This long-awaited book would seem to mark the end of classical tropical botany and phytogeography as subjects for scholarly pursuits. Since the middle of the century, when the first edition of The Tropical Rain Forest appeared, the wet tropical lowlands of the world have become an industrial battleground and, today at the end of the "Second Millennium", the future of the remaining rainforests that have evolved over millions of years looks bleak. Indeed, the book may well become "a record of what the rainforest was like in the twentieth century", as stated on its first page. This elegiac declaration not only reflects world concern about its pending extinction, but also Professor Richards' increasingly personal involvement with rainforest conservation in his later years.

/pdf/the-tropical-rain-forest-an-ecological-study-z6cgm61wvf.pdf

The Tropical Rain Forest: An Ecological Study

Measuring of dispersion of individuals and analysis of the distributional patterns.

Summary 1 Many authors have suggested that topography and soils are the major determinants of species distributions and community patterns at small or regional scales, but few studies addressed the patterns at mesoscales. We used Reserva Ducke (100 km 2 ) as a model to analyse the effects of soil, topography and watersheds on the variation of the herb community composition, and to determine the relative importance of the environmental factors on species composition. 2 Taxonomic groups are frequently used as surrogates in studies of biodiversity distribution and complementarity, but their efficacy is controversial. We therefore studied the correlations between the distributional patterns of three different herb groups (Marantaceae, pteridophytes and ‘others’) and their responses to environmental predictors. 3 Terrestrial herbs were sampled in 59 plots of 250 × 2 m, systematically distributed over the reserve. Plots followed isoclines of altitude, to minimize the internal variation of soil. Composition of the total herb community and of the three herb groups was summarized with PCoA. 4 Soil structure, represented by PCA axes, was the main determinant of the variation in herb composition for all groups, but slope affected only pteridophytes. Soil and topography explained less than one-third of the variance in community data. Herb composition was significantly different between watersheds, but watersheds differ only slightly in soil parameters. Our results indicate high turnover in species composition, on spatial scales of 5‐10 km in central Amazonia, which is not necessarily associated with soil change. 5 Compositional patterns of the three groups analysed were significantly correlated, but with low values for the correlation coefficient. Although composition was correlated, the responses to environmental predictors differed among groups, and the use of one group as a surrogate will miss around 50% of the variation in other groups. 6 Although important, soil and topography alone cannot predict herb community structure. Knowledge of geographical, historical or other landscape features, such as watershed morphology, may therefore be necessary to predict the turnover patterns over mesoscales. Moreover, the same factors may not have the same effectiveness as predictors of the structure of seemingly similar biological groups.

https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2005.01020.x

Mesoscale distribution patterns of Amazonian understorey herbs in relation to topography, soil and watersheds

At landscape and regional scales topography is recognized as one of the most important determinants of vascular plant diversity, primarily due to the infl uence of mountains. As temperature changes markedly over the elevation ranges in mountain areas, topography off ers a wide variety of diff erent habitats as well as buff ering against climate change. However, for local vegetation, notably in lowland areas, the general importance of topography is less well recognized and the mechanisms by which it exerts infl uence on local vascular plant diversity are not comprehensively understood. In this review, we provide an overview of the evidence for the diff erent mechanisms involved in topography ' s control of local patterns in potential vegetation drivers, namely incident solar energy, wind exposure, hydrology, geochemistry, and biotic conditions. Furthermore, we review the processes through which these factors shape local terrestrial vascular plant diversity patterns and provide directions for future studies on this topic. We fi nd that topography is an important factor for local vascular plant diversity patterns in a broad range of habitats throughout the world, even in relatively fl at lowlands. However, the mechanisms involved are varied and complex. Local patterns in soil moisture seem to be aff ected by topography through more mechanisms than other topographically controlled factors and have a strong and consistent infl uence on local plant diversity. Hence, local hydrology is probably the main mechanistic factor through which topography infl uences local terrestrial vascular plant diversity patterns. Future research should focus on employing high-coverage fi ne-resolution topographic data to comprehensively explore the role of topography in controlling local dynamics over large areas. Moreover, we recommend including several diff erent habitats, particularly those in which the role of topography is poorly understood. Finally, we propose to integrate relevant functional topographic variables such as topographic wetness indices instead of simple topographic measures into future investigations.

