The effects of selective logging on the distribution of moths in a Bornean rainforest

The effects of selective logging on the diversity and species composition of moths were investigated by sampling from multiple sites in primary forest, both understorey and canopy, and logged forest at Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia. The diversity of individual sites was similar, although rarefied species richness of logged forest was 17% lower than for primary forest (understorey and canopy combined). There was significant heterogeneity in faunal composition and measures of similarity (NESS index) among primary forest understorey sites which may be as great as those between primary understorey and logged forest. The lowest similarity values were between primary forest understorey and canopy, indicating a distinct canopy fauna. A number of species encountered in the logged forest were confined to, or more abundant in, the canopy of primary forest. Approximately 10% of species were confined to primary forest across a range of species' abundances, suggesting this is a minimum estimate for the number of species lost following logging. The importance of accounting for heterogeneity within primary forest and sampling in the canopy when measuring the effects of disturbance on tropical forest communities are emphasized.     

Impact of logging on the richness and diversity of forest butterflies in a tropical dry forest in Thailand

Studies on the impact of logging on tropical forest butterflies have been almost exclusively conducted in moist forest habitats. This study considers the impacts of small-scale logging on butterfly communities at three sites of varying disturbance intensity in a tropical dry forest in western Thailand. Butterfly species richness was similar at all sites, but the abundance of butterflies and diversity of the butterfly community decreased with increased logging disturbance. The recorded decrease in diversity at the relatively large sampling scale used lends further support to the hypothesis that disturbance effects are scale dependent. Species abundance data for butterflies fitted a log-normal distribution at all sites, but also a log-series distribution at the two disturbed sites. These analyses suggest a more complex butterfly community at the undisturbed site, but also that log-series and log-normal distributions may not to be sufficiently sensitive to be useful indicators of community changes following logging. Community ordination separates both the butterfly species and transect samples into three distinct regions corresponding to the three study locations. Ordination axes are correlated with tree density, understorey cover and understorey plant richness. Species with the smallest geographic ranges tend to be the least abundant and occurred most frequently in the undisturbed site. The observed diverging responses to disturbance among butterfly families diminishes the value of butterfly communities as biodiversity indicators, and forest managers should perhaps focus on restricted range species or of groups of recognized sensitive species for this purpose.     

Forest fragmentation and selective logging have inconsistent effects on multiple animal-mediated ecosystem processes in a tropical forest

Forest fragmentation and selective logging are two main drivers of global environmental change and modify biodiversity and environmental conditions in many tropical forests. The consequences of these changes for the functioning of tropical forest ecosystems have rarely been explored in a comprehensive approach. In a Kenyan rainforest, we studied six animal-mediated ecosystem processes and recorded species richness and community composition of all animal taxa involved in these processes. We used linear models and a formal meta-analysis to test whether forest fragmentation and selective logging affected ecosystem processes and biodiversity and used structural equation models to disentangle direct from biodiversity-related indirect effects of human disturbance on multiple ecosystem processes. Fragmentation increased decomposition and reduced antbird predation, while selective logging consistently increased pollination, seed dispersal and army-ant raiding. Fragmentation modified species richness or community composition of five taxa, whereas selective logging did not affect any component of biodiversity. Changes in the abundance of functionally important species were related to lower predation by antbirds and higher decomposition rates in small forest fragments. The positive effects of selective logging on bee pollination, bird seed dispersal and army-ant raiding were direct, i.e. not related to changes in biodiversity, and were probably due to behavioural changes of these highly mobile animal taxa. We conclude that animal-mediated ecosystem processes respond in distinct ways to different types of human disturbance in Kakamega Forest. Our findings suggest that forest fragmentation affects ecosystem processes indirectly by changes in biodiversity, whereas selective logging influences processes directly by modifying local environmental conditions and resource distributions. The positive to neutral effects of selective logging on ecosystem processes show that the functionality of tropical forests can be maintained in moderately disturbed forest fragments. Conservation concepts for tropical forests should thus include not only remaining pristine forests but also functionally viable forest remnants.     

