Tuesday, September 8, 2009

PostHeaderIcon Tropical Deciduous Forest

3:54 PM | Posted by NRES 285/ 499, Fall 2010, UIUC | Edit Post
Tropical Deciduous Forest

This January, we are going to a very cool place, ecologically speaking, on earth. Let it suffice to say that the TDF has it going on. Because of its temperature, precipitation, and evapotranspiration regimes, the TDF can be classified as a unique ecosystem. This can also be viewed in Köppen’s climate classification and Holdridge’s life zone chart (check out that pdf).

During this lecture, I’m thinking, palms and cacti at the same time. Whaaaa?? How is this so?


Temperature and wacky seasonal precipitation cycles have something to do with that. We also have to consider the variety of topography in the Sierras. Slope and aspect create specialized microclimates that support different species. Three levels of vegetation appear with changing altitude in the TDF. They are the thorn scrub at lower elevations, TDF at middle elevations, and the pine oak forest at highest elevations. It is at these middle elevations where palms and cacti coexist (piquing my academic curiosity).

There is a high degree of plant species richness and endemism here, allowing for amazing diversity of birds, reptiles, and amphibians. As such, resource management decisions must carefully consider both the people and the native resources that support them. --Lenna O.

photo from Stephanie L.

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About the Class

My photo
Alamos, Sonora, Mexico
This course combines pre-trip classroom instruction with field study in the Sierra de Alamos in Southeastern Sonora, Mexico. Its purpose is to introduce both undergraduate and graduate students to biodiversity and conservation of a diverse and significantly threatened ecosystem.

Readings

  • Alvarez-Yepiz, J. C., A. Martinez-Yrizar, et al. (2008). "Variation in vegetation structure and soil properties related to land use history of old-growth and secondary tropical dry forests in northwestern Mexico." Forest Ecology and Management 256(3): 355-366.
  • Anten, N. P. R., M. Martinez-Ramos, et al. (2003). "Defoliation and growth in an understory palm: Quantifying the contributions of compensatory responses." Ecology 84(11): 2905-2918.
  • Dacosta, J. M. and J. Klicka (2008). "The Great American Interchange in birds: a phylogenetic perspective with the genus Trogon." Molecular Ecology 17(5): 1328-1343.
  • Endress, B. A., D. L. Gorchov, et al. (2004). "Harvest of the palm Chamaedorea radicalis, its effects on leaf production, and implications for sustainable management." Conservation Biology 18(3): 822-830.
  • Endress, B. A., D. L. Gorchov, et al. (2004). "Non-timber forest product extraction: Effects of harvest and browsing on an understory palm." Ecological Applications 14(4): 1139-1153.
  • Felger, R. S. and E. Joyal (1999). "The palms (Areacaceae) of Sonora, Mexico." Aliso 18(1): 1-18.
  • Joyal, E. (1996). "The palm has its time: An ethnoecology of Sabal uresana in Sonora, Mexico." Economic Botany 50(4): 446-462.
  • Joyal, E. (1996). "The use of Sabal uresana (Arecaceae) and other palms in Sonora, Mexico." Economic Botany 50(4): 429-445.
  • O' Brien, C., A. D. Flesch, et al. (2006). Biological inventory of the Rio Aros, Sonora, Mexico: A river unknown. C. O'Brien. Tucson, University of Arizona.
  • Rendon-Carmona, H., A. Martinez-Yrizar, et al. (2009). "Selective cutting of woody species in a Mexican tropical dry forest: Incompatibility between use and conservation." Forest Ecology and Management 257(2): 567-579.
  • Ticktin, T. (2004). "The ecological implications of harvesting non-timber forest products." Journal of Applied Ecology 41(1): 11-21.
  • Vasquez-Leon, M. and D. Liverman (2004). "The political ecology of land-use change: Affluent ranchers and destitute farmers in the Mexican municipio of Alamos." Human Organization 63(1): 21-33.

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