https://www.madalgo.au.dk/fileadmin/madalgo/OA_PDF_s/J88.pdf

Topography as a driver of local terrestrial vascular plant diversity patterns

Belowground community responses to fire: meta‐analysis reveals contrasting responses of soil microorganisms and mesofauna

A plot of 150x700 m2 was established in a mixed dipterocarps of Wanariset Semboja, East Kalimantan during the periods of 1979-1981. The forest was dominated by Eusideroxylon zwageri (Lauraceae), Dipterocarpus cornutus (Dipterocarpaceae), Pholidocarpus majadum (Arecaceae), and Diospyros borneensis (Ebenaceae). Since the plot establishment, the forests then had experienced three times of forest fires, those were in 1982-1983, 1994-1995 and 1997-1998. The present paper reports the results of re-measurement of some 150x110 m2parts of the plot in August 2003, about 23 years after plot establishment. Micro topographically, the studied plot was relatively undulating in higher parts and relatively flat in the lower parts of the plot, while the differences between lowest sub-plot and higher sub-plot of the remeasured plot was 26 m. Forest floor of the lower parts of the plot were humid to wet during rainy season and still humid during dry season. Almost all of the trees within lower parts of the plot were escaped from these three times of forest fires; hence these sub-plots weredominated by the trees of primary species that enumerated in 1980. Those sub-plots in the higher parts were burnt during the past forest fires indicated by the charcoal of standing trees and remaining felling logs in the forest floor. These burnt sub-plots were dominated by pioneer or secondary tree species, such as: Mallotus spp., Macaranga spp., Ficus spp. and Vernonia arborea. Local distribution of some indicator species (such as primary tree species: Pholidocarpus majadum, Diospyros spp., Eusideroxylon zwageri and species of Dipterocarpaceae; pioneer or secondary tree species Vernonia arborea, Macaranga spp., Mallotus spp., Ficus uncinulata, Piper aduncum, Peronema canescens) within the plot were figured. Mortality, recruitment and growth rate during the period of 1980-2003 were also discussed.Â© 2005 Jurusan Biologi FMIPA UNS SurakartaKey words: dynamics, mix dipterocarps forest, forest fires, mortality, recruitment and growth rate.

/pdf/dynamics-of-mixed-dipterocarps-forests-in-wanariset-semboja-1yrh487oy0.pdf

Dynamics of Mixed Dipterocarps Forests in Wanariset Semboja, East Kalimantan after Three Times of Forest Fires within the Periods of 1980-2003

The spatial distribution, survival and growth of Elateriaspermum tapas Blume (Euphorbiaceae) were studied from the data of a 1-ha permanent plot at Gunung Berni, West Kalimantan. In the plot, number of species and individuals of Euphorbiaceae were 35 and 254, respectively and the most abundant and dominant was E. tapas. Forty four percent of seeds produced in a mast fruiting season could be escaped from predators and germinated into seedlings. The number of the established seedlings was drastically dropped in the next year of the mast fruiting and slightly increased in the second year.The species has classical inverse J-shaped frequency size distribution, suggesting its continuous regeneration. The species was contagiously distributed in the plot. Mortality of shorter seedlings was higher than that of taller seedlings, and the mortality of seedlings in the gap was slightly higher than that of in closed forest. The mortality rate of seedlings was not related to the density of cohort seedlings and variables representing stand structure. The relationships among measured tree dimensions drew a simple linear; suggesting the growth pattern of tree dimensions in each individual plant was closely dependent one to another. The RGR-height tended to decrease in hyperbolic manner by increasing the height of seedlings and saplings, and the RGR-height in the gap were consistently higher than that in the closed forest. The RGR of height on seedlings and saplings or the RGR of diameter on trees in the sub-plots was not significantly related to the variables representing stand structure and relative light intensity ambient the individuals.