Phytophagous insect-woody sprout interactions in tropical eucalypt forest. II. Insect community structure

Abstract Sucking insects constituted 79% of all phytophagous insects collected from woody sprouts in the ground layer of a tropical eucalypt forest. Mobile insect groups such as non-psyllid Hemiptera and Orthoptera were relatively frequent in this environment compared to temperate, Eucalyptus-dominated vegetation. The high fire frequency of the tropical eucalypt forest may favour mobile insect groups. The capture of sucking insects and caterpillars peaked in dry season samples. Other patterns of abundance of phytophagous insect groups showed little consistency in their seasonal trends between host species or between vegetation types within host species. Disparities between chewing insect abundance in daytime samples and the damage chewing insects cause, may result from disproportionate consumption by large, mainly nocturnal insects, such as members of the Orthoptera. In this study, 21% of insect species were specialists on single plant species. This study suggested that insect abundance reflected the growth patterns of woody sprouts after regular burning, rather than that plant growth and development were tuned to the pressures of insect herbivory.     

Initial response of understorey vegetation to fire severity and salvage‐logging in the southern boreal forest of Québec

Abstract. In this study we compared the effects of fire on understorey vegetation in the Québec southern boreal forest with effects of salvage‐logging (clear‐cutting after fire). All 61 400‐m² sampling sites were controlled for overstorey composition (Deciduous, Mixed and Coniferous) and disturbance type, which consisted of three fire impact severity (FIS) classes (Light, Moderate and Extreme) and two harvesting techniques (Stem‐only and Whole‐tree Harvesting). Percent‐cover data of vegetation and post‐disturbance environmental characteristics were recorded in the field during the first two years after fire as well as soil texture. Ordination of fire alone demonstrated that, on Coniferous sites, fire initiates a succession whereby the understorey Coniferous sites approaches that of Deciduous‐Mixed sites, due to the release of the understorey from Sphagnum spp. dominance, this pattern being a function of FIS. On Deciduous‐Mixed stands, increased FIS resulted in a transition from herb to shrub dominance. Ordination of all five disturbance types showed that the impact of salvage‐logging on understorey composition was within the range of fire, but marginalized to the extreme end of the FIS spectrum. Variance partitioning demonstrated that overstorey and soil texture were the most important explanatory variables of fire alone, while disturbance type explained the largest independent fraction of understorey variation when salvage‐logging was introduced. Salvage‐logging also results in significant reductions in understorey abundance, richness and diversity, while indicator species analysis suggests that it favours mesoxerophytic to xeric species. Results are interpreted in light of shade‐tolerance dynamics, forest floor disturbance and soil moisture regimes. Implications for sustainable forest management are discussed.     

Stratification and diel activity of arthropods in a lowland rainforest in Gabon

The abundance, activity and species richness of arthropods, particularly of insect herbivores, were investigated in the upper canopy and understorey of a lowland rainforest at La Makandé, Gabon. In total 14 161 arthropods were collected with beating, flight interception and sticky traps, from six canopy sites, during the day and at night, from mid-January to mid-March 1999. The effects of stratum were most important, representing between 40 and 70% of the explained variance in arthropod distribution. Site effects represented between 20 and 40% of the variance and emphasized the néed for replication of sampling among canopy sites. Time effects (diel activity) explained a much lower percentage of variance (6–9%). The density and abundance of many arthropod taxa and species were significantly higher in the upper canopy than in the understorey. Arthropod activity was also higher during the day than at night. In particular, insect herbivores were 2.5 times more abundant and twice as speciose in the upper canopy than in the understorey, a probable response to the greater and more diverse food resources in the former stratum. Faunal overlap between the upper canopy and understorey was low. The most dissimilar herbivore communities foraged in the understorey at night and the upper canopy during the day. Further, a taxonomic study of a species-rich genus of herbivore collected there (Agrilus , Coleoptera Buprestidae) confirmed that the fauna of the upper canopy was different, diverse and very poorly known in comparison to that of the understorey. Herbivore turnover between day and night was rather high in the upper canopy and no strong influx of insect herbivores from lower foliage to the upper canopy was detected at night. This suggests that insect herbivores of the upper canopy may be resident and well adapted to environmental conditions there.     

