OOS 31 - Global Comparisons In Forest Dynamics: Results From Permanent Plots

Wednesday, August 8, 2012: 1:30 PM-5:00 PM
B110, Oregon Convention Center
Organizer:
James Lutz, University of Washington
Co-organizer:
Andrew J. Larson, University of Montana
Moderator:
James Lutz, University of Washington
Tree dynamics often unfold over many years, such that trends are only revealed by tracking a large number of individuals through time. Changes in forest communities depend on complex interrelationships between the species present, physical template, and stochastic establishment and mortality events. This session will explore the commonalities and differences among different forest types throughout the world. Speakers will use examples from large permanent plots, predominantly in those forty affiliated with the Smithsonian Center for Tropical Forest Science (http://www.ctfs.si.edu/). The emphasis is on comparative dynamics elucidating ecological principles with broad applicability. Several new datasets from large, permanent forest dynamics plots situated in temperate and tropical forests around the globe have recently become available. The Smithsonian-initiated, consistent methodology for large permanent plots established throughout the world allows novel comparisons of dynamics across ecosystems. These datasets also facilitate novel tests of ecological theory which were previously only possible at a few locations. Speakers in this session will present new empirical results from a diverse array of sites. The emphasis for this session is on comparative studies that (1) elucidate commonalities and associated ecological principles with broad generality, and conversely, that (2) reveal divergent or individualistic patterns among sites, suggesting a hierarchal structure to the underlying mechanisms that regulate forest dynamics. The aggregate outcomes of this session therefore include validation of broadly applicable ecological principles, as well as novel results which motivate future theoretical and empirical work.
1:30 PM
 Decoupling of tropical forest structure and diversity: Stand characteristics, growth, and mortality in wet and dry Hawaiian forests and global comparisons
Rebecca Ostertag, University of Hawaii at Hilo; Susan Cordell, USDA Forest Service; Thomas W. Giambelluca, University of Hawaii at Manoa; Christian P. Giardina, USDA Forest Service; Faith M. Inman-Narahari, UCLA; Creighton M. Litton, University of Hawaii at Manoa; Lawren Sack, UCLA; Joshua R. VanDeMark, University of Hawaii at Hilo
1:50 PM
 Tree mortality and growth among topographical habitats in a diverse tropical rain forest in Cameroon
David Kenfack, Center for Tropical Forest Science & Smithsonian Global Earth Observatory; George B. Chuyong, University of Buea; Duncan Thomas, Oregon State University
2:10 PM
 Gymnosperms vs. angiosperms in an intact mixed forest ecosystem: Resources or beavers
Sean C. Thomas, University of Toronto; Jon Schurman, University of Toronto
2:30 PM
 Decomposing uncertainty in species abundances in tropical and temperate forests
Zhanqing Hao, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Dingliang Xing, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences
2:50 PM
 Temperate forest regeneration dynamics: a comparison of three mapped forests
Daniel J. Johnson, Ohio State Univesity; Norman A. Bourg, Smithsonian Institution - National Zoological Park; Robert W. Howe, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay; William J. McShea, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute at the National Zoological Park; Amy T. Wolf, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay; Keith Clay, Indiana University
3:10 PM
4:00 PM
 The variation of tree beta diversity across a global network of forest plots
Miquel De Cáceres, Université de Montréal; Pierre Legendre, Université de Montréal; Renato Valencia, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador; Min Cao, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, CAS; Li-Wan Chang, Taiwan Forestry Research Institute; George B. Chuyong, University of Buea; Richard Condit, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Zhanqing Hao, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Chang-Fu Hsieh, National Taiwan University; Stephen P. Hubbell, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; David Kenfack, Center for Tropical Forest Science & Smithsonian Global Earth Observatory; Keping Ma, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Xiangcheng Mi, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Nur Supardi Md. Noor, Forest Research Institute Malaysia; Abdul Rahman Kassim, Forest Research Institute Malaysia; Sheng-Hsin Su, Taiwan Forestry Research Institute; I-Fang Sun, National Dong Hwa University; Duncan Thomas, Oregon State University; Wanhui Ye, South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China; Fangliang He, Sun Yat-sen University
4:20 PM
 Estimating tree growth models from complex forest monitoring permanent plot data
Melissa V. Eitzel, UC Berkeley; John J. Battles, University of California, Berkeley; Robert York, Blodgett Forest; Jonas Knape, University of California - Berkeley, Berkeley, CA; Perry de Valpine, University of California - Berkeley
4:40 PM
 Changes in dead plant carbon over 50 years of old-field forest development
Megan L. Mobley, Oregon State University; Daniel deB. Richter, Duke University
See more of: Organized Oral Session