西カリマンタンの混交フタバガキ林における卜ウダイグサ科Elateriospermum tapos Blume の空間分布、生存率および成長速度

The litterfall of Allingia excelsa Noroflha, Schima wallichii (DC) Korth., Castanopsis acuminatissima (Bl.) A. DC, C. javanica (Bl.) A. DC. and Quercus lineata Blume, the dominant tree species of Lower Mountain at Gunung Halimun National Park - West Java were studied.The annual litterfall was 7.0 - 8.2 t ha y and the total litterfall was higher during the rainy season than in the dry season. Each dominant tree species had its own specific pattern of leaf shedding. A. excelsa shed their leaves at the end of the rainy season of the first year, during the biannual period of study, while Q. lineata was opposite.C.javanica shed their leaves mainly in the middle of the rainy season in January to February. There was no clear pattern of leaf shedding on C. acuminatissima,and the species was named as non-seasonally type, while S. wallichii, shed their leaves during the dry season, and was named as the dry season type.

/pdf/variasi-musiman-produksi-serasah-jenis-jenis-dominan-hutan-4jnrdbj912.pdf

Variasi musiman produksi serasah jenis-jenis dominan hutan pegunungan rendah di taman nasional gunung halimun

Habitat evolution of a peat swamp forest and belowground carbon storage was examined in a coastal lowland along the eastern coast of Central Sumatra, Indonesia. Boring surveys using a hand-operated peat sampler for 32 sites and radiocarbon dating for 29 samples revealed that the peat swamp forest had begun formation by 6500 cal BP and expanded rapidly between 6500 and 5000 cal BP and between 4000 and 2000 cal BP to nearly the present distribution area. The thickness of the peat layer formed under the peat swamp forest reached approximately 4 m, even in the margin of the peat dome, and more than 9 m in the center. Stored carbon per unit volume of the peat layer was estimated to be between 30 and 44 kg C m−3 in the margin of the peat dome and approximately 26 kg C m−3 in the center, which was less than the general carbon values of the mangrove peat. The relatively higher amount of stored carbon per unit volume in the margin was possibly caused by an inflow of allochthonous carbon from flood deposits. Belowground carbon burial rate of the peat layer was calculated as between 31 and 105 g C m−2 years−1 in the peat dome margin and between 27 and 76 g C m−2 years−1 in the center, which were identical to mangrove peat. These data suggest that peat swamp forests have played a significant role as places for carbon sequestration belowground as well as mangrove forest with mangrove peat.

/pdf/habitat-evolution-of-a-peat-swamp-forest-and-belowground-4bzftibj2t.pdf

Habitat evolution of a peat swamp forest and belowground carbon sequestration during the Holocene along the coastal lowland in Central Sumatra, Indonesia

Data of Dipterocarpaceae species have been extracted from 8 studied plots of 1-ha each, distributed in three types of natural forest in Kalimantan (those were 4 plots in mixed dipterocarps forest, 2 plots in peat swamp forest and 2 plots in heath forest types) for further population analysis. Number of Dipterocarpaceae species in mixed dipterocarps forest type was higher than of in two other forest types, however mean number of individual per species was higher in peat swamp and heath forest types than of in mixed dipterocarps forest type. Some of Dipterocarpaceae species are adapted to heath and peat swamp forest type conditions indicated by the number and distribution of population of the species in both forest types. The higher the population number of juvenile trees 5-10 cm in diameter, the lower population number of mature trees of diameter 50cm up, indicated the higher tree population the higher mortality rate. However, survivorship of tree will higher as the tree diameter higher. Survivorship of trees in mixed dipterocarp forest is higher than of in peat swamp and heath forest types.

/pdf/populasi-pohon-jenis-dipterocarpaceae-ditiga-tipe-hutan-28hmdiibec.pdf

Herwint Simbolon

Papers

Dynamics of Mixed Dipterocarps Forests in Wanariset Semboja, East Kalimantan after Three Times of Forest Fires within the Periods of 1980-2003

西カリマンタンの混交フタバガキ林における卜ウダイグサ科Elateriospermum tapos Blume の空間分布、生存率および成長速度

Variasi musiman produksi serasah jenis-jenis dominan hutan pegunungan rendah di taman nasional gunung halimun

Habitat evolution of a peat swamp forest and belowground carbon sequestration during the Holocene along the coastal lowland in Central Sumatra, Indonesia

Populasi pohon jenis dipterocarpaceae ditiga tipe hutan pamah kalimantan