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) mediate large-scale edge effects in a lowland tropical rainforest in Peninsular Malaysia

Edge-effects greatly extend the area of tropical forests degraded through human activities. At Pasoh, Peninsular Malaysia, it has been suggested that soil disturbance by highly abundant wild pigs (Sus scrofa), which feed in adjacent Oil Palm plantations, may have mediated the invasion of Clidemia hirta (Melastomataceae) into the diverse tropical lowland rain forest. To investigate this hypothesis, we established three 1 km transects from the forest/Oil Palm plantation boundary into the forest interior. We recorded the distribution of soil disturbance by wild pigs, C. hirta abundance, and environmental variables. These data were analyzed using a hierarchical Bayesian model that incorporated spatial auto-correlation in the environmental variables. As predicted, soil disturbance by wild pigs declined with distance from forest edge and C. hirta abundance was correlated with the level of soil disturbance. Importantly there was no effect of distance on C. hirta abundance, after controlling for the effect of soil disturbance. Clidemia hirta abundance was also correlated with the presence of canopy openings, but there was no significant association between the occurrence of canopy openings and distance from the edge. Increased levels of soil disturbance and C. hirta abundance were still detectable approximately 1 km from the edge, demonstrating the potential for exceptionally large-scale animal mediated edge effects.     

Response of floodplain understorey species to environmental gradients and tree invasion: a functional trait perspective

Plants are connected to habitats by functional traits which are filtered by environmental gradients. Since tree species composition in the forest canopy can influence ecosystem processes by changing resource availability, litter accumulation, and soil nutrient content, we hypothesised that non-native invasive trees can establish new environmental filters on the understorey communities. In the hardwood floodplain forests in Northern Italy, the invasive trees Robinia pseudoacacia L. and Prunus serotina Ehrh. are the dominant canopy species. We used trait data assembled from databases and iterative RLQ analysis to identify a parsimonious set of functional traits responding to environmental variables (soil, light availability, disturbance, and stand structure) and the dominant native and invasive canopy species. Then, RLQ and fourth-corner analysis was conducted to investigate the joint structure between macro-environmental variables and species traits and functional groups were identified. The trait composition of the herb-layer was significantly related to the main environmental gradients and the presence of the invaders in the canopy showed significant relationships with several traits. In particular, the presence of P. serotina may mitigate or even erase the effect of disturbances, maintaining a stable forest microclimate and thus favouring ‘true’ forest species, while R. pseudoacacia may slow down forest succession and regeneration by establishing new stable associations with a graminoid-dominated understorey. The impact of the two invasive trees on herb layer composition appears to differ, indicating that different management and control strategies may be needed.     

Terrestrial wildlife responses to logging and fire in a Bolivian tropical humid forest

Logging and wildfire are significant anthropogenic disturbance agents in tropical forests. We compared the abundance and species richness of selected terrestrial wildlife taxa including small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and terrestrial invertebrates in areas burned by wildfire and then logged and in adjacent undisturbed areas of a tropical humid forest in Bolivia. Disturbed areas had 24% less canopy cover than undisturbed areas but had 2.6 times the cover of large woody debris. Understory cover did not differ between disturbed and undisturbed areas. Small mammal abundance and species richness in disturbed areas were 43 and 70% higher, respectively, than in adjacent undisturbed areas. Herpetofaunal abundance did not differ significantly among disturbed and undisturbed areas, but trends for higher abundance were observed for both reptiles and amphibians in disturbed areas. Herpetofaunal species richness was significantly higher in disturbed compared to undisturbed areas. Total terrestrial invertebrate abundance, as estimated by pitfall traps, was significantly higher in undisturbed compared to disturbed areas mostly due to higher abundances of Formicidae and Blattidae. However, two invertebrate groups, Orthoptera and Lepidoptera (larvae) were more abundant in disturbed areas. Wildlife conservation strategies for areas where logging or wildfire occur should take into account species- or guild-specific responses to these disturbance agents.     

