐mammals may adversely impact the pace of forest succession due to their preference for large‐seeded species. Therefore, a comprehensive wildlife management plan is indispensable. Additionally, longer term studies on LTH‐mammals are necessary to understand the effects of temporal fluctuations that are undetected in short‐term studies.

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Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of large mammal exclusion on seedling communities depend on plant species traits and landscape protection in human‐modified Costa Rican forests

Huanca‐Nuñez,

Chazdon,

Russo

2023

Journal of Applied Ecology

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“…The most common soil orders found here are Entisols in places of limited pedological development owing to the relative youth of the parent materials, Inceptisols where the soils have a more advanced B-horizon development, Histosols generally where there are periodic floods throughout the year, and Ultisols occurring in the most weathered profiles (Camacho, 2017). The tropical wet and moist forests dominate the Caribbean coast, together with extensive pastures for livestock and banana fields that form the agricultural landscape (McClearn et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geomorphology of the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica

Quesada‐Román

Pérez-Briceño

2019

Journal of Maps

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Costa Rica's Caribbean coastline is the result of a complex tectonic setting coupled with dynamic geological, climatological, hydrological and ecological processes. Despite their importance in risk prevention and in land use planning, geomorphological maps at detailed scales are scarce in Costa Rica. A geomorphology map of 210 km of the Caribbean coastline was produced at a scale of 1: 25,000 with a 1: 50,000 scale output map. Eleven landforms were mapped and described based upon their morphogenesis (i.e. tectonic, volcanic, fluvial and/or coastal). This work is an important base for coastal management, and is a compilation of the best existing knowledge of the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.

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Pesticide use in banana plantations in Costa Rica – A review of environmental and human exposure, effects and potential risks

Brühl

Andres

Echeverría-Sáenz

et al. 2023

Environment International

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The Caribbean Lowland Evergreen Moist and Wet Forests

Abstract: You are reading copyrighted material published by University of Chicago Press. Unauthorized posting, copying, or distributing of this work except as permitted under U.S. copyright law is illegal and injures the author and publisher.

Cited by 6 publications

References 392 publications

Effects of large mammal exclusion on seedling communities depend on plant species traits and landscape protection in human‐modified Costa Rican forests

Effects of large mammal exclusion on seedling communities depend on plant species traits and landscape protection in human‐modified Costa Rican forests

Geomorphology of the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica

Pesticide use in banana plantations in Costa Rica – A review of environmental and human exposure, effects and potential risks

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