Rainforest fragmentation and the dynamics of amazonian tree communities

Abstract

Few studies have assessed effects of habitat fragmentation on tropical forest dynamics. I describe results from an 18-year experimental study of the effects of rainforest fragmentation on tree-community dynamics in central Amazonia. Tree communities were assessed in 39 permanent, 1-ha plots in forest fragments of 1, 10, or 100 ha in area, and in 27 plots in nearby continuous forest. Repeated censuses of >56,000 marked trees (>10 cm diameter-at-breast height) were used to generate annualized estimates of tree mortality, damage, and turnover in fragmented and continuous forest.