Tropical cloud forest recovery: the role of seed banks in pastures dominated by an exotic grass

Williams‐Linera, Guadalupe; Bonilla‐Moheno, Martha; López‐Barrera, Fabiola

doi:10.1007/s11056-016-9526-8

Cited by 20 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Second, many of the small‐seeded, early successional species we commonly recorded (e.g. various Melastomataceae , Heliocarpus appendiculatus and Myrsine coriacea ) are often abundant in tropical seed banks (Cubiña & Aide, ; Silveira, Fernandes, & Lemos‐Filho, ; Williams‐Linera, Bonilla‐Moheno, & López‐Barrera, ). Third, like many field and remote sensing studies, we evaluated the effect of overall forest cover, rather than the influence of a specific individual species around each plot.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rules of thumb for predicting tropical forest recovery

Holl

Reid

Oviedo‐Brenes

et al. 2018

Applied Vegetation Science

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Questions: Natural regeneration is increasingly recognized as a potentially costeffective strategy to reach ambitious forest landscape restoration targets, but rates of recovery are notoriously variable. We asked how well initial habitat conditions after cessation of agriculture predict forest recovery after nearly a decade. We aimed to provide land managers with general rules of thumb to assess when it is necessary to invest resources in active restoration, such as tree planting, to accelerate forest recovery.Location: Coto Brus County, Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Methods:We compiled data on initial vegetation structure, soil nutrients, prior landuse history and surrounding forest cover at 13 sites. After 8.5 years, we measured vegetation indicators commonly used to assess forest recovery, namely amount of canopy closure and number and diversity of woody recruits.Results: Two variables, grass cover and canopy closure, measured 1.5 years after site abandonment, explained 47-87% of five of the six response variables after 8.5 years; recovery was faster in sites with lower grass cover and higher canopy closure initially.Waiting an additional year to measure initial vegetation variables did not improve model fit. Time since the original forest was cleared explained 62% of change in canopy cover, whereas percentage of surrounding forest cover, length of pasture use and soil variables explained minimal additional variation. Conclusions:Our results suggest that two easily measurable vegetation variables can provide guidance to land managers and policy makers about where to invest scarce restoration resources to facilitate forest recovery. K E Y W O R D Scanopy closure, forest recovery indicators, forest restoration, grass cover, natural regeneration, secondary succession, seedling recruitment S U PP O RTI N G I N FO R M ATI O NAdditional supporting information may be found online in the Supporting Information section at the end of the article. Appendix S1. Study and site locations Appendix S2. Site characteristics Appendix S3. Vegetation sampling design Appendix S4. Correlations between initial site variables Appendix S5. Δ recruit density 8.5-1.5 as a function of canopy closure including outlier site Appendix S6. Recruit species list How to cite this article: Holl KD, Reid JL, Oviedo-Brenes F, Kulikowski AJ, Zahawi RA. Rules of thumb for predicting tropical forest recovery.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rules of thumb for predicting tropical forest recovery

Holl

Reid

Oviedo‐Brenes

et al. 2018

Applied Vegetation Science

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“…Our biodiversity inventories are based on Mexico's National Biodiversity Inventory (CONABIO ), scientific literature, and our own data. The TMCFs and the associated agroecosystems of Veracruz, such as coffee plantations, have been studied broadly (López‐Gómez et al ; Manson et al ; Williams‐Linera et al , ) and this is a significant advantage over lesser known forests.…”

Section: Strategiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Restoration of tropical montane cloud forests: a six‐prong strategy

Ramírez‐Soto

Lucio-Palacio

Rodríguez‐Mesa

et al. 2018

Restoration Ecology

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Tropical Montane Cloud Forests (TMCFs) are among the vegetation types facing the greatest threats, both globally and in Mexico. Ecological restoration of TMCFs is a priority in several tropical countries. In this paper, we propose that restoration of TMCFs based on applied nucleation methods should be accompanied by a set of additional mechanisms that form a six-prong strategy. In our experience, the essential set of tools to ensure positive results is composed of (1) a diagnostic-prescriptive stage;(2) species selection and nursery management of native species for restoring the tree strata; (3) the use of a set of biological indicators to monitor its progression; (4) restoration training for local and government stakeholders; (5) active dissemination of information through a network of private landowners; and (6) voluntary land protection. The proposed framework is based on a decade of interdisciplinary work of the Mexican conservation nonprofit organization Pronatura Veracruz. Although nucleation has been proposed and used to accelerate the natural succession of other tropical forests, there is no detailed documentation of concurring elements to achieve its long-term success.

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“…This result reflects the much greater abundance of established trees of these species in the CP (Dhakal et al, 2012). Other studies of montane forest have reported an increased emergence of pioneer species after soil-surface disturbance from clearance of understorey by humans (Williams-Linera et al, 2016;Osumi & Sakurai, 1997;Williams-Linera, 1990). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 61%

Impact of Cardamom Cultivation on the Composition and Dynamics of Soil Seed Banks in a Conservation Forest in Sri Lanka: Implications for Conservation

Dhakal¹

2017

OJF

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Cultivation of cash crops, such as cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) in the forest understorey is a common practice in many tropical forests. Over time, cultivation may change forest structure and species composition, leading to gradual degradation of biodiversity and ecosystem services. Effective conservation of these forests requires an enhanced understanding of the demographic processes such as soil seed bank that may greatly influence future forest composition. We examined how the soil seed bank structure and composition responds to cardamom cultivation in a high conservation value Sri Lankan montane rain forest. Soil samples from natural forest with abandoned cardamom plantations (CP) and adjacent natural forest (NF) patches without cardamom were collected in dry and wet seasons. Soil samples were spread out in trays in a shade house and germination was recorded weekly for 19 weeks. The density of seeds in the soil seed bank was much higher in CP than NF. While grasses and forbs contributed the highest number and percentage of seeds in soils of both forest types, their densities in the soil seed bank were 9 and 2 times greater in the CP than the NF, respectively. Seeds of the nonnative herbs Ageratina riparia and E. cardamomum were 4 and 20 times greater in the soil of CP, respectively. Seeds of light demanding tree species such as

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Tropical cloud forest recovery: the role of seed banks in pastures dominated by an exotic grass

Cited by 20 publications

References 51 publications

Rules of thumb for predicting tropical forest recovery

Rules of thumb for predicting tropical forest recovery

Restoration of tropical montane cloud forests: a six‐prong strategy

Impact of Cardamom Cultivation on the Composition and Dynamics of Soil Seed Banks in a Conservation Forest in Sri Lanka: Implications for Conservation

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