Rainforest

The vegetation of the Wet Tropics bioregion of Far North Queensland is a complex system whose components (mainly tropical rainforests and fire-prone forests and woodlands) have mostly been studied independently from each other. We suggest that many characteristics of the vegetation are consistent with those of a complex, dynamic, spatially heterogeneous system which exhibits alternative stable states. We propose these states are driven and maintained by the interaction of vegetation-specific positive feedback loops with the regions’ environmental parameters (such as topography, steep humidity gradients and seasonality) and result in the rainforest/fire-prone vegetation mosaic that characterises the area. Given the regions’ magnitude, biodiversity and complexity, we propose the Wet Tropics as an important new example and a good testing ground for alternative stable state and resilience theories in large heterogeneous natural systems. At the same time, thinking in terms of alternative stable states and resilience creates a new context for understanding the regions’ biological dynamics.

Small human body size, or the ‘pygmy’ phenotype, is characteristic of certain African, Southeast Asian and South American populations. The convergent evolution of this phenotype, and its strong association with tropical rainforests, have motivated adaptive hypotheses that stress the advantages of small size for coping with food limitation, warm, humid conditions and dense for- est undergrowth. Most recently, a life-history model has been used to suggest that the human pygmy phenotype is a consequence of early growth cessation that evolved to facilitate early reproductive onset amid conditions of high adult mortality. As we discuss here, these adaptive scenarios are not mutually exclusive and should be evaluated in consort. Findings from this area of research are expected to inform interpretations of diversity in the hominin fossil record, including the purported small-bodied species Homo floresiensis.

Rainforests provide exceptional spaces for nature-based tourism activities attracting large numbers of visitors. Simultaneously, tourism activities may create environmental, social and economic impacts that require management in order to conserve sensitive rainforest environments. Rainforest tourism constitutes a travel sector that receives growing interest worldwide. This study presents a timely review of current knowledge and research gaps in a new conceptual model to give recommendations for a future research agenda. Through a systematic quantitative review, the study identified 48 peer-reviewed journal articles addressing conservation and management topics (33), followed by visitor-related research (23), impacts (10), and finally community and stakeholder research (3) of rainforest tourism, published between 1975 and 2019. The majority of research focused on management issues relating to policy development, planning, education and conservation measures. A strong geographic bias was noted with very limited research available for rainforest regions in Africa and Asia. Future research should be concerned with expanding and linking rainforest research across countries, and filling knowledge gaps around visitor monitoring, specific impacts and causes, and the complexity of community and stakeholder involvement in managing impacts. Protocols may need to be established to facilitate the design and delivery of standardised research approaches across the globe.

This updated and expanded second edition of a much lauded work provides a current overview of the impacts of climate change on tropical forests. The authors also investigate past, present and future climatic influences on the ecosystems with the highest biodiversity on the planet. Tropical Rainforest Responses to Climatic Change, Second Edition, looks at how tropical rain forest ecology is altered by climate change, rather than simply seeing how plant communities were altered. Shifting the emphasis on to ecological processes, e.g. how diversity is structured by climate and the subsequent impact on tropical forest ecology, provides the reader with a more comprehensive coverage. A major theme of the book is the interaction between humans, climate and forest ecology. The authors, all foremost experts in their fields, explore the long term occupation of tropical systems, the influence of fire and the future climatic effects of deforestation, together with anthropogenic emissions. Incorporating modelling of past and future systems paves the way for a discussion of conservation from a climatic perspective, rather than the usual plea to stop logging. This second edition provides an updated text in this rapidly evolving field. The existing chapters are revised and updated and two entirely new chapters deal with Central America and the effect of fire on wet forest systems. In the first new chapter, the paleoclimate and ecological record from Central America (Lozano, Correa, Bush) is discussed, while the other deals with the impact of fire on tropical ecosystems.