Overstorey Control of Understorey Species Composition in a Near-natural Temperate Broadleaved Forest in Denmark

Little is known about the importance of the forest overstorey relative to other factors in controlling the spatial variability in understorey species composition in near-natural temperate broadleaved forests. We addressed this question for the 19 ha ancient forest Suserup Skov (55°22′ N, 11°34′ E) in Denmark, one of the few old-growth temperate broadleaved forest remnants in north-western Europe, by inventorying understorey species composition and environmental conditions in 163 100 m² plots. We use unconstrained and constrained ordinations, variation partitioning, and Indicator Species Analysis to provide a quantitative assessment of the importance of the forest overstorey in controlling understorey species composition. Comparison of the gradients extracted by unconstrained and constrained ordinations showed that the main gradients in understorey species composition in our old-growth temperate broadleaved forest remnant are not caused by variability in the forest overstorey, but are related to topography and soil, edge effects, and unknown broad-scale factors. Nevertheless, overstorey-related variables uniquely accounted for 15% of the total explained variation in understorey species composition, with the pure overstorey-related (R_po), topography and soil (R_pt), edge and anthropogenic disturbance effects (R_pa), and spatial (R_ps) variation fractions being of equal magnitude. The forward variable selection showed that among the overstorey-related variables understorey light availability and to a lesser extent vertical forest structure were most important for understorey species composition. No unique influence of overstorey tree species identity could be documented. There were many indicator species for high understorey light levels and canopy gap centres, but none for medium or low light or closed canopy. Hence, no understorey species behaved as obligate shade plants. Our study shows that, the forest overstorey has a weak control of understorey species composition in near-natural broadleaved forest, in contrast to results from natural and managed forests comprising both conifer and broadleaved species. Nevertheless, >20% of the understorey species found were indicators of high light conditions or canopy openings. Hence, variability in canopy structure and understorey light availability is important for maintaining understorey species diversity.     

Responses of an avian community to rain forest degradation

Cumulative impacts of logging and road building in a previously undisturbed tract of tropical rain forest in French Guiana were assessed by random sampling of the bird community and 1-km² plot counts of diurnal raptors. Similar surveys were carried out during road construction and 15 years later within 5km of the road and were also compared with the undisturbed bird community of a nearby primary forest. The main disturbance was the change in forest structure brought about by logging and secondarily the road opening, the roadside second growth and the depletion of large vertebrates by hunting pressure. The responses of different bird guilds were highly divergent according to their natural habitat requirements, their diet and their vulnerability to hunting. They resulted in a moderate decrease in overall species richness and equitability. All species pooled, the abundance of 118 species was lowered, that of 45 species did not change appreciably and 89 were favored or even appeared. The guilds most affected were those with large body sizes, from terrestrial foragers to canopy frugivores, mostly by hunting, and the open understorey specialists, notably large insectivores and mixed flock members, because of changes in forest structure after logging. The guilds favored by logging and road opening were many of the hummingbirds, upper canopy frugivores and omnivores, and gap, edge or low secondary growth specialists. Recommendations to minimize the negative consequences of human exploitation in rain forests include reducing the width of deforested roadsides to no more than 10–15m on either side, implementing much more careful logging practices and strongly limiting hunting pressure in newly opened areas.     

Diversity, disturbance, and sustainable use of Neotropical forests: insects as indicators for conservation monitoring

Sustainable use of tropical forest systems requires continuous monitoring of biological diversity and ecosystem functions. This can be efficiently done with early warning (short-cycle) indicator groups of non-economical insects, whose population levels and resources are readily measured. Twenty-one groups of insects are evaluated as focal indicator taxa for rapid assessment of changes in Neotropical forest systems. Composite environmental indices for heterogeneity, richness, and natural disturbance are correlated positively with butterfly diversity in 56 Neotropical sites studied over many years. Various components of alpha, beta and gamma-diversity show typical responses to increased disturbance and different land-use regimes. Diversity often increases with disturbance near or below natural levels, but some sensitive species and genes are eliminated at very low levels of interference. Agricultural and silvicultural mosaics with over 30% conversion, including selective logging of three or more large trees per hectare, show shifts in species composition with irreversible loss of many components of the butterfly community, indicating non-sustainable land and resource use and reduction of future options. Monitoring of several insect indicator groups by local residents in a species-rich Brazilian Amazon extractive reserve has helped suggest guidelines for cologically, economically, and socially sustainable zoning and use regimes.     

