GIS and Remote Sensing Applications in Biogeography and Ecology

Andrew C. Millington

ISBN 10: 0792374541 / ISBN 13: 9780792374541

Published by Springer, Springer Aug 2001, 2001

About this Item

This item is printed on demand - Print on Demand Titel. Neuware -In recent years, the conservation of tropical forests has received worldwide publicity whereas effective forest management, particularly for timber extraction, has attracted little attention and gained some notoriety. The overall aim of the present paper was to examine how environmental micro-variation in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve of Belize can influence species distribution and thereby inform management strategy. The paper deals first with the background to forest management in Belize, then considers the methodology used in the present study and fin~~ly assesses the preliminary results. The specific objectives are: (1) to assess the effects of changing scale on the variability of selected individual soil properties in forest plots within the same vegetation class; and (2) to examine the variation in soil properties and tree species distribution, and to integrate environmental and ecological data over a range of scales. BACKGROUND Whereas the global and regional distribution of tropical forests is broadly governed by climatic and altitudinal variation, individual forest tracts need to consider a range of other, locally important factors to explain species distribution and change. With very high species diversity, tropical forests present a major challenge in the attempt to unravel controlling factors in distribution and growth (Swaine et aI. 1987). Research that attempts to explain diversity has looked at species distribution according to a range of factors, with a general recognition that soil fertility plays a significant if ill defined role (Swaine 1996).Springer-Verlag KG, Sachsenplatz 4-6, 1201 Wien 348 pp. Englisch.

Seller Inventory # 9780792374541

Bibliographic Details

• Title: GIS and Remote Sensing Applications in Biogeography and Ecology
• Publisher: Springer, Springer Aug 2001
• Publication Date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0792374541
• ISBN 13: 9780792374541
• Binding: Buch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 241W x 160H x 24D millimeters 241 millimeters width by 160 millimeters height by 24 millimeters depth
• Weight: 688 grams

About this title

Synopsis

In recent years, the conservation of tropical forests has received worldwide publicity whereas effective forest management, particularly for timber extraction, has attracted little attention and gained some notoriety. The overall aim of the present paper was to examine how environmental micro-variation in the Chiquibul Forest Reserve of Belize can influence species distribution and thereby inform management strategy. The paper deals first with the background to forest management in Belize, then considers the methodology used in the present study and fin~~ly assesses the preliminary results. The specific objectives are: (1) to assess the effects of changing scale on the variability of selected individual soil properties in forest plots within the same vegetation class; and (2) to examine the variation in soil properties and tree species distribution, and to integrate environmental and ecological data over a range of scales. BACKGROUND Whereas the global and regional distribution of tropical forests is broadly governed by climatic and altitudinal variation, individual forest tracts need to consider a range of other, locally important factors to explain species distribution and change. With very high species diversity, tropical forests present a major challenge in the attempt to unravel controlling factors in distribution and growth (Swaine et aI. 1987). Research that attempts to explain diversity has looked at species distribution according to a range of factors, with a general recognition that soil fertility plays a significant if ill­ defined role (Swaine 1996).