Treesearch

this paper reviews the characteristicas of animal seed dispersal. relevant to tropical forest restoration efforts and discusses their managment implication. In many tropical regions seed dispersal by animals is the predominant form of dissemination of propagules and has a potential to facilitate recolonization of native vegetation on degraded sites.

This report contains the result of many analyses conducted at the laboratory of the IITF of Puerto Rico between 1981 and 1990. our objective was to make available the chemical and physical data developed for tropical forest ecosystems.

The principal findings of the second forest survey of Puerto Rico (1990) and changes that have occurred since the survey was established in 1980 are presented. The forest inventory estimates describe the timber resource found within the potential commercial region designated in the first survey. The timber resource addressed consists primarily of regrown areas on abandoned pastures and cropland, including coffee production areas. The status and trends of the timber resource are presented for the two Life Zones occurring in the commercial region, as well as for various forest classes, which...

Plant community succession alters the quantity and chemistry of organic inputs to soils. These differences in organic input may trigger changes in soil fertility and fauna1 activity. We examined earthworm density and community structure along a successional sequence of plant communities in abandoned tropical pastures in Puerto Rico. The chronological sequence of these plant communities were pasture, grass-vine-fern, shrub-small tree, and forest. Earthworm density was the highest in pasture (831 worms m-’ in top 0.25 m soil), decreased as secondary succession proceeded, and reached the...

Patterns of plant and animal diversity were studied in a 10-year-old native species reforestation area at a bauxite-mined site at porto Trombetas in western Para State, Brazil. Understorey and overstorey floristic composition and structure, understorey light conditions, forest floor development and soil properties were evaluated in a total of 38 78.5-m2

(IITF-SM; 80 ). Notes: Part of the Silvics Manual Series, under SO-ITF-SM.