How Tropical Forests Work

                How do tropical forests work?  Tropical forests are much more diverse than their temperate forest counterparts, but is the way they work different?  We will talk about some of the important ecological processes that help shape tropical forests and discuss what are some of the differences and similarities of tropical and temperate forests.  Points of discussions will include (1) What defines a tropical forest? (2) Are all tropical forests the same? (3) Why are tropical forests so diverse?  (3) Soils, nutrient cycles (4) Tropical forest structure (5) The role of plant and animal interactions  (5) Forest disturbance – natural and human caused.  

References

Givnish, T. J. (1999) On the causes of gradients in tropical tree diversity.  Journal of Ecology 87:193-210.    

Guariguata, M. R. & Pinard, M. A. (1998) Ecological knowledge of regeneration from seed in neotropical forest trees:  implications for natural forest management.  Forest Ecology and Management 112: 87-99.

Hubbell et al (1999) Light-gap disturbances, Recruitment limitation, and tree diversity in a Neotropical forest.  Science 283:554-557.

Janzen, D. H.(1970) Herbivores and the number of tree species in tropical forests.  American Naturalists 104:501-528.

Richards, P. W. (1996) The tropical rain forest : an ecological study.

Terbourgh, J (1992) Diversity and the tropical rain forest.