Tropical Ecological Systems: Trends in Terrestrial and Aquatic Research

392 Pages·1975·11.21 MB·English

by  Frank B. Golley

Ecological Studies
Analysis and Synthesis
Edited by
J. Jacobs, Mlinchen· o. L. Lange, Wlirzburg
J. S. Olson, Oak Ridge· W. Wieser, Innsbruck
Volume 11
Tropical Ecological Systems
Trends in Terrestrial and Aquatic Research
Edited by
Frank B. Golley and Ernesto Medina
With 131 Figures
Springer-Verlag Berlin· Heidelberg· New York 1975
Frank B. Golley Emesto Medina
Executive Director Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones
Institute of Ecology Cien tificas
University of Georgia Departamento de Ecologia
Athens, Georgia 30601 Apartado 1827
Caracas 101, Venezuela
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Golley, Frank B
Tropical ecological systems.
(Ecological studies, v. 11)
1. Ecology-Tropics. I. Medina, Ernesto, joint
author. II. Title. III. Series.
QH541.5.T7G64 574.5'0913 74-8828
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be translated or reproduced in
any form without written permission from Springer-Verlag,
© 1975 by Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1975
ISBN-13: 978-3-642-88535-8 e-ISBN-13: 978-3-642-88533-4
DOl: 10.1007/978-3-642-88533-4
Preface
In 1971 the International Society of Tropical Ecology and the International
Association for Ecology held a meeting on Tropical Ecology, with an emphasis
on organic production in New Delhi, India. At this meeting a Working Group
on Tropical Ecology was organized, consisting of K. C. Misra (India), F.
Malaisse (Zaire), E. Medina (Venezuela) and F. Golley (U.S.A.). The object
of this Working Group was to stimulate interaction between tropical ecologists
through future scientific meetings and other exchanges and communications. A
second meeting of ISTE and INTECOL was held in Caracas, Venezuela in
1973, under the direction of Medina and Golley and sponsored by the Depart
ment of Ecology, Institute Venezolano Investigaciones Cientificas (lVIC). The
basic structure of the meeting was provided by series of invited papers which
considered topics of special interest from both an applied and theoretical view.
These included physiological ecology (Pannier), populations (Rabinovich),
tropical savannas (Lamotte), rivers (Sioli), estuaries (Rodriguez), and island
ecosystems (Mueller-Dombois). Contributed papers considered details of these
and other ecological topics, including the application of ecology to human
problems. The present volume includes the invited papers listed above and a
sampling of contributed papers which together illustrate the trends of research
in tropical ecology. The papers show that tropical ecology is a vigorous subject
of research. While the papers in this volume do not provide reviews of all the
topics of study in tropical ecology, they do present authoritative statements on
progress in the major subject in the field.
We are grateful to the participants of the meeting on Tropical Ecology, to
our Institutions (lVIC and the University of Georgia) for help in bringing this
version of the proceedings to the scientific public. We especially thank N. Payne,
M. Murphy, M. Shedd and L. Edwards for typing, proofreading and assisting
in the editing of the manuscript.
E. Medina
F. Golley
v
Contributors
BERNHARD-REVERSAT, France, ORSTOM, B.P. 20, Abidjan, C6te-d'Ivoire.
BRINSON, MARK M., Department of Botany, University of Florida, Gainesville,
Florida, USA.
BROCE, AL TERTO, Rama de Entomologia, Escuela Nacional Agricultura, Cha
pingo, Mexico.
BRUNIG, E., Institute of World Forestry, Federal Research Center for Forest
and Timber Research, Reinbeck (Hamburg), Federal Republic of Germany.
DE KRUIJF, H.A.M., Caribbean Marine Biological Institute, Curacao, Nether
lands, Antilles.
EVINK, GARY, Center for Aquatic Studies, University of Florida, Gainesville,
Florida, USA
FITTKAU, E. J., Department of Tropical Ecology, Max Planck Institute for
Limnology, PIon, Federal Republic of Germany.
FRESON, R., Prof. Dr., Universite Nationale du Zaire, Lubumbashi, Zaire.
GARG, R. K., Department of Botany, School of Basic Science and Humanities,
University of Udaipur, Udaipur, India.
GOFFINET, G., Prof. Dr., Universite Nationale du Zaire, Lubumbashi, ZaIre.
GOLLEY, FRANK B., Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia,
USA.
HAINES, BRUCE, Department of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University,
Normal, Illinois, USA.
HARTSHORN, GARY S., Organization for Tropical Studies, University of Costa
Rica, Costa Rica.
HUTTEL, CHARLES, ORSTOM, B.P. 20, Abidjan, C6te-d'Ivoire.
IRMLER, U., Max Planck Institute for Limnology, PIon, Federal Republic of
Germany.
JUNK, W. J., Max Planck Institute for Limnology, PIon, Federal Republic of
Germany.
KARR, JAMES R., Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West
Lafayette, Indiana, USA.
KLINGE, H., Department of Tropical Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Lim
nology, PIon, Federal Republic of Germany.
vii
viii CONTRIBUTORS
KNIGHT, DENNIS H., Department of Botany, University of Wyoming, Laramie,
Wyoming, USA.
KREBS, JULIA ELIZABETH, Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens,
