Geography
Forest Biodiversity
Forest biodiversity refers to the variety and variability of life forms within forests, including the diversity of species, genes, and ecosystems. It encompasses the multitude of plants, animals, and microorganisms that inhabit forest ecosystems, contributing to their resilience and productivity. Forest biodiversity is essential for maintaining ecological balance, providing ecosystem services, and supporting human well-being.
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10 Key excerpts on "Forest Biodiversity"
- Sharangi, Amit Baran(Authors)
- 2021(Publication Date)
- Daya Publishing House(Publisher)
3 Biological diversity = biodiversity –The variability among living organisms from all sources and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes: Ecosystem diversity: the variety and frequency of different ecosystems. Species diversity: the frequency and diversity of different species. Genetic diversity: the frequency and diversity of different genes and/or genomes. It includes the variation within a population and between populations. ( Source : Schmidt, L. 1997. Tree Improvement This ebook is exclusively for this university only. Cannot be resold/distributed. Glossary. Technical Note 46. Danida Forest Seed Centre). 4 Biological diversity –The full range of genetic diversity (species, subspecies, and distinct biological populations of plants and animals) as well as the full variety of ecosystems in which the plants and animals occur. ( Source : Koski, V.; Skroppa, T.; Paule, L.; Turok, J. 1997. Technical guidelines for genetic conservation of Norway spruce ( Picea abies (L.) Karst.). EUFORGEN. IPGRI). 5 Biological diversity –The variety and complexity of species that are present and that interact in an ecosystem, plus the relative abundance of each. ( Source : Temperate Forest Foundation. Glossary. USA. http://forestinfo.org/Glossary ). 6 Biological diversity or “biodiversity” –It is the totality of genes, species, and ecosystems in a region. The wealth of life on earth today is the product of hundreds of millions of years of evolutionary history. Over the course of time, human cultures have emerged and adapted to the local environment, discovering, using, and altering local biotic resources. Many areas that now seem „natural” bear the marks of millennia of human habitation, crop cultivation, and resource harvesting. The domestication and breeding of local varieties of crops and livestock have further shaped biodiversity.
eBook - PDFForest Ecosystems
More than Just Trees
- Juan A. Blanco, Yueh-Hsin Lo, Juan A. Blanco, Yueh-Hsin Lo(Authors)
- 2012(Publication Date)
- IntechOpen(Publisher)
Part 1 Forest Structure and Biodiversity 1 Plant Diversity of Forests Ján Mergani č 1,2 , Katarína Mergani č ová 1,2 , Róbert Marušák 1 and Vendula Audolenská 1 1 Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, Faculty of Forestry, Wildlife and Wood Sciences, Department of Forest Management, Praha 2 Forest Research, Inventory and Monitoring (FORIM), Železná Breznica 1 Czech Republic 2 Slovakia 1. Introduction Changes in biological diversity of natural ecosystems have in the second half of 20th century become a global problem due to intensive human activities. Therefore, higher attention has been paid to these problems. The year 1992 can be considered as the pivotal year in this field since in this year the Convention on Biological Diversity was approved on the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro. This document defines biological diversity - biodiversity as „the variety and variability among living organisms from all sources including inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part“. This definition covers three fundamental components of diversity: genetic, species, and ecosystem diversity (Duelli, 1997, as cited in Larsson, 2001; Mergani č & Šmelko, 2004). However, also this widely accepted definition like many others fails to mention ecological processes, such as natural disturbances, and nutrient cycles, etc., that are crucial to maintaining biodiversity (Noss, 1990). The complexity of the understanding of the term biodiversity was well documented by Kaennel (1998). Therefore, Noss (1990) suggested that for the assessment of the overall status of biodiversity more useful than a definition would be its characterisation that identifies its major components at several levels of organisation. Franklin et al. (1981 as cited in Noss, 1990) recognised three primary attributes of ecosystems: composition, structure, and function.