Loss of rainforest occurs in part because of a global market failure problem. Markets routinely transmit signals about international demands for forest products such as timber, but fail to transmit signals about demands for preservation. To make efficient resource allocation choices, decision makers need some framework to estimate the non-use values that might be held by an international community for

Logging can significantly change the structure of rainforest communities. To better understand how logging drives this change, butterflies and environmental variables were assessed within both unlogged and logged forest in Indonesian Borneo. In the whole dataset, we found local environmental variables and geographic distance combined captured 53.1% of the variation in butterfly community composition; 29.6% was associated with measured local environmental variables, 13.6% with geographic distance between sites, and 9.9% with covariation between geographic distance and environmental variables. The primary axis of variation in butterfly community composition represented a disturbance gradient from unlogged to logged forest. Subsequent axes represented gradients influenced by variables such as canopy cover and total tree density. There were significant associations between environmental variables and geographic range and larval host plant use of species. Specifically, butterflies using trees as larval host plants and those with distributions limited to Borneo were more likely to be present in unlogged forest. By contrast, species that tended to be more abundant in logged forest were those with widespread distributions and those using lianas and grasses as larval host plants. The results of this study highlight the importance of environmental variables and disturbance, e.g., selective logging, in structuring rainforest community diversity. Moreover, they confirm how species traits, such as larval food use and geographic distributions can determine patterns of species abundance following environmental change.Der Holzeinschlag kann die Struktur von Lebensgemeinschaften in Regenwäldern signifikant verändern. Um besser zu verstehen, wie der Holzeinschlag diese Veränderungen vorantreibt, wurden die Schmetterlinge und die Umweltvariablen in Wäldern mit und ohne Holzeinschlag im indonesischen Borneo erfasst. Im gesamten Datenset fanden wir, dass Umweltvariablen in Kombination mit geographischer Distanz 53.1% der Variation in der Zusammensetzung der Schmetterlingsgemeinschaften abdeckte: 29.6% war mit den gemessenen lokalen Umweltvariablien assoziiert, 13.6% mit der geographischen Distanz zwischen den Standorten und 9.9% mit der Kovariation zwischen geographischer Distanz und Umweltvariablen. Die primäre Achse der Variation in der Zusammensetzung der Schmetterlingsgemeinschaften repräsentierte einen Störungsgradienten von ungenutzten zu abgeholzten Wäldern. Die folgenden Achsen repräsentierten Gradienten, die von Variablen wie Kronendeckung und Gesamtbaumdichte beeinflusst waren. Es gab signifikante Assoziationen zwischen den Umweltvariablen, den geographischen Verbreitungen und der Wirtspflanzennutzung durch die Raupen der Arten. Insbesondere waren Schmetterlinge, die Bäume als Wirtspflanzen nutzen, und diejenigen, deren Verbreitung auf Borneo beschränkt war, mit größerer Wahrscheinlichkeit in ungenutzten Waldbereichen zu finden. Im Unterschied dazu waren Arten, die in eingeschlagenen Wäldern häufiger waren, solche, die Lianen und Gräser als Wirtspflanzen für die Raupen nutzen. Die Ergebnisse dieser Untersuchung betonen die Wichtigkeit der Umweltvariablen und der Störung, z. B. durch selektivem Holzeinschlag, für die Strukturierung der Diversität von Regenwaldgemeinschaften. Zusätzlich bestätigen sie, wie Arteigenschaften, wie die Nahrungsnutzung von Raupen und die geographische Verbreitung, die Muster bestimmen mit denen Artenabundanzen auf Umweltveränderungen reagieren.

Habitat fragmentation is postulated to be a major factor influencing infectious disease dynamics in wildlife populations and may also be responsible, at least in part, for the recent spurt in the emergence, or re-emergence, of infectious diseases in humans. The mechanism behind these relationships are poorly understood due to the lack of insights into the interacting local factors and insufficient baseline data in ecological parasitology of wildlife. Here, we studied the gastrointestinal parasites of nonhuman mammalian hosts living in 10 rainforest patches of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve, India. We examined 349 faecal samples of 17 mammalian species and successfully identified 24 gastrointestinal parasite taxa including 1 protozoan, 2 trematode, 3 cestode and 18 nematode taxa. Twenty of these parasites are known parasites of humans. We also found that as much as 73% of all infected samples were infected by multiple parasites. In addition, the smallest and most fragmented forest patche...

