Canopy Effects on Rainfall Partition and Throughfall Drop Size Distribution in a Tropical Dry Forest

Mean Drop Size and Drop Size Distribution in a Hanson Mixer-Settler Extraction Column

Effects of topography, soil type and forest age on the frequency and size distribution of canopy gap disturbances in a tropical forest

Treefall gaps are the major source of disturbance in most tropical forests. The frequency and size of these gaps have important implications for forest ecosystem processes as they can influence the functional trait distribution of tree communities, stand-level aboveground biomass and productivity. However, we still know little about the relative importance of environmental drivers of gap distur...

Colonization Strategies of Two Liana Species in a Tropical Dry Forest Canopy

Lianas impose intense resource competition for light in the upper forest canopy by displaying dense foliage on top of tree crowns. Using repeated access with a construction crane, we studied the patterns of canopy colonization of the lianas Combretum fruticosum and Bonamia trichantha in a Neotropical dry forest in Panama. Combretum fruticosum flushed leaves just before the rainy season, and its...

Fires in Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest: Testing the Varying Constraints Hypothesis across a Regional Rainfall Gradient

The "varying constraints hypothesis" of fire in natural ecosystems postulates that the extent of fire in an ecosystem would differ according to the relative contribution of fuel load and fuel moisture available, factors that vary globally along a spatial gradient of climatic conditions. We examined if the globally widespread seasonally dry tropical forests (SDTFs) can be placed as a single enti...

Effects of Rainfall and Runoff Variables on Phosphorus Loss in a Forest Watershed, Iran

Suspended sediment resulted from distributed soil erosions facilitates nutrient transportation and influences soil depletion. Phosphorus (P) is one of the major limiting nutrients controlling eutrophication of surface water. Irregular P load pulsed by heavy rainfall may damage the ecological quality of downstream waters. P transport study during rainfall events is important in both predicting a...