Course syllabus and reading list
Anthropogenic influences on tropical forest communities have become increasingly important in recent years, and in some areas, may arguably be key determinants of these systems through their influence on ecosystem processes and the distribution and abundance of species. In 1995, a symposium (and later workshop) was held at the Ecological Society of Americaís annual meeting. The result was a published volume entitled "Tropical Fragments: Ecology, management, and conservation of fragmented communities", edited by Bill Laurance and Rob Bierregaard (1997, Univ. Chicago Press). We will use this book and related articles from the primary literature to explore: 1) fragmentation and edge effects on physical processes; 2) fragmentation effects on populations and population-level processes; 3) fragmentation effects on species interactions; 4) fragmentation effects on communities; and 5) mitigating effects of fragmentation. As forest fragments can not be examined solely in isolation of their surroundings, it will often be necessary to take a landscape-level approach to the examination of fragmentation studies. A key emphasis of the seminar is to identify key theories and concepts, as well as methodological approaches related to the biology of fragmented forests. Although we focus on tropical forest fragments, comparisons with better studied systems in temperate areas will be used to examine the similarities and differences both conceptually and empirically between the two zones.
Students are expected to read all material and be active participants in discussions. Grades will be based on both seminar participation (50%) and written evaluations (50%). Individuals will be selected to lead discussions on each session date, but evaluation will be based on oral participation during all weeks of the semester. Discussion leaders should provide a brief synopsis (5-10 minutes maximum per paper) and then lead the discussion of the merits and contributions of the paper to fragmentation studies. Do not get bogged down in minor details only - letís get to the conceptual ideas, empirical and theoretical contributions, and the general conclusions of the papers. As is true for many book contributions, frequently the bulk of the data is in an earlier paper. Discussion leaders should visit these earlier papers and provide additional background if warranted to clarify or further discussion. Written evaluation for the seminar is based on critical review and synthesis of the reading material that the discussion leader presented. An essay is due 10 days after the date that you lead the discussion in the class (i.e., following Friday by 5 p.m. in my mailbox or submitted by e-mail). This essay should not exceed 8 pages (not including graphics or literature cited) and should provide a synthesis and a critical review of the papers read for the seminar class. Your critical review is expected to based on opinions on the discussion leaders and the seminar class - do not just summarize the paper. Turn in both a hard copy and diskette copy (IBM Word or WordPerfect) or send as an attached file by e-mail. These essays will be compiled and shared with the entire class at the end of the semester.
Discussion leaders are expected to find 1-2 additional papers from the literature, make a copy of these papers, and put them on reserve in Biology 223 in the appropriate folder one week prior (i.e., by class time) to the date they will be discussed in class. Everyone is expected to have a copy of the required text so copies of these articles will not be available in R223, but book will be on reserve in TJL (2 hour checkout only please). Note: Discussion leaders may suggested substitutions from the following selected set of readings, but donít wait until the last minute to do so!
September 2: What do we know now about fragmentation effects?: setting the conceptual framework and approaches of fragmentation studies. (No designated leader)
Wiens, J.A. 1989. Spatial patchiness and scale. Chapter 5 in The Ecology of Bird Communities. Volume 2. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. (Pp. 200-248)
Chapter 32, Tropical forest fragmentation: synthesis of a diverse and dynamic discipline. Laurance and Bierregaard volume, pp. 502-514.
September 9: Effects of edges and fragmentation on physical processes. (Discussion leader: Linda Hirst)
Chapter 3, Edge-related changes in environment and plant responses due to forest fragmentation in Central Amazonia. Laurance and Bierregaard volume, pp. 33-44.
Murcia, C. 1995. Edge effects in fragmented landscape: implications for conservation. TREE 10:58-62.
Skole, D., and C. Tucker. 1993. Tropical deforestation and habitat fragmentation in the Amazon: satellite data from 1978 to 1988. Science 260:1905-1909.
Matlack, G. R. 1993. Microenvironmental variation within and among forest edge sites in the eastern United States. Biological Conservation 66:185-194.
September 16: Effects of edges and fragmentation on physical processes. (Discussion leader: Tibisay Escalona)
Chapter 6, Hyper-disturbed parks: edge effects and the ecology of isolated rainforest reserves in tropical Australia, Laurance and Bierregaard volume, pp. 71-84.
Saunders, D. A., Hobbs, R. J., and C. R. Margules (1991). Biological consequences of ecosystem fragmentation: A review. Biological Conservation 64:185-92.
September 23: Effects of edges and fragmentation on populations and population-level processes: plants. (Discussion leader: Antony Jardim & Luzmila Arroyo)
Hall, P., S. Walker, and K. Bawa. 1996. Effect of forest fragmentation on genetic diversity and mating system in a tropical tree, Pithecellobium elegans. Conservation Biology 10:757-768.
