The on-going destruction of old-growth forests puts tropical forest species under great pressure because of the resulting loss of habitat. An important biotic component of these forests are vascular epiphytes, which structurally depend on trees. In human-modified landscapes potential hosts may still be present, e.g. in the form of isolated remnant trees, small groups of planted trees, in patche...

Four methodologies to project future trees per acre by diameter class were compared to develop a new modified stand table projection growth model for unmanaged loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) and slash pine (Pinus elliottii Engelm.) plantations in East Texas. The new models were fit to 92,882 observations from 153 permanent plots located in loblolly pine plantations and 33,792 observations from ...

This study proposes an approach to develop a simple, time efficient and generic approach to assess and monitor tea plantations in Northeast India using time series remote sensing images. The tea industry in India is in a consolidation phase with the plantations suffering from yield decline and quality. Tea is affected by a plethora of factors including age, environment and management. Therefore...

Leguminous tree plantations at phosphorus (P) limited sites may result in excess nitrogen (N) and higher rates of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. However, the effects of N and P applications on soil N2O emissions from plantations with N-fixing vs. non-N-fixing tree species have rarely been studied in the field. We conducted an experimental manipulation of N and/or P additions in two plantations ...

Globally the area in forest plantations is rising by 2% annually, increasing the importance of plantations for production of human goods and services and for ecological functions such as carbon storage and biodiversity conservation. Specifically in the Great Lakes states and provinces of Midwestern North America, thousands of hectares of pine plantations were established in the early and mid-19...

Citation: Pereira APA, Zagatto MRG, Brandani CB, Mescolotti DdL, Cotta SR, Gonçalves JLM and Cardoso EJBN (2018) Acacia Changes Microbial Indicators and Increases C and N in Soil Organic Fractions in Intercropped Eucalyptus Plantations. Front. Microbiol. 9:655. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2018.00655 Acacia Changes Microbial Indicators and Increases C and N in Soil Organic Fractions in Intercropped Eucal...

Southeast Asia has some of the highest deforestation rates globally, with Malaysia being identified as a deforestation hotspot. The Malayan tiger, a critically endangered subspecies of the tiger endemic to Peninsular Malaysia, is threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation. In this study, we estimate the natural forest loss and conversion to plantations in Peninsular Malaysia and specifically ...

Basic research on the insect immune response has progressed dramatically within the last two decades, showing that immunity is one of the most effective defenses against foreign invaders. As such, it is important to understand the causes of variation in this response. Here, we investigate the effects of pesticides used in Costa Rican banana plantations on the immune response of the lepidopteran...

New plantations can either cause deforestation by replacing natural forests or avoid this by using previously cleared areas. The extent of these two situations is contested in tropical biodiversity hotspots where objective data are limited. Here, we explore delays between deforestation and the establishment of industrial tree plantations on Borneo using satellite imagery. Between 1973 and 2015 ...

Anthropogenic land-cover change is driving biodiversity loss worldwide. At the epicenter of this crisis lies Southeast Asia, where biodiversity-rich forests are being converted to oil-palm monocultures. As demand for palm oil increases, there is an urgent need to find strategies that maintain biodiversity in plantations. Previous studies found that retaining forest patches within plantations be...