Articles tagged with Tropical Forests
Researchers estimated that New Guinea's plant community is dominated by clusters of closely related plant species, which are fed upon by a greater number of insects. This discovery leads to revised estimates of total world species numbers, with the range being between 4.8 million and 6 million.
A new study estimates 3.7 to 5.9 million insects worldwide, down from Erwin's initial estimate of 30 million. The research suggests that specialist herbivores are rare, and genera rather than species are the preferred unit for biodiversity calculations.
Researchers have recalculated the amount of carbon dioxide released from tropical forests into global waterways, finding that it is triple the current estimate. The new total is comparable to a fifth of human activities' carbon dioxide emissions, challenging the notion that forests are carbon sponges.
Kingston's work led to a semi-synthetic process for creating Taxol, improving the efficiency of a potent anti-cancer drug. His research also contributed to saving vital tropical forests in South America by preserving traditional herbal remedies.
Researchers found a wide swath of the western Amazon has a forest with minimal species change over distances of over 1000 kilometers. In contrast, forests on the Isthmus of Panama exhibit high beta-diversity due to abrupt variation in rainfall across the Central American isthmus.
Researchers found that moderately intense disturbances contribute to high tree species diversity in tropical rain forests. The study challenges previous findings, which suggested no effect of disturbance on diversity, and instead supports the intermediate disturbance hypothesis. The presence of heliophilous trees indicates recent canop...
Rainforest fragments experience 'edge effects' that hinder seed germination, with seeds being three to seven times less likely to sprout than those in continuous forests. Inbreeding can further reduce reproduction rates, threatening the survival of populations in forest fragments.
A 20-year protocol developed by Dr. Charles Peters is applied to dozens of projects, combining exploitation with preservation of biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Local indigenous people in Asia, Africa, and Central/South America are empowered to manage their forests sustainably.
A study by Duke University researchers found that selectively logged Indonesian rainforests have comparable levels of tree species diversity to unlogged forests eight years later. The results suggest that these forests are more resilient than previously thought and may hold conservation potential.
Participants of a forest-biodiversity workshop suggest using logging as a tool to save tropical forests and their wildlife. By implementing basic techniques such as directional felling and minimizing logging roads, biodiversity can be conserved. The experts also emphasize the need to maintain suitable habitat within major forest types.