Successional Clustering: Structural and compositional recovery in a seasonally dry tropical forest after hurricane disturbance in the Mexican Mesoamerican Biological Corridor
Topics: Biogeography
, Land Use
, Land Use and Land Cover Change
Keywords: Tropical Forest, Forest Succession, Forest Transformation, Land Use and Land Cover Change
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Friday
Session Start / End Time: 2/25/2022 09:40 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/25/2022 11:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 42
Authors:
Alana Marie Rader, Rutgers University
Laura Schneider, Rutgers University
Leonardo Calzada, Rutgers University
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Abstract
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 CO2 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). Using remotely sensed patterns of forest regeneration and ecological survey data from 23 regenerating forest plots, colleted by members of the Rutgers Land System Science Research Group, we use statistical clustering and Principal Component Analysis to assess the role of forest regeneration for 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, converging basal area and species compositions will follow and be dependent on surrounding forest age and successional stage. Conversely, we expect non-equilibrium trajectories 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 hurricane disturbances in MxMBC.
Successional Clustering: Structural and compositional recovery in a seasonally dry tropical forest after hurricane disturbance in the Mexican Mesoamerican Biological Corridor
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Virtual Paper Abstract
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