eBook - PDF- Judith Rosales(Author)
- 2019(Publication Date)
- Society Publishing(Publisher)
Ecosystem diversity is the diversity of habitats or ecosystems within an area. A region possessing a wide variety of ecosystems will include a much greater genetic diversity, as well as species diversity, and a higher functional diversity than one in which there are only a few different habitats. There are few areas in the world that can be considered as left untouched by human activities, so can be referred as a “natural ecosystem.” Mostly natural ecosystems are found in wilderness areas. Increasingly, however, there are many kinds of damages being carried on to the natural ecosystems, degrading them and their functioning. For that reason, today, there is an increasing awareness about the importance of ecosystems diversity as it depends on the maintenance of their functions and therefore the ecological services they provide to humankind. Ecosystem diversity has an impact on the Resilience capacity and Productivity of a Landscape where humans live. In particular, biodiversity, encompassing variation from within species to across landscapes is considered by some author as crucial for long-term resilience of ecosystem functions and their services. Biogeography and Biodiversity 82 3.2.4 Functional Biodiversity Functional diversity refers to the range of processes that involve organisms in communities and ecosystems. All the biological and chemical processes of functions including flows of materials and energy (food web chains, energy pyramids, productivity), or cycles of chemical elements, water, which are required for the species to survive and to have a balance in the ecological system. Natural ecosystems important functions are for instance productivity, decomposition rates, nutrient cycling, and resistance and resilience to perturbations. Functional diversity refers to the diversity of ecological process that maintains a balance among all the components of the ecosystems that are including all the components that are inter-dependent on each other.
eBook - PDFThe science policy gap regarding informed decisions in forest policy and management. What scientific information are policy makers really interested in?
Proceedings of the 6th International DAAD Workshop
- (Author)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- Cuvillier Verlag(Publisher)
The search for technical options to achieve this led to the creation of forestry schools that would lay the scientific basis for forest production. At present time the constant growth of the human population and the demand for prod-ucts of all kinds has had a strong impact on the environment. The paradigms in forest policies have changed from regulating the technical interventions to the forest in order to obtain wood to trying to conserve the ecological functions of the forests and their diversity, as well as to maintain the environmental services that they provide. This later paradigm also includes car-rying out activities for the restoration or rehabilitation of degraded areas or with diminished resources (Jardel et al., 2008, Jardel 2012). 3 Biodiversity use The term biodiversity - a jargon contraction of biological diversity - has been particularly contentious or misunderstood, giving rise to conflict and confusion at high levels of policy and science and among the public. Is however one of the aspects that are considered important in maintaining the stability of forest ecosystems, which does not only concern the diversity of species within ecosystems, but also the diversity of ecosystems and genetic diversity within populations of the same species. This genetic diversity manifests itself within the same population or within the same species in different environmental gradients. Maintaining this genetic diversity is important for the persistence of species. Reducing this diversity would increase the vulnerability of the species. The use of biodiversity in the forest sector has served to identify the best native popula-tions of a species in order to migrate some individuals within their range of distribution from less favorable environments to those with better conditions for their development, and in this way, improve wood production. These studies of origin have been the basis for the develop-ment of forest plantations and of timber species in the world.
No longer available |Learn more- Guy R. Larocque(Author)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
348 12.5 Summary ............................................................................................................................. 349 References ..................................................................................................................................... 350 338 Ecological Forest Management Handbook 12.1 Introduction Forest Biodiversity refers to the variability among all forest life forms (trees, plants, ani-mals, fungi, and microorganisms) from genetics to species and ecosystems and their associated ecological processes. Conserving Forest Biodiversity is a fundamental goal of sustainable forestry. Therefore, governments, nongovernment organizations, academic institutions, corporations, partnerships, and others tasked with managing and conserving the world’s forests require mechanisms to monitor their progress toward this goal. One of the mechanisms to accomplish this is the use of a suite of biodiversity indicators. These indicators are measures based on data that convey information beyond what is directly measured or assessed (BIP 2011). Given the multitude of possible indicators, frameworks are used to organize them to better understand and show their relationships and intercon-nectedness. Indicators and indicator frameworks can be used to educate, support policy, and inform management decisions. In this chapter, we do not provide an extensive list of Forest Biodiversity indicators; rather, our intent is to discuss concepts associated with the conservation of biodiversity in relation to a broader indicator framework. Through this approach, we hope to provide readers with a sufficient understanding to allow them to review and select among the many contemporary indicators, those that are most relevant to their needs/questions. For readers seeking information about selecting Forest Biodiversity indicators, we sug-gest the following resources: Ferris and Humphrey (1999), Jonsson and Jonsell (1999), Noss (1999), Lindenmayer et al.
