Regeneration tropischer Bergwaldarten auf Brandflächen in der bolivianischen Ostkordillere
Final Report Abstract
Vast areas of tropical forests are nowadays deforested, in which the use of fire is a common tool. Restoration of deforested habitats will recuperate biodiversity and ecosystem service supply. Forest regeneration in burned habitats is slow due to various barriers, in which unfavorable habitat conditions and missing seed sources are the most important. The current project fills a gap in the knowledge of drivers for tropical montane forest regeneration, which remain less studied compared to lowland forest regeneration. We studied various aspects of forest regeneration (community level) and of generative recruitment of Clusia spp., a common genus in tropical montane forests (species level). Only few forest species established in the burned habitats. We identified frequent fires, hot and dry microclimates and low seed availability as main filters for forest regeneration. Seed rain from forest remnants declined strongly within 20 m from the forest edge. Early post-fire regeneration after burning relied mostly on the resprouting of the pre-existing vegetation. We identified various factors involved in the recruitment of Clusia spp. Distribution patterns of the seed shadow were altered by secondary seed dispersal and microhabitat conditions. Active measurements are urgently required to enhance montane forest regeneration. Most crucial is the control of frequent occurring fires, which otherwise regularly reset secondary succession and further degrade habitats. The hot and dry microclimatic conditions have to be mitigated, which might be feasible by establishment of a closed canopy in the deforested habitats. Artificial perching structures can enhance seed rain. Anyhow, seeds of forest species have to introduced manually, in particular of species vulnerable to fires and with large seeds, which were especially strong dispersal limited. We suggest species able to grow under the certain conditions and to attract a wide range of seed dispersers for seeding. Myrsine coriacea and Clusia ssp. might be suitable species for restoration of burned areas in tropical montane ranges.
Publications
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2013. Effects of disturbance and altitude on soil seed banks of tropical montane forests. Journal of Tropical Ecology 29: 523-529
Lippok, D., Walter, F., Hensen, I., Beck, S., Schleuning, M.
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2013. Forest fragmentation and edge effects on the genetic structure of Clusia sphaerocarpa and C. lechleri (Clusiaceae) in tropical montane forests. Journal of Tropical Ecology 29: 321 – 329
Apaza, A. E., Schleuning, M., Hensen, I., Saavedra, F., Durka, W.
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2013. Forest recovery of areas deforested by fire increases with elevation in the tropical Andes. Forest Ecology and Management 15: 69-76
Lippok, D., Beck, S., Renison, D., Gallegos, S., Saavedra, F., Hensen, I., Schleuning, M.
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2013. Human-Induced Disturbance Alters Pollinator Communities in Tropical Mountain Forests. Diversity 5: 1-14
Kambach, S., Guerra, F., Beck, S., Hensen, I., Schleuning, M.
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2013. Topography and edge effects are more important than elevation as drivers of vegetation patterns in a neotropical montane forest. Journal of Vegetation Science
Lippok, D., Beck, S., Renison, D., Hensen, I., Apaza, A. E., Schleuning, M.
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Functional importance of avian seed disperses changes in response to human-induced forest edges in tropical seed-dispersal networks. Oecologia November 2014, Volume 176, Issue 3, pp 837–848
Saavedra, F., Hensen, I., Beck, S., Böhning-Gaese, K., Lippok, D., Töpfer, T., Schleuning, M.
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Secondary dispersal by ants promotes forest regeneration after deforestation. Journal of Ecology, Volume 102, Issue 3, May 2014, Pages 659-666
Gallegos, S., Hensen, I., Schleuning, M.
