Biotropica

Journal: Biotropica

Publisher

Wiley

ISSN

0006-3606
1744-7429

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Publications 1 - 8 of 8

Detecting aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity in a tropical estuary using environmental DNA
Polanco Fernandez, Andrea; Mutis Martinezguerra, Maria; Marques, Virginie; et al. (2021)
Biotropica
Estuaries are characterized by a tidal regime and are strongly influenced by hydrodynamics and host diverse and highly dynamic habitats, from fresh, brackish, or saltwater to terrestrial, whose biodiversity is especially difficult to monitor. Here, we investigated the potential of environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding, with three primer sets targeting different regions of the mitochondrial DNA 12S ribosomal RNA gene, to detect vertebrate diversity in the estuary of the Don Diego River in Colombia. With eDNA, we detected not only aquatic organisms, including fishes, amphibians, and reptiles, but also a large diversity of terrestrial, arboreal, and flying vertebrates, including mammals and birds, living in the estuary surroundings. Further, the eDNA signal remained relatively localized along the watercourse. A transect from the deep outer section of the estuary, across the river mouth toward the inner section of the river, showed marked taxonomic turnover from typical marine to freshwater fishes, while eDNA of terrestrial and arboreal species was mainly found in the inner section of the estuary. Our results indicate that eDNA enables the detection of a large diversity of vertebrates and could become an important tool for biodiversity monitoring in estuaries, where water integrates information across the ecosystem. Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.
How to realize social and conservation benefits from ecotourism in post‐conflict contexts
Winton, R. Scott; Ocampo-Peñuela, Natalia (2018)
Biotropica
Impacts of logging roads on tropical forests
Kleinschroth, Fritz; Healey, John R. (2017)
Biotropica
Tropical wood stores substantial amounts of nutrients, but we have limited understanding why
Bauters, Marijn; Grau, Oriol; Doetterl, Sebastian; et al. (2022)
Biotropica
Rock-derived nutrients such as calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) are essential plant resources, yet depleted in highly weathered tropical soils, leading to nutrient limitation of productivity or other ecosystem processes. Despite this, substantial amounts of rock-derived nutrients occur within wood, which raises questions about the role that wood nutrients play in the ecology of tropical forests. Using data from forests across the tropics, we quantify wood nutrient stocks at individual tree and ecosystem levels. At the ecosystem level, we show that tropical wood can store substantial amounts of rock-derived nutrients. Furthermore, on a tree level, tree species vary widely in woody nutrient concentrations. These observations raise important questions as to the biogeochemical or ecological drivers that lead to this variability, as well as the role that woody tissue plays in the buffering and cycling of nutrients. We offer some potential explanations and direction for future research to explore this under-appreciated but sizable store of inorganic nutrients in tropical biomass.
Long‐term recovery of the functional community assembly and carbon pools in an African tropical forest succession
Bauters, Marijn; Vercleyen, Oscar; Vanlauwe, Bernard; et al. (2019)
Biotropica
Cattle affect regeneration of the palm species Attalea princeps in a Bolivian forest–savanna mosaic
Hordijk, Iris; Meijer, Fabian; Nissen, Esther; et al. (2019)
Biotropica
Attalea princeps is an important palm species that shapes the forest–savanna mosaic in Beni, Bolivia, as it dominates the two principal forest landscape elements (forest islands and gallery forest), and provides a vital microhabitat, food, and nesting source for numerous plant and animal species. The forest–savanna mosaic is used for extensive grazing, and the palm population is declining on the forest islands due to a low regeneration rate, which threatens the maintenance of this landscape. We therefore examined the (a)biotic factors that influence the population structure of Attalea in the centers and edges of forest islands and gallery forests. Ninety‐one 0.1‐ha plots were established, and 500 palm adults and 3,700 juveniles were measured for their size, health condition, and fire damage. For each plot, habitat characteristics, such as landscape position, grazing pressure, and soil conditions, were measured. Attalea population density was significantly lower on the forest islands than in the gallery forests, especially in the juvenile life stage. A structural equation model showed that juvenile density is positively related to the health condition of juveniles and amount of fruits present, where the amount of fruits is positively affected by the condition of adults. Juvenile density is negatively influenced by grazing, affecting the health condition of the juvenile, as well as organic matter and phosphate availability in the soil. Therefore, it is recommended to decrease the grazing pressure by decreasing livestock densities, fencing off vulnerable forest islands, or by rotating cattle.Abstract in Spanish is available with online material.