Consequences of Fragmentation of Tropical Moist Forest for Birds and Their Role in Predation of Herbivorous Insects

The consequences of habitat alteration on the role of understory insectivorous birds as predators of herbivorous insects in tropical forests are poorly understood. To examine whether fragmentation may affect the top–down controls of herbivory, we compared the number of species, individuals, and the community structure of insectivorous birds between fragments and continuous tropical moist forest in Mexico. We also registered insect herbivore abundances and conducted a larvae predation experiment to evaluate the potential role of insectivorous birds as predators of herbivorous insects. We recorded 63 bird species from 22 families, 43 percent of which were insectivorous birds. Species richness, abundance, and diversity of the avian community were higher in continuous forest compared with forest fragments. For insectivorous birds in particular, there was low similarity in avian insectivore communities between forest types, and forest fragments had more heavily dominated communities of avian insectivores. During the dry season, forest fragments presented significantly higher predation rates on artificial caterpillars, and lower abundance of herbivorous Lepidoptera larvae, compared with continuous forest. Furthermore, there was a significant negative correlation between artificial caterpillar predation rate and larval Lepidoptera abundance, with higher rates of predation in sample sites of low Lepidoptera abundance. Hence, the potentially greater light in the dry season combined with a more dominated avian insectivore community in forest fragments may facilitate increased predation by avian insectivores, resulting in a decline in abundance of larval Lepidoptera, with implications for the process of insect‐driven herbivory in forest fragments.     

Abundance and composition of forest-dwelling anurans in cashew plantations in a tropical semi-evergreen forest landscape

Plantation crops in tropical human-modified landscapes provide alternative habitats to biodiversity outside protected areas. The Western Ghats of India are home to a mosaic of closely spaced habitats, including forests and agroecosystems. Cashew is a widely grown plantation crop in the northern Western Ghats and is known to provide economic and societal benefits. However, its role as a supplementary habitat for anurans is not well understood. We assessed the factors that influence understorey anuran composition and abundance in cashew plantations, forest edges, and forest interiors in Tillari Conservation Reserve, Maharashtra. Species composition of cashew plantations differed significantly from forests and was positively influenced by understorey and canopy cover. Cashew plantations had a near equal abundance of anurans as that of forest edges and interiors, which could be due to the preponderance of habitat generalists. Understorey positively influenced anuran abundance while ambient temperature had a negative influence. Reduced understorey and low canopy cover represent habitat modifications that occur in cashew plantations. Such structural changes could lead to reduced environmental refuges for anurans, thereby exposing them to large variations in temperature and moisture. Cashew plantations in Tillari Conservation Reserve serve as supplementary habitats for anurans. That said, cashew cultivation practices and markets must be understood before biodiversity-friendly plantation practices are proposed.     

Similarity and difference among rainforest fruit-feeding butterfly communities in Central and South America

1. Documenting species abundance distributions in natural environments is critical to ecology and conservation biology. Tropical forest insect faunas vary in space and time, and these partitions can differ in their contribution to overall species diversity. 2. In the Neotropics, the Central American butterfly fauna is best known in terms of general natural history, but butterfly community diversity is best documented by studies on South American fruit-feeding butterflies. Here, we present the first long-term study of fruit-feeding nymphalid species diversity from Central America and provide a unique comparison between Central and South American butterfly communities. 3. This study used 60 months of sampling among multiple spatial and temporal partitions to assess species diversity in a Costa Rican rainforest butterfly community. Abundance distributions varied significantly at the species and higher taxonomic group levels, and canopy and understorey samples were found to be composed of distinct species assemblages. 4. Strong similarities in patterns of species diversity were found between this study and one from Ecuador; yet, there was an important difference in how species richness was distributed in vertical space. In contrast to the Ecuadorian site, Costa Rica had significantly higher canopy richness and lower understorey richness. 5. This study affirms that long-term sampling is vital to understanding tropical insect species abundance distributions and points to potential differences in vertical structure among Central and South American forest insect communities that need to be explored.     