eBook - PDFChanging the Global Environment
Perspectives on Human Involvement
- Daniel B. Botkin, Margriet F. Caswell, John E. Estes, Daniel B. Botkin, Margriet F. Caswell, John E. Estes(Authors)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- Academic Press(Publisher)
There is only a superficial understanding of the significance of biological diversity. We know little about the importance of diversity for a single ecosystem, let alone for the biosphere. Let us consider briefly evidence for elevated and rising extinction rates. Such considerations inevitably focus around that small portion of the Earth's surface occupied by tropical forests where, even in the face of science's limited exploration of biological diversity, it is apparent that half or more of all plant and animal species exist. There, driven by a variety of economic and social forces that include the aggregate effect of slash-and-burn farmers as well as global economic forces like the international debt, forests are disappearing at rapid and probably accelerating rates. Two areas of concern illustrate our current dilemma. One area where the process of extinction has advanced the farthest is the Atlantic Forests region of Brazil, which once extended from South America's east-ernmost point to the Argentine border. The chronicle of the Atlantic Forests is best told by the history of forest cover in the state of Sâo Paulo (Figure 6—1). Estimates of remaining Atlantic forest cover are around 2 percent of what is considered to be its original extent. It is a forest distinct from that of the much better known Amazonia, but filled with endemic species of its own, including 13 endangered forms of primates, 180 birds, and enormous numbers of plants and invertebrates. A second area of concern is the great island of Madagascar, where 90 percent of the species there occur nowhere else. The lemurs are the best known, but there are also entire families that are endemic, such as the spiny plants in the family Dideriaceae. Of Madagascar's forest, only about 10 percent remains. What can these two regions tell us about the extent of the extinction problem? Science has been aware since 1835 of a relationship between the area sampled and the number of species encountered.
eBook - PDFBiogeography
Introduction to Space, Time, and Life
- Glen MacDonald(Author)
- 2015(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
We have seen that geography and history have worked together to produce the incredibly complex and beautiful modern biosphere that we are a part of. We have also learned that humans have played a lamentable role in the extinction of a great many species. In this final chapter, we have observed that we face many challenges in preserving the remaining biodiversity and natural habitats of the world. Our efforts must take on a spe- cial urgency because as human population grows, the rate of habitat and species loss also increases. The specter of global warming means that no species or environment can be counted on as completely secure in the years ahead. We have seen how the study of biogeography and allied fields can help us to both understand and preserve the natural life of the planet. The application of bio- geography for conservation is still in an early stage, and many exciting discov- eries lie ahead. Perhaps for some of you this book will start you on the road to learning more about biogeography, ecology, paleontology, and the other life and earth sciences. You may actually take up the challenge of working as bio- geographers to understand and protect the biosphere. If so, this book has been more than successful. For others, I will consider this book successful if a trip through a national park or even a simple walk through autumn leaves is just a little more enjoyable because you are now more aware of how you, and all the plants and animals you encounter, are part of the marvelous and continuing story of space, time, and life.
eBook - PDF- Jonah, T Z(Authors)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Agri Horti Press(Publisher)
Cannot be resold/distributed. 38 Forest Biodiversity vegetation, as well as by local variations in climate, which also affect the long-term development of many species: climatic races or strains develop, more or less adapted to local variations of climate within the range as a whole. This fact accounts, in part at least, for the wide variation in results obtained by using seed of other than local origin in establishing forests. Scots pine, for example, has developed a number of climatic races and experience in both Europe and North America shows that efforts to introduce a “foreign” race of this species without a proper correlation of climatic conditions at seed source and planting site will almost certainly prove unsatisfactory, particularly in the susceptibility of the trees to damage by snow and sleet and the incidence of disease. This, of course, also holds true for attempts to establish any tree as an exotic outside the boundaries of its natural range. However, where the climatic conditions of two regions are similar, the introduction of tree species from the one to the other may be undertaken successfully, as, for example, in the introduction of conifers from the Pacific coast of North America into Great Britain. An understanding of the various biological factors discussed above is of fundamental importance in the development of forestry practice, particularly in the fields of silviculture and protection. It must be emphasized, however, that practical forest management must depend also on the knowledge and application of sound business principles and on the development of suitable methods and techniques to be used in collecting, analyzing and organizing the basic data to be obtained from the forest. Branches of Forestry As is implied by what has been said above, forestry has a number of subdivisions, each of which is concerned with some particular aspect or phase of the subject.
