Use of coarse woody debris by the plant community of a Hawaiian montane cloud forest

Author:

Santiago, Louis S.

Title:

Use of coarse woody debris by the plant community of a Hawaiian montane cloud forest

Periodical:

Biotropica

Year:

2000

Volume:

32

Pages:

633-641

Subject:

Coarse woody debris Metrosideros polymorpha Montane tropical forest Oxidation reduction Regeneration

Summary:

In many ecosystems, woody debris plays an important role as it provides habitat for wildlife, stores nutrients, and serves as seedbeds. Known as coarse woody debris, (CWD), fallen logs, wood fragments, standing dead trees, and other forms of woody debris, often decay slowly and can influence species composition and nutrient cycles for centuries. In the montane forests of Hawaii, fallen logs are the most common germination sites for most woody species. In addition, CWD is often colonized by a moss layer as it decomposes and creates a zone of active nutrient cycling in moist ecosystems. As a result, this study addressed the role that CWD such as fallen logs, wood fragments, and other forms of woody debris played in providing habitat for woody species in a forest with waterlogged soils.

Label:

Ecology

URL:

http://cletus.uhh.hawaii.edu:2074/10.1111/j.1744-7429.2000.tb00510.x

Date:

Dec., 2000

Collection:

Periodicals