Evaluation of ecosystem processes and global change adaptation.

Extreme Ecosystems

Research teamResearch team• Carlos Iván Espinosa• Pablo Ramón• Elizabeth Gusmán• Omar Cabrera• Indira Black• Diego Marín• Andrea Jara

Tropical dry forest of Southern Ecuador

• Dry season: May to

November

• Annual temperature: 20-26 °C

• Annual precipitation: 300-700 mm

Tropical dry forest of Southern Ecuador

•High levels of endemism

•Amotape-Huancabamba area constitutes a single phytogeographic zone.

Imágenes fauna: http://www.darwinnet.org

General objetive:• To examine the biological effects of global change on the

dynamic and integrity´s ecosystems, indicated by changes in the structure and functionality.

Evaluation of ecosystem processes and global Evaluation of ecosystem processes and global change adaptation. change adaptation. Extreme ecosystemsExtreme ecosystems..

Specific objetives:

1. To monitory the temporal changes in structure and functionality of dry forest, which allow us to define indicators of change.

Temporal approach

2. To study the changes in vegetation along an altitudinal gradient to simulate changes caused by variations in environmental conditions.

Spatial approach

Objective 1: Dry forest characterization and definition of indicators of change.

• Establishment of a 25 has. plot

Objective 1

• Is the community structure of dry forest (regeneration and adult plants) explained by interspecific relationship and seed dispersal processes in space and time?

• Spatial structure of woody plants

• Seed dispersal syndromes and spatial distribution of adult plants and seed rain.

The first 5 has. of the plot have been established

floristic composition

spatial distribution data

1 Ha

Installing seed traps in 5 ha plot for sampling of seed rain density

Objective 1:

Objective 1:

Preliminary inventory of birds species of REMA

25 species captured in mist nets

Objective 1:

• To what extent environmental variables determine the dynamic (growth, recruitment and mortality) and the phenological cycles of dry forest species?

• Radial growth of: Geoffroea spinosa, Capparis flexuosa, Bursera graveolens & Tabebuia chrysantha

• variation of precipitation and temperature phenology of growth ring of deciduous, semi-deciduous and evergreen

4 months of monitoring

Objective 2: Extreme ecosystems adequacies to environmental variations

• Spatial patterns: 30 x 30 m plots 200m

Objective 2:• What changes are there in the community structure and

species morpho-physiology in response to changing environmental conditions?

• Factors:– Altitud temperatura

Croton wagneri Insects community(Leaves morpho-physiology)

Objective 2:• What changes are there in the community structure and

species morpho-physiology in response to changing environmental conditions?

• Factors:– Altitud temperatura– Pendiente nutrients

Croton wagneri

3500 mapped points:- Dependent variables: location, length, crown area

Objective 2:

• How do environmental conditions, interspecific relationships and soil seed bank influence the gap – patch dynamic?

- 432 soil samples soil seed bank