Disturbance, selective logging and bird diversity: a Neotropical forest study

The composition and structure of bird communities, and the damage to forest structure were surveyed in northern French Guiana (northeastern Amazonia) one year and ten years after selective logging and compared with the situation in a similar undisturbed primary forest. A point-count method was used in which 937 0.25ha sample plots were censused for 20 minutes each, and their vegetation structure was measured. On average, 38% of the forest undergrowth was destroyed, then invaded by dense regrowth, and up to 63% of the canopy was substantially opened as a result of selective logging. Hunting pressure also increased due to access roads opened for logging. Among the 256 species recorded, overall bird species richness and abundance were depressed by 27–34% in the logged areas compared to primary forest. The most vulnerable guilds, which decreased by 37–98% in abundance, were mature forest understorey species, especially terrestrial ones and mixed flocks of insectivores. Hummingbirds, small gaps, vine tangles and canopy species did not decrease, nor increase significantly after logging. Only species naturally associated with dense second growth, forest edges and large gaps actually increased. Habitat specialization was the major determinant of vulnerability to logging, and, to a lesser degree, size (large) and diet (insectivorous), but foraging behaviour and rarity had little effect. Bird sensitivity to changes in logged forest structure may involve physiological intolerance, reduced food categories, increased exposure to predators, too dense understorey for their specific foraging behaviour and/or avoidance of gaps. Suggested improvements of current forest management and logging techniques for the maintenance of a higher proportion of the original biodiversity include minimizing logging damages, long rotations (>50 years) between cuts, and keeping unlogged forest patches within logging concessions.     

Differential Responses of Herbivores and Herbivory to Management in Temperate European Beech

Forest management not only affects biodiversity but also might alter ecosystem processes mediated by the organisms, i.e. herbivory the removal of plant biomass by plant-eating insects and other arthropod groups. Aiming at revealing general relationships between forest management and herbivory we investigated aboveground arthropod herbivory in 105 plots dominated by European beech in three different regions in Germany in the sun-exposed canopy of mature beech trees and on beech saplings in the understorey. We separately assessed damage by different guilds of herbivores, i.e. chewing, sucking and scraping herbivores, gall-forming insects and mites, and leaf-mining insects. We asked whether herbivory differs among different forest management regimes (unmanaged, uneven-aged managed, even-aged managed) and among age-classes within even-aged forests. We further tested for consistency of relationships between regions, strata and herbivore guilds. On average, almost 80% of beech leaves showed herbivory damage, and about 6% of leaf area was consumed. Chewing damage was most common, whereas leaf sucking and scraping damage were very rare. Damage was generally greater in the canopy than in the understorey, in particular for chewing and scraping damage, and the occurrence of mines. There was little difference in herbivory among differently managed forests and the effects of management on damage differed among regions, strata and damage types. Covariates such as wood volume, tree density and plant diversity weakly influenced herbivory, and effects differed between herbivory types. We conclude that despite of the relatively low number of species attacking beech; arthropod herbivory on beech is generally high. We further conclude that responses of herbivory to forest management are multifaceted and environmental factors such as forest structure variables affecting in particular microclimatic conditions are more likely to explain the variability in herbivory among beech forest plots.     

