A Caribbean Forest Tapestry

The Multidimensional Nature of Disturbance and Response

Edited by Nicholas Brokaw, Todd Crowl, Ariel Lugo, William McDowell, Frederick Scatena, Robert Waide, and Michael Willig

Long-Term Ecological Research Network Series

Responds to the "Grand Challenges in Environmental Sciences" identified by the U.S. National Research Council
Includes topics such as biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, hyrologic forecasting, and land-use dynamics
Describes the impacts of, and recovery from, hurricanes, landslides, floods, droughts, and human disturbances in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico
Based on years of experience in Puerto Rico and other tropical areas

A Caribbean Forest Tapestry

The Multidimensional Nature of Disturbance and Response

Edited by Nicholas Brokaw, Todd Crowl, Ariel Lugo, William McDowell, Frederick Scatena, Robert Waide, and Michael Willig

Long-Term Ecological Research Network Series

Description

Global change threatens ecosystems worldwide, and tropical systems with their high diversity and rapid development are of special concern. We can mitigate the impacts of change if we understand how tropical ecosystems respond to disturbance. For tropical forests and streams in Puerto Rico this book describes the impacts of, and recovery from, hurricanes, landslides, floods, droughts, and human disturbances in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico. These ecosystems recover quickly after natural disturbances, having been shaped over thousands of years by such events. Human disturbance, however, has longer-lasting impacts. Chapters are by authors with many years of experience in Puerto Rico and other tropical areas and cover the history of research in these mountains, a framework for understanding disturbance and response, the environmental setting, the disturbance regime, response to disturbance, biotic mechanisms of response, management implications, and future directions. The text provides a strong perspective on tropical ecosystem dynamics over multiple scales of time and space.

A Caribbean Forest Tapestry

The Multidimensional Nature of Disturbance and Response

Edited by Nicholas Brokaw, Todd Crowl, Ariel Lugo, William McDowell, Frederick Scatena, Robert Waide, and Michael Willig

Long-Term Ecological Research Network Series

Dedication

Preface

Chapter 1 - Ecological Paradigms for the Tropics: Old Questions and Continuing Challenges

Ariel E. Lugo, Robert B. Waide, Michael R. Willig, Todd Crowl, Frederick N. Scatena, Jill Thompson, Whendee Silver, William H. McDowell, and Nicholas Brokaw

Chapter 2 - Conceptual Overview: Disturbance, Gradients, and Ecological Response

Bob Waide, Mike Willig

Chapter 3 - Geographic and Ecological Setting

W.H. McDowell, F.N. Scatena, R.B. Waide, N. Brokaw, G.R. Camilo, A.P. Covich, T.A. Crowl, G. González, E.A. Greathouse, P. Klawinski, D.J. Lodge, A.E. Lugo,, C.M. Pringle, B.A. Richardson, M.J. Richardson, D.A. Schaefer, W.L. Silver, J. Thompson, D. Vogt, K. Vogt, R.B. Waide, M. Willig, L. Woolbright, X. Zou, J. Zimmerman

Chapter 4 - Disturbance Regime

F. N. Scatena, F. Blanco, K. Beard, R. Waide, A. E. Lugo, N. Brokaw, W. Silver, B. Haines, J. Zimmerman

Chapter 5 - Response to Disturbance

N. Brokaw, J. Zimmerman, M. Willig, G. Camilo, A. Covich, T. Crowl, N. Fetcher, M. Gannon, B. Haines, J. Lodge, A. Lugo, R. Myster, C. Pringle, J. Sharpe, F. Scatena, T. Schowalter, W. Silver, J. Thompson, D. Vogt, K. Vogt, R. Waide, L. Walker, L. Woolbright, J. Wunderle, X. Zou

Chapter 6 - When and Where Biota Matter: Linking Disturbance Regimes, Species Characteristics and Dynamics of Communities and Ecosystems

Todd A. Crowl, Nicholas Brokaw, Robert B. Waide, Grizelle González, Karen Beard, Effie Greathouse, Ariel E. Lugo, Alan P. Covich, D. Jean Lodge, Catherine Pringle, Jill Thompson, and Gary E. Belovsky

Chapter 7 - Management Implications and Applications of Long-Term Ecological Research

Ariel E. Lugo, Frederick N. Scatena, Robert B. Waide, Effie A. Greathouse, Catherine M. Pringle, Michael Willig, Kristiina A. Vogt, Lawrence Walker, Grizelle González, William H. McDowell, and Jill Thompson

Chapter 8 - Long-term Research in the Luquillo Mountains: Synthesis and Foundations for the Future

Michael R. Willig, Christopher P. Bloch, Alan P. Covich, Charles A. S. Hall, D. Jean Lodge, Ariel E. Lugo, Whendee L. Silver, Robert B. Waide, Lawrence R. Walker, and Jess K. Zimmerman

A Caribbean Forest Tapestry

The Multidimensional Nature of Disturbance and Response

Edited by Nicholas Brokaw, Todd Crowl, Ariel Lugo, William McDowell, Frederick Scatena, Robert Waide, and Michael Willig

Long-Term Ecological Research Network Series

Author Information

NB: Institute for Tropical Ecosystem Studies, University of Puerto Rico-Río
TRC: Department of Aquatic and Earth Sciences, Utah State University
AEL: International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service
WHM: Department of Natural Resources, University of New Hampshire
FNS: Department Earth & Environmental Science, University of Pennsylvania
RBW: LTER Network Office, University of New Mexico
MRW: Center for Environmental Science, University of Connecticut