Woody, Animal‐Dispersed Species Recovery With Forest Age and Integrity in Secondary Tropical Forest Seed Banks
Nassivera, Marc; Weissflog, Anita; Bello, Carolina; et al. (2025)
Biotropica
Regeneration of tropical forests following agricultural abandonment is a critical process for global ecosystem restoration and climate change mitigation. Despite being a key component of tropical secondary succession, our understanding of soil seed bank dynamics remains incomplete. This study examines the soil seed bank in 10 forest stands, 10–130 years after abandonment, and two agricultural areas in and around the Barro Colorado Nature Monument in central Panama. Using this chronosequence that spans early to late successional stages, we investigated changes in density, species richness, dispersal mode, and composition of the soil seed bank. While early succession was dominated by herbaceous species, their density and richness declined sharply in the first decades. By 50 years, seed densities had stabilized at a lower level and were dominated by woody species, whose species richness and density increased over time. In terms of species composition, forest sites ≤ 10 years old differed significantly from sites ≥ 50 years. Seed banks of sites 50–130 years old were similar to each other in species composition based on abundance but not incidence, suggesting a slow recovery of rare species. Our findings also indicate the recovery of animal‐dispersed seeds in older forests and that forest integrity, which reflects the condition and continuity of the surrounding forest, was more influential than forest age in driving seed bank recovery. These results emphasize the prominent role of animal seed dispersers and intact, well‐connected forest patches in driving seed bank recovery and, by extension, forest regeneration.
Physiological and Growth Responses of Tropical Dry Forest Tree Seedlings to Water and Nutrient Additions: Comparisons Between Nitrogen Fixers and Non-Fixers
Calderón-Morales, Erick; Werden, Leland; Smith-Martin, Chris M.; et al. (2025)
Biotropica
Belowground resources are key determinants of seedling growth and survival in tropical forests. Nutrients and light may limit plant growth the most in tropical wet forests, whereas water may limit plant growth more in tropical dry forests. Nitrogen (N)-fixing species play an important role in the nitrogen and carbon cycles across tropical dry forests. However, studies investigating the joint effects of water and nutrients on the physiology and performance of N-fixing species are scarce. We implemented a full factorial shade house experiment that manipulated water and nutrients (NPK 20:20:20 and complete micronutrients) using eight tree species representing N-fixing and non-fixing tree species in the tropical dry forest of Costa Rica to determine: (1) How plant responses to water and nutrient availability vary between N-fixing and non-fixing tree species?; and (2) How nutrient and/or water availability influences seedling water- and nutrient-use traits? We found that growth and physiological responses to water and nutrient addition depended directly on the capacity of species to fix atmospheric N2. N-fixing species responded more strongly to nutrient addition, accumulating 67% more total biomass on average (approximately double that of non-fixing taxa) and increasing average height growth rate by 41%. N-fixing species accumulated more biomass without compromising water-use efficiency, taking full advantage of the increased nutrient availability. Interestingly, results from our experiment show that increased water availability rarely influenced tropical dry forest seedling performance, whereas nutrient availability had a strong effect on biomass and growth. Overall, our results highlight the ability of N-fixing seedlings to take advantage of local soil resource heterogeneity, which may help to explain the dominance of N-fixing trees in tropical dry forests.

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Journal: Biotropica

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