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Structural Response Of Caribbean Dry Forests To Hurricane Winds: A Case Study From Guanica Forest, Puerto Rico, Skip Van Bloem, Ariel E. Lugo, Peter G. Murphy
Structural Response Of Caribbean Dry Forests To Hurricane Winds: A Case Study From Guanica Forest, Puerto Rico, Skip Van Bloem, Ariel E. Lugo, Peter G. Murphy
Publications
Tropical dry forests in the Caribbean have an uniquely short, shrubby structure with a high proportion of multiple-stemmed trees compared to dry forests elsewhere in the Neotropics. Previous studies have shown that this structure can arise without the loss of main stems from cutting, grazing, or other human intervention. The Caribbean has a high frequency of hurricanes, so wind may also influence forest stature. Furthermore, these forests also tend to grow on soils with low amounts of available phosphorus, which may also influence structure. The objective of this study was to assess the role of high winds in structuring dry …
The Influence Of Hurricane Winds On Caribbean Dry Forest Structure And Nutrient Pools, Skip Van Bloem, Ariel E. Lugo, Rebecca Ostertag, Maria Rivera Costa, Ivelisse Ruiz Bernard, Sandra Molina Colón, Miguel Canals Mora
The Influence Of Hurricane Winds On Caribbean Dry Forest Structure And Nutrient Pools, Skip Van Bloem, Ariel E. Lugo, Rebecca Ostertag, Maria Rivera Costa, Ivelisse Ruiz Bernard, Sandra Molina Colón, Miguel Canals Mora
Publications
In 1998, we measured the effects of Hurricane Georges after it passed over long‐term research sites in Puerto Rican dry forest. Our primary objectives were to quantify hurricane effects on forest structure, to compare effects in a large tract of forest versus a series of nearby forest fragments, to evaluate short‐term response to hurricane disturbance in terms of mortality and sprouting, and to assess the ability of hurricanes to maintain forest structure. We sampled damage from 33 plots (1.3 ha) across a 3000‐ha tract of forest as well as in 19 fragments. For stems with 2.5‐cm minimum diameter, 1004 stems/ha …