El presente trabajo tuvo por objetivo determinar la eficacia de BACTOFIT (Bacillus subtilis, cepa IPM-215) en el control de Sigatoka Negra en el Cultivo de Banano en comparación con Dithane 60 SC (Mancozeb), en la Hacienda Isabel (Grupo Maspons-Cañas), San Juan, Los Ríos, Ecuador.

This paper proposes a framework for rethinking the conservation and appropriation of
biological diversity from the perspective of social movements. It argues that biodiversity,
although with concrete biophysical referents, is a discourse of recent origin. This
discourse fosters a complex network of diverse actors, from international organizations
and NGOs to local communities and social movements. Four views of biodiversity
produced by this network (centered on global resource management, national
sovereignity, biodemocracy, and cultural autonomy, respectively) are discussed in the first
part of the paper. The second part focuses on the cultural autonomy perspective
developed by social movements. It examines in detail the rise and development of the
social movement of black communities in the Pacific rainforest region of Colombia. This
movement, it is argued, articulates through their practice an entire political ecology of
sustainability and conservation. The main elements of this political ecology are discussed
and presented as a viable alternative to dominant frameworks.

Ce document propsoses un cadre conceptuel pour repenser la question de
l'appropriation et de la conservation de la diversité biologique du point de vue des
mouvements sociaux. Bien que les referents de la biodiversité aient une fondation concrete
ancienne, le discours en lui-meme est d’origine récente.Ce discours recèle un certain
nombre d'acteurs allant d'organisation non gouvernementales ou internationales, de
communautés locales et d’organisations sociales. Quatre grandes perspectives (centrées
respectivement autour de la gestion de ressources globales, de la souveraineté, de la
biodiversité, et de l'autonomie culturelle)sont exposées dans la première partie du
document. La seconde partie du texte met l’accent sur la perspective autonomiste
developpée par les mouvements sociaux. L’auteur explore en details la montée et le
developpement des mouvements sociaux des communautés noires vivant la region
Pacifique de la forêt equatoriale Colombienne. Un argument est avancé selon lequel ce
mouvement s'articule autour d’une pratique écologique globale mettant en avant-garde le
caractere soutenu et perrain du système. Les principales composantes de cette théorie sont
présentées comme une alternative viable paradigmes dominants.

Este artículo propone un marco analítico para la reconsideración de la conservación y
la apropriación de la diversidad biológica desde la prespectiva de movimientos sociales.
Se arguye que la diversidad biológica aunque con referentes biofisicas concretos, es un
discurso de origin reciente. Este discurso promueve una red compleja de actores diversos,
desde organizaciones internacionales y ONGs hasta comunidades locales y movimientos
sociales. Cuarto perspectivas de la diversidad biológica producidas por esta red (central
en el manejo de recursos globales, soberanía nacional, bio-democracia, y autonomía
cultural respectivamente) son discutidos en la primera parte de este articulo. La secunda
parte se enfoca en la perspectiva de autonomía cultural de movimientos sociales. Se
examina en detalle el crecimiento y desarrollo del movimiento social de comundiades
negras de la región de la selva lluviosa del Pacífico de Colombia. Esta moviemento
articula a traves de su práctica , una ecología política completa basada de la conservación
y la sostenilidad. Los elementos principales de esta ecología política son discutidos y
presentados como una alternativa viable al los marcos dominantes.

