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Successional Clustering: Structural and compositional recovery in a seasonally dry tropical forest after hurricane disturbance in Southeastern Mexico
Abstract:
<p>In the face of increasing and compounding disturbances, unprecedented forest transformations are occurring, particularly in tropical environments (Bhaskar et al., 2014). Forest transformations are followed by successional trajectories, where stages of forest compositional and structural recovery provide socio-ecologically important ecosystem processes, such as climate services, soil restoration, and CO<sub>2</sub> sequestration (Chazdon 2014). This project investigates forest structure (basal area) and composition (biodiversity) of seasonally dry tropical forests recovering over 12 years since category 5 Hurricane Dean (2007) made landfall in the Mexican portion of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor (MxMBC). Bringing together remotely sensed patterns of forest regeneration and ecological survey data from 23 regenerating forest plots, we use statistical clustering and Principal Component Analysis to assess the role of landscape scale forest regeneration patterns in defining trajectories of structural and compositional recovery in forests of differing baseline age, successional stage, and level of initial hurricane damage. We expect that if patterns of forest structure and composition follow an equilibrium successional trajectory, measures of converging basal area and species compositions will follow and be dependent on surrounding forest age and successional stage. Conversely, we expect a non-equilibrium trajectory of forest structure and composition to be defined by idiosyncratic clusters of basal area, biodiversity, and species compositions, and dependent on spatio-temporal patterns of landscape scale forest regeneration. Understanding the recovering second growth forest structures and compositions that emerge during succession is of critical importance for assessing how and why forest ecosystems recover following continuous tropical forest disturbances.</p>
Keywords: Forest succession; Tropical forest; Regeneration; Land Use and Land Cover Change
Authors:
Alana M Rader, California State University Northridge; Submitting Author / Primary Presenter
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Successional Clustering: Structural and compositional recovery in a seasonally dry tropical forest after hurricane disturbance in Southeastern Mexico
Category
In-Person Paper Abstract