The Conservation of Saproxylic Insects in Tropical Forests: A Research Agenda

Invariably, insects are overlooked when tropical forest management issues are discussed, because there are so many species, they are taxonomically intractable and so poorly known. Often people take the view that if you look after the vegetation and vertebrates, the insects will look after themselves. This may be true for some functional groups, but for saproxylic insects, this seems unlikely. Their study deserves high priority, since they are dependent on the very resource – wood – whose removal from the ecosystem is the usual object of forest management. Given the current international effort to develop 'criteria and indicators' to monitor sustainable forest management for biodiversity values, there is a window of opportunity for sound ecological research on saproxylic insects to influence the formulation of forest policy such that their needs can be taken into account. There is already a large body of knowledge on temperate and boreal region saproxylic insects, and on the effects that logging has on them, but knowledge of the tropical forest situation lags far behind. This paper proposes a research agenda to enable the needs of saproxylic insects to be taken into account in natural forest management in the tropics. Basic questions, such as whether logging has so far had an impact on tropical saproxylic insects, and whether there are workable sampling techniques to investigate this, still remain to be addressed and deserve high priority. The links between the responses of saproxylic insects and more 'charismatic' study species need to be investigated. We also need to know whether there is a correlation between the intensity of logging and the response of saproxylic insects, and, critically, whether we would be justified in measuring some surrogate aspects of forest structure (as potential habitat for saproxylic insects) rather than the saproxylic insects themselves, and modelling this to determine likely impacts of different management regimes. We consider such an ambitious research agenda as justified given the scale of impact that forest use and management is likely to have on tropical forest insects in the future.     

Gall-forming and free-feeding herbivory along vertical gradients in a lowland tropical rainforest: the importance of leaf sclerophylly

In contrast to most insect guilds, gall-forming insects are thought to reach highest diversity on sclerophyllous vegetation, such as Neotropical savannas and Mediterranean vegetation types. The water and nutrient stress endured by meristems of canopy trees in tall wet tropical rainforests may cause leaf sclerophylly. Hence, the upper canopies of such ecosystems may represent a suitable habitat for gall-forming insects. At the San Lorenzo Protected Area, Panama, we estimated free-feeding herbivory and gall densities within five sites in 2003 and 2004, by surveying leaves in vertical and horizontal transects. In each sample, we recorded leaf density (mature and young foliage), free-feeding herbivore damage and number of galls, including the presence of live larvae, parasitoids or fungi. We surveyed 43 994 leaves, including 231 plants and 73 tree and liana species. We collected 5014 galls from 17 host-plant species, including 32 gall species of which 59% were restricted to the canopy (overall infestation rates: 2.4% in 2003, 5.5% in 2004). In 2003, 16% of the galls were occupied by live larvae, against 5% in 2004. About 17–20% of leaves surveyed suffered from free-feeding herbivory. Leaf sclerophylly increased significantly with sampling height, while free-feeding herbivory decreased inversely. Conversely, the number of live galls collected in the canopy was 13–16 times higher than in the understorey, a pattern consistent across sites and years. Hence, the probability of gall survivorship increased with increasing leaf sclerophylly as death by fungi, parasitoids or accidental chewing were greater in the understorey. Increasing harsh ecophysiological conditions towards the upper canopy appear favourable to galls-forming population maintenance, in support of the hypothesis of harsh environment. Hence, gall diversity and abundance in the upper canopy of tall tropical forests are perhaps among the highest in the world.     

造林再造林、森林采伐、气候变化、CO2浓度升高、火灾和虫害对森林固碳能力的影响

森林生态系统具有吸收大气CO_2、缓解气候变化的作用。造林再造林作为京都议定书认可的大气CO_2减排途径,是提高森林固碳能力的低成本、有效策略。森林生态系统固碳能力还受森林采伐、气候变化、大气CO_2浓度升高、火灾以及虫害等自然因素和人为因素的强烈影响。综述了全球和区域造林再造林的固碳能力,以及目前较受重视的一些因素(森林采伐、气候变化、大气CO_2浓度升高、火灾以及虫害)对森林生态系统固碳能力的影响。结果表明,全球造林再造林固碳能力为148—2400TgC/a;采伐造成的全球森林碳损失最大为900 TgC/a,其次是火灾为300 TgC/a,虫害造成森林碳释放最小在2—107 TgC/a之间。建议在今后的研究中,应关注固碳措施和多种环境因素对森林生态系统固碳能力,尤其是对森林土壤固碳能力的影响,严格控制森林采伐和火灾发生,以及减少或避免造林再造林活动引起的碳泄漏。