| NSF Org: |
DEB Division Of Environmental Biology |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | November 3, 1994 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | March 27, 1996 |
| Award Number: | 9411973 |
| Award Instrument: | Continuing Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Scott L. Collins
DEB Division Of Environmental Biology BIO Directorate for Biological Sciences |
| Start Date: | November 15, 1994 |
| End Date: | October 31, 1996 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $3,350,000.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $1,267,137.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 1996 = $10,000.00 |
| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1187 CALLE FLAMBOYAN SAN JUAN PR US 00926-1108 (787)250-0000 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
1187 CALLE FLAMBOYAN SAN JUAN PR US 00926-1108 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): | LONG TERM ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH |
| Primary Program Source: |
app-0196 app-0197 app-0198 app-0199 |
| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.074 |
ABSTRACT
9411973 Waide The Luquillo Experimental Forest (LEF) Long-Term Ecology Research Program began in 1988 with the goal of integrating studies of disturbance regime and forest structure and dynamics with a landscape perspective. Two central research questions addressed 1) the relative importance of different disturbance types within the four tropical rain forest life zones of the LEF and 2) the importance of the biota in restoring ecosystem productivity after disturbance. The long-term monitoring program initiated as part of the Luquillo LTER was critical to the evaluation of immediate and subsequent effects of Hurricane Hugo, which struck Puerto Rico in 1989. The occurrence of a hurricane soon after the initiation of the LTER program provides an opportunity to study the long-term dynamics of a tropical forest as it recovers from a major disturbance. Integration of the spatial and temporal patterns of the different disturbances affecting the LEF (tree falls, landslides, hurricanes, and human land use) indicated that even the effects of large disturbances are not homogeneous over the forest landscape. A strong gradient in damage from Hurricane Hugo occurs from northeast to southwest in the LEF, corresponding to the direction of the strongest winds. However, even in severely disturbed areas, many forest attributes were approaching their pre-hurricane values within four years of the storm. Forest response depended both on the successional status of the site at the time of disturbance and the intensity of disturbance. In many areas, the legacy of past human activities was apparent in forest composition and structure even after Hurricane Hugo. The long-term experiments and measurements initiated in 1988 will remain the central focus of the Luquillo LTER as it moves into its second phase. Analysis of the dynamics of recovery after the hurricane and its associated landslides and synthesis of the interaction of multiple disturbances continue to be the primary goals of collaborating investi gators. New initiatives will concentrate on defining the distinctive characteristics of anthropogenic disturbance and on evaluating the importance of pivotal species in shaping the path of succession. As before, a major emphasis of the Luquillo LTER will be to provide information and ideas for cross-site and network-wide syntheses.
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