Structural dynamics of tropical moist forest gaps

Maria O. Hunter; Michael Keller; Douglas Morton; Bruce Cook; Michael Lefsky; Mark Ducey; Scott Saleska; Raimundo Cosme de Oliveira; Juliana Schietti

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0132144

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Structural dynamics of tropical moist forest gaps

Formally Refereed

Authors:

Maria O. Hunter, Michael Keller, Douglas Morton, Bruce Cook, Michael Lefsky, Mark Ducey, Scott Saleska, Raimundo Cosme de Oliveira, Juliana Schietti

Year:

2015

Type:

Scientific Journal

Station:

International Institute of Tropical Forestry

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0132144

Source:

PLOS ONE

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Abstract

Gap phase dynamics are the dominant mode of forest turnover in tropical forests. However, gap processes are infrequently studied at the landscape scale. Airborne lidar data offer detailed information on three-dimensional forest structure, providing a means to characterize fine-scale (1 m) processes in tropical forests over large areas. Lidar-based estimates of forest structure (top down) differ from traditional field measurements (bottom up), and necessitate clear-cut definitions unencumbered by the wisdom of a field observer. We offer a new definition of a forest gap that is driven by forest dynamics and consistent with precise ranging measurements from airborne lidar data and tall, multi-layered tropical forest structure. We used 1000 ha of multi-temporal lidar data (2008, 2012) at two sites, the Tapajos National Forest and Ducke Reserve, to study gap dynamics in the Brazilian Amazon. Here, we identified dynamic gaps as contiguous areas of significant growth, that correspond to areas > 10 m2, with height

Keywords

Forests, Trees, Death rates, Spatial autocorrelation, Confidence intervals, Data processing, Radii, Remote sensing

Citation

Hunter, Maria O.; Keller, Michael; Morton, Douglas; Cook, Bruce; Lefsky, Michael; Ducey, Mark; Saleska, Scott; de Oliveira, Raimundo Cosme; Schietti, Juliana. 2015. Structural dynamics of tropical moist forest gaps. PLOS ONE. 10(7): e0132144-.