A Caribbean Forest Tapestry

The Multidimensional Nature of Disturbance and Response

Ariel Lugo editor William Mcdowell editor Nicholas Brokaw editor Todd Crowl editor Frederick Scatena editor Robert Waide editor Michael Willig editor

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc

Published:28th Jun '12

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

A Caribbean Forest Tapestry cover

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.

ISBN: 9780195334692

Dimensions: 155mm x 236mm x 31mm

Weight: 839g

496 pages