Significant human impacts on tropical forests have been considered the preserve of recent societies, linked to large-scale
deforestation, extensive and intensive agriculture, resource mining, livestock grazing and urban settlement. Cumulative
archaeological evidence now demonstrates, however, that Homo sapiens has actively manipulated tropical forest ecologies
for at least 45,000 years. It is clear that these millennia of impacts need to be taken into account when studying and conserving
tropical forest ecosystems today. Nevertheless, archaeology has so far provided only limited practical insight into
contemporary human–tropical forest interactions. Here, we review significant archaeological evidence for the impacts of past
hunter-gatherers, agriculturalists and urban settlements on global tropical forests. We compare the challenges faced, as well
as the solutions adopted, by these groups with those confronting present-day societies, which also rely on tropical forests for
a variety of ecosystem services. We emphasize archaeology’s importance not only in promoting natural and cultural heritage in
tropical forests, but also in taking an active role to inform modern conservation and policy-making.

Logging can significantly change the structure of rainforest communities. To better understand how logging drives this change, butterflies and environmental variables were assessed within both unlogged and logged forest in Indonesian Borneo. In the whole dataset, we found local environmental variables and geographic distance combined captured 53.1% of the variation in butterfly community composition; 29.6% was associated with measured local environmental variables, 13.6% with geographic distance between sites, and 9.9% with covariation between geographic distance and environmental variables. The primary axis of variation in butterfly community composition represented a disturbance gradient from unlogged to logged forest. Subsequent axes represented gradients influenced by variables such as canopy cover and total tree density. There were significant associations between environmental variables and geographic range and larval host plant use of species. Specifically, butterflies using trees as larval host plants and those with distributions limited to Borneo were more likely to be present in unlogged forest. By contrast, species that tended to be more abundant in logged forest were those with widespread distributions and those using lianas and grasses as larval host plants. The results of this study highlight the importance of environmental variables and disturbance, e.g., selective logging, in structuring rainforest community diversity. Moreover, they confirm how species traits, such as larval food use and geographic distributions can determine patterns of species abundance following environmental change.Der Holzeinschlag kann die Struktur von Lebensgemeinschaften in Regenwäldern signifikant verändern. Um besser zu verstehen, wie der Holzeinschlag diese Veränderungen vorantreibt, wurden die Schmetterlinge und die Umweltvariablen in Wäldern mit und ohne Holzeinschlag im indonesischen Borneo erfasst. Im gesamten Datenset fanden wir, dass Umweltvariablen in Kombination mit geographischer Distanz 53.1% der Variation in der Zusammensetzung der Schmetterlingsgemeinschaften abdeckte: 29.6% war mit den gemessenen lokalen Umweltvariablien assoziiert, 13.6% mit der geographischen Distanz zwischen den Standorten und 9.9% mit der Kovariation zwischen geographischer Distanz und Umweltvariablen. Die primäre Achse der Variation in der Zusammensetzung der Schmetterlingsgemeinschaften repräsentierte einen Störungsgradienten von ungenutzten zu abgeholzten Wäldern. Die folgenden Achsen repräsentierten Gradienten, die von Variablen wie Kronendeckung und Gesamtbaumdichte beeinflusst waren. Es gab signifikante Assoziationen zwischen den Umweltvariablen, den geographischen Verbreitungen und der Wirtspflanzennutzung durch die Raupen der Arten. Insbesondere waren Schmetterlinge, die Bäume als Wirtspflanzen nutzen, und diejenigen, deren Verbreitung auf Borneo beschränkt war, mit größerer Wahrscheinlichkeit in ungenutzten Waldbereichen zu finden. Im Unterschied dazu waren Arten, die in eingeschlagenen Wäldern häufiger waren, solche, die Lianen und Gräser als Wirtspflanzen für die Raupen nutzen. Die Ergebnisse dieser Untersuchung betonen die Wichtigkeit der Umweltvariablen und der Störung, z. B. durch selektivem Holzeinschlag, für die Strukturierung der Diversität von Regenwaldgemeinschaften. Zusätzlich bestätigen sie, wie Arteigenschaften, wie die Nahrungsnutzung von Raupen und die geographische Verbreitung, die Muster bestimmen mit denen Artenabundanzen auf Umweltveränderungen reagieren.