Georgia, USA.
LAMOTTE, MAXIME, Laboratoire de Zoologie, Ecole Normale Superieure, Uni
versite de Paris, Paris, France.
LUGO, ARIEL E., Department of Botany, University of Florida, Gainesville,
Florida, USA.
MALAISSE, F., Prof. Dr., Miombo Project Leader, Universite Nationale du Zaire,
Lubumbashi, Zaire.
MALAISSE-MouSSET, M., Chef de travaux, Universite Nationale du Zaire,
Lubumbashi, Zaire.
MEDINA, ERNESTO, Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto Venezolano de Inves
tigaciones Cientificas, Caracas, Venezuela.
MONASTERIO, M., Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Merida,
Venezuela.
MONTGOMERY, G. G., National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, Wash
ington, D. C., USA.
MUELLER-DoMBOIS, DIETER, Department of Botany, University of Hawaii,
Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.
PANNIER, FEDERICO, Escuela de Biologia, Universidad Venezolano Central,
Caracas, Venezuela.
RABINOVICH, JORGE E., Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto Venezolano de
Investigaciones Cientificas, Caracas, Venezuela.
REISS, F., Max Planck Institute for Limnology, PIOn, Federal Republic of
Germany.
RODRIGUES, W. A., Istituto Nacional de Presquisas da Amazonia, Manaus,
Amazonas, Brasil.
RODRIGUEZ, G., Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto Venezolano de Investiga-
ciones Cientificas, Caracas, Venezuela. "
SAN JOSE, J. J., Departamento de Ecologia, Instituto Venezolano de Investi-
gaciones Cientificas, Caracas, Venezuela. .
SARMIENTO, G., Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Los Andes, Merida,
Venezuela.
SCHMIDT, G. W., Max Planck Institute for Limnology, PIOn, Federal Republic
of Germany.
Contributors ix
SHRIMAL, R. L., Department of Botany, V.B.R.I., Udaipur, India.
SIOLI, HARALD, Max Planck Institute for Limnologie, PIon, Federal Republic
of Germany.
SNEDAKER, SAMUEL C., Center for Aquatic Sciences, University of Florida,
Gainesville, Florida, USA.
SUNQUIST, M. E., National Zoological Park, Smithsonian Institution, Washing
ton, D. C., USA.
TERBORGH, JOHN, Department of Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New
Jersey, USA.
VYAS, L. N., Department of Botany, School of Basic Sciences and Humanities,
University of Udaipur, Udaipur, India.
Table of Contents
Preface vii
List of Contributors ix
1. GOLLEY, FRANK B. and ERNESTO MEDINA: Ecological Research
in the Tropics. 1
Physiological Ecology
2. PANNIER, FEDERICO: Physioecological Problems in the Tropics. 7
Dynamics of Populations
3. RABINOVICH, JORGE E.: Demographic Strategies in Animal
Populations: A Regression Analysis. 19
4. HARTSHORN, GARY S.: A Matrix Model of Tree Population Dynamics. 41
5. KNIGHT, DENNIS H.: An Analysis of Late Secondary Succession in
Species-Rich Tropical Forest. 53
6. DE KRUIJF, H. A. M.: The Relation Between Rainfall and
Mosquito Populations. 61
Interaction Between Species
7. MONTGOMERY, G. G. and M. E. SUNQUIST: Impact of Sloths on
Neotropical Forest Energy Flow and Nutrient Cycling. 69
8. HAINES, BRUCE: Impact of Leaf-Cutting Ants on Vegetation
Development at Barro Colorado Island. 99
Tropical Forest Analysis
9. KLINGE, H., W. A. RODRiGUES, E. BRUNIG and E. J. FITTKAU:
Biomass and Structure in a Central Amazonian Rain Forest. 115
10. HUTTEL, CHARLES: Root Distribution and Biomass in Three
Ivory Coast Rain Forest Plots. 123
11. GARG, R. K. and L. N. VYAS: Litter Production in Deciduous Forest
near Udaipur (South Rajasthan), India. 131
xi
xii TABLE OF CONTENTS
12. MALAISSE, F., R. FRESON, G. GOFFINET, and M. MALAISSE-
MOUSSET: Litter Fall and Litter Breakdown in Miombo. 137
13. BERNHARD-REVERSAT, FRANCE: Nutrients in Throughfall and Their
Quantitative Importance in Rain Forest Mineral Cycles. 153
14. KARR, JAMES R.: Production, Energy Pathways, and Community
Diversity in Forest Birds. 161
Savannas
15. LAMOTTE, MAXIME: The Structure and Function of a Tropical
Savannah Ecosystem. 179
16. SARMIENTO, G. and M. MONASTERIO: A Critical Consideration of
the Environmental Conditions Associated with the Occurrence
of Savanna Ecosystems in Tropical America. 223
17. SAN JOSE, J. J. and E. MEDINA: Effect of Fire on Organic Matter
Production and Water Balance in a Tropical Savanna. 251
18. SHRIMAL, R. L. and L. N. VVAS: Net Primary Production in
Grasslands at Udaipur, India. 265
Tropical Water Bodies
19. SIOL!, HARALD: Tropical Rivers as Expressions of Their Terrestrial
Environments. 275
20. FITTKAU, E. J., U. IRMLER, W. J. JUNK, F. REISS, and G. W.
SCHMIDT: Productivity, Biomass, and Population Dynamics
in Amazonian Water Bodies. 289
21. RODRIGUEZ, GILBERTO: Some Aspects of the Ecology of
Tropical Estuaries. 313
22. LUGo, ARIEL E., GARY EVINK, MARK M. BRINSON, ALBERTO
BROCE, and SAMUEL C. SNEDAKER: Diurnal Rates of Photo-
synthesis, Respiration, and Transpiration in Mangrove Forests
of South Florida. 335
Island Ecosystems
23. MUELLER-DoMBOIS, DIETER: Some Aspects of Island
Ecosystem Analysis. 353
Applications
24. TERBORGH, JOHN: Faunal Equilibria and the Design of
Wildlife Preserves. 369
Table of Contents Xlii
25. KREBS, JULIA ELIZABETH: A Comparison of Soils Under Agri-
culture and Forests in San Carlos, Costa Rica. 381
Index 391