Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Dry forests of Central America and the Caribbean
- 3 Overview of the Brazilian caatinga
- 4 Savannas, woodlands and dry forests in Africa
- 5 Dry forest ecosystems of Thailand
- 6 The Cenozoic record of tropical dry forest in northern Latin America and the southern United States
- 7 Diversity and floristic composition of neotropical dry forests
- 8 Vertebrate diversity, ecology and conservation in neotropical dry forests
- 9 Diversity of life forms of higher plants in neotropical dry forests
- 10 Drought responses of neotropical dry forest trees
- 11 Plant reproduction in neotropical dry forests
- 12 Plant–herbivore interactions in Mesoamerican tropical dry forests
- 13 Biomass distribution and primary productivity of tropical dry forests
- 14 Nutrient cycling in tropical deciduous forests
- 15 Biology of the belowground system of tropical dry forests
- 16 Nitrogen trace gas emissions in a tropical dry forest ecosystem
- 17 Conversion of tropical dry forest to pasture and agriculture
- 18 Ethnobotany of the Mexican tropical dry forests
- Index
1 - Introduction
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 September 2010
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Acknowledgements
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Dry forests of Central America and the Caribbean
- 3 Overview of the Brazilian caatinga
- 4 Savannas, woodlands and dry forests in Africa
- 5 Dry forest ecosystems of Thailand
- 6 The Cenozoic record of tropical dry forest in northern Latin America and the southern United States
- 7 Diversity and floristic composition of neotropical dry forests
- 8 Vertebrate diversity, ecology and conservation in neotropical dry forests
- 9 Diversity of life forms of higher plants in neotropical dry forests
- 10 Drought responses of neotropical dry forest trees
- 11 Plant reproduction in neotropical dry forests
- 12 Plant–herbivore interactions in Mesoamerican tropical dry forests
- 13 Biomass distribution and primary productivity of tropical dry forests
- 14 Nutrient cycling in tropical deciduous forests
- 15 Biology of the belowground system of tropical dry forests
- 16 Nitrogen trace gas emissions in a tropical dry forest ecosystem
- 17 Conversion of tropical dry forest to pasture and agriculture
- 18 Ethnobotany of the Mexican tropical dry forests
- Index
Summary
Most ecosystems of the tropical and subtropical latitudes are seasonally stressed by drought (Schimper, 1898; Köppen, 1931; Murphy & Lugo, 1986). Research on population and ecosystems dynamics, and conservation efforts, however, rarely address these ecosystems, but rather concentrate on what is usually understood as tropical wet forest or rain forest. There has been enormous scientific and public attention directed toward documenting the effects of destruction of wet forests on soil fertility, biotic diversity, and global biogeochemistry. These concerns are certainly justified as the rates of forest and species loss accelerate. In contrast, relatively little attention has been given to forests subject to prolonged dry seasons (Ridpath & Corbett, 1985), and to their changing status. Degradation and conversion of ‘dry forest’ is far more advanced than that of wet forest: only a small fraction remains intact (Murphy & Lugo, Chapter 2; Sampaio, Chapter 3; Menaut, Lepage & Abbadie, Chapter 4; Rundel & Boonpragob, Chapter 5; Gentry, Chapter 7), and the area explicitly conserved is hardly perceptible. This is unfortunate because the forests with prolonged annual drought occupy more area than wet forests, have been of greater use to humans, and are still poorly known over most of their distribution.
The extent of forest in the drier tropics, and even its character, are difficult subjects for debate and research. Particularly in Africa, India and Asia, the relations between savannas, woodlands and dry forests (of various leaf habits) are notoriously complex (Furley, Proctor & Ratter, 1992). Savannas and their degradation are certainly priority subjects of tropical and global ecology, but as with wet forests, they are well studied compared with dry forests.
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- Chapter
- Information
- Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests , pp. 1 - 8Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1995
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