Williams-Linera, G. et al. 1998. Microenvironment and Floristics of Different Edges in a Fragmented Tropical Rain Forest. Conservation Biology 12(5): 1-13.
September 30: Effects of edges and fragmentation on populations and population-level processes: invertebrates. (Discussion leader: Jennifer Rosenkranz)
Chapter 8, Phenetic variation in insular populations of a rainforest centipede, Laurance and Bierregaard volume, pp. 111-123.
October 7: Effects of edges and fragmentation on populations and population-level processes: vertebrates. (Discussion leader: Chris Collins & Leslie Drewel)
Chapter 13, Structure and conservation of forest avifauna in isolated rainforest remnants in tropical Australia, Laurance and Bierregaard volume, pp. 190-206.
Chapter 28, Molecular perspectives on historical fragmentation of Australian tropical and subtropical rainforests: implications for conservation, Laurance and Bierregaard volume, pp. 442-454.
Brawn, J. D., and S. K. Robinson. 1996. Source-sink population dynamics may complicate the interpretation of long-term census data. Ecology 77:3 - 12.
October 14: Fragmentation effects on species interactions (Discussion leader: Luciana Griz)
Aizen, M.A., and P. Feinsinger 1994. Forest fragmentation, pollination, and plant reproduction in a chaco dry forest, Argentina. Ecology 75:330-351.
Aizen, M. and Feinsinger, M. 1994b. Habitat fragmentation, native insect pollinators, and feral honey bees in argentine "Chaco Serrano". Ecological Applications 4(2): 378-392.
Chapter 20, Dispersal and the dynamics of genetic structure in fragmented tropical tree populations, Laurance and Bierregaard volume, pp. 304-320.
October 20: Fragmentation effects on species interactions (Discussion leader: Iván Jiménez)
Chapter 19, Regeneration of large-seeded trees in Australian rainforest fragments: a study of higher-order interactions, Laurance and Bierregaard volume, pp. 292-303.
Chapter 21, Plant dispersal in fragmented landscapes: a field study of woody colonization in rainforest remnants of the Mascarene archipelago, Laurance and Bierregaard volume, pp. 321-332.
October 28: Fragmentation effects on community composition (Discussion leader: Kelly Bailey & Jorge Uribe)
Chapter 5, The influence of edge effects and forest fragmentation on leaf litter invertebrates in Central Amazonia, Laurance and Bierregaard volume, pp. 55-70.
Chapter 7, Disturbance, fragmentation, and the dynamics of diversity in Amazonian forest butterflies, Laurance and Bierregaard volume, pp. 91-110.
Simberloff, Daniel S. 1995. Habitat fragmentation and population extinction of birds. Ibis 137:105-11.
November 11: Fragmentation effects on community composition (Discussion leader: Sue Greenlee & Silvio Marchini)
Chapter 9, Fragmentation effects on a Central Amazonian frog community: a ten-year study, Laurance and Bierregaard volume, pp. 124-137.
Stouffer, P. 1998. Survival of the Ant Followers. Natural History 107 (6):40-43.
Laurance, W., et al. 1998. Rain Forest Fragmentation and the Dynamics of Amazonian Tree Communities. Ecology 79(6):2032-2040.
November 18: Fragmentation effects on community composition (Discussion leader: Susana León & Frank Wolff)
Chapter 15, Rapid decline of small mammal diversity in monsoon evergreen forest fragments in Thailand, Laurance and Bierregaard volume, pp. 222-240.
Chapter 17, Transitory states in relaxing ecosystems of land bridge islands, Laurance and Bierregaard volume, pp. 256-274.
Andrén, H. 1994. Effects of habitat fragmentation on birds and mammals with different proportions of suitable habitat: a review. Oikos 71: 355-366.
December 2: Mitigating effects of forest fragmentation (Discussion leader: Len Meier)
Ashton, PMS., Gamage S.,Gunatilleke I.A.U.N. and Gunatilleke C.V.S. (1997) Restoration of a Sri Lankan rainforest: using Caribbean pine Pinus Caribaea as a nurse for establishing late successional tree species. Journal of Applied Ecology,34:915-925.
Wunderle, J.M. (1997) The role of animal seed dispersal in accelerating native forest regeneration on degraded tropical lands. Forest Ecology and Management 99:223-235.
Lamb, D., Parrotta, J., Keenan, R. and Tucker, N. (1997) Rejoining Habitat Remnants: Restoring Degraded Rainforest Lands. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. 366-385.
December 9: Wrap-up, What do we now know about tropical forest fragmentation? (No designated leader)
Chapter 31, Researching tropical forest fragmentation: shall we keep on doing what we are doing? Laurance and Bierregaard volume, pp. 485-501.