eBook - PDF- Christian Lévêque, Jean-Claude Mounolou(Authors)
- 2004(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
150 6 DYNAMICS OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY . changes in atmospheric composition; . climate changes; . alterations in the composition of natural communities and loss of biodiversity. The term implies the impacts of both economic development and world population growth upon the principal domains of the Earth’s system – the atmosphere, soils and aquatic systems – as well as those processes involved in the exchanges of matter and energy between these domains. Land changes deforestation, grazing, intensive farming, etc. Biogeochemical cycles carbon, nitrogen, water, and other element and compounds Species introductions and extinctions biological invasions, hunting, fishing, gathering Climatic changes greenhouse effect, aerosols, land cover Loss of biological diversity extinction of populations, extinction of species, loss of ecosystems Human population size use of resources Human activities agriculture industry energy trade Figure 6.5 Conceptual model illustrating direct and indirect effects upon the bio- sphere (adapted from Lubchenko et al., 1991) 6 . 3 HUMAN ACTIVITIES AND THE DYNAMICS 151 6. 3 . 1 Demographic pressures Among the factors responsible for the erosion of biological diversity, demographic pressures and increasingly powerful technologies are the ultimate causes. More space is required to house and feed a world population that has increased dramatically: 2 billion people in 1930, 4 billion in 1975, and predicted to reach 8 billion or more as we approach 2020. This population growth is of concern to the whole planet, but particularly for tropical countries, where biological diversity is greater than in temperate zones. 6. 3 . 2 Land use and the transformation of the countryside In order to produce goods and services, humans modify the structure and functioning of ecosystems. The first major actions of humans upon their environment involved setting fires in order to flush out wild game or clear the ground.
- Eva M. Spehn, Christian Korner(Authors)
- 2009(Publication Date)
- CRC Press(Publisher)
SUMMARY Georeferenced biodiversity databases can be linked with geostatistical information systems to answer basic questions of the causes and trends of biodiversity. This article presents some ideas on the application of these novel tools with a mountain biodiversity focus. It is sup-posed that mountains represent a globally, highly repli-cated “experiment by nature” that offers testing a broad spectrum of hypotheses related to global biodiversity pat-terns. As “islands in the sky,” mountains permit exploring both space and time (season length) constraints to spe-cies richness and diversification within a broad matrix of climatic conditions. A tool kit of globally applicable cli-matic reference lines is presented that permits meaning-ful, large-scale comparisons. Examples are provided for the geostatistical analysis of climatic zones, seasonality, and shrinking of land area with altitude and topographic ruggedness, all in support of such global biodiversity comparisons. REFERENCES Currie, D.J., G.G. Mittelbach, H.V. Cornell, R. Field, J. F. Guegan, B.A. Hawkins, D.M. Kaufman, J.T. Kerr, T. Oberdorff, E. O’Brien, and J.R.G. Turner. 2004. Predictions and tests of climate-based hypotheses of broad-scale variation in taxonomic richness. Ecol. Lett. 7:1121–34. Kapos, V., J. Rhind, M. Edwards, M.F. Price, and C. Ravilious. 2000. Developing a map of the world’s mountain forests. In Forests in Sustainable Mountain Development (IUFRO Research Series 5). Price, M.F., and N. Butt, eds. pp. 4–9. Wallingford Oxon: CABI-Publishing. Körner, Ch. 1995. Alpine plant diversity: A global survey and functional interpretations. In Arctic & Alpine Biodiversity: Patterns, Causes & Ecosystem Consequences . Chapin III, F.S., and Ch. Körner, eds. Ecol. Studies. 113:45–62, Berlin: Springer. Körner, Ch. 2000. Why are there global gradients in species richness? Mountains might hold the answer. Trends Ecol. Evol. 15:513–14. Körner, Ch. 2003. Alpine Plant Life .
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