Treesearch

Root grafting was commonly found in tabonuco (Dacryodes excelsa Vahl), a dominant tree species of tabonuco forest in the subtropical wet forest of Puerto Rico. Over 60 percent of all stems and basal area of tabonuco occurred in unions, clumps of trees interconnected by root grafts. Self and intraspecific grafting were extensive, while interspecific grafting was not common in tabonuco trees. Seedlings and saplings did not show any grafting, probably because of their size or age. Grafted trees were taller and had a smaller crown/DBH ratio. Hurricane damage was significantly higher in...

The loss of species as a result of deforestation and degradation of tropical forest lands is widely discussed. Models based on island biogeography theory are used to evaluate the relationship between extinctions of species and deforestation. The analysis shows that natural resiliency causes the models to overestimate the rates of species extinctions for given intensities of deforestation. There is an opportunity to couple natural processes with management activities to reduce species extinctions and restore species richness to degraded lands. As an example we show how tropical monoculture...

Seed weights and germination information were obtained for 119 native Puerto Rican and naturalized exotic trees and shrubs. Fruit was collected from 34 of these species, and the weights were recorded. The data are presented in tables that list the species alphabetically by scientific names.

This paper presents a summary description of the morphology, sedimentation, and behaviour of the montane streams of eastern Jamaica and eastern Puerto Rico. The area is located within a 200 km wide seismically active zone of Neogene left-lateral strike-slip deformation which defines the plate boundary between the Caribbean and North American Plates. Tropical storms, occasionally strengthening up to hurricane force, affect the region periodically. This is an area of steep, mass-movement-scarred hillslopes which supply a large amount of coarse sediment to the rivers. From the description...