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A Link Between Hurricane-Induced Tree Sprouting, High Stem Density And Short Canopy In Tropical Dry Forest, Skip Van Bloem, Peter G. Murphy, Ariel E. Lugo
A Link Between Hurricane-Induced Tree Sprouting, High Stem Density And Short Canopy In Tropical Dry Forest, Skip Van Bloem, Peter G. Murphy, Ariel E. Lugo
Publications
The physiognomy of Caribbean dry forest is shorter, denser and contains a greater proportion of multi-stemmed trees than other neotropical dry forests. Our previous research, conducted after Hurricane Georges in 1998, has shown that dry forest trees sprout near the base following hurricane disturbance, even if the trees have not incurred structural damage. However, for these hurricane-induced sprouts to contribute to the physiognomy of the forest, they must grow and survive. We followed sprout dynamics and stem mortality on 1,407 stems from 1998, after Hurricane Georges, until 2005. The number of surviving sprouts and the proportion of sprouting stems decreased …
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 …