Long-term dynamics of tree mortality and plant diversity in a Pacific montane rainforest at different scales
| Led by: | Dieter Mueller-Dombois (+), Hans Juergen Boehmer |
| Team: | James D Jacobi, Grant C Gerrish, Helene H Wagner, Vanessa Minden, Linda Mertelmeyer, Kevin W Brinck |
| Year: | 1976 |
| Duration: | 1976-ongoing |
| Further information | https://www.researchgate.net/project/Landscape-level-long-term-dynamics-of-canopy-dieback-in-a-Pacific-montane-rainforest |
The ‘ohi‘a dieback, a landscape-level canopy tree decline on the Big Island of Hawaii, provides a unique opportunity to analyze the long-term dynamics of a rainforest canopy at different scales. ‘Ohi‘a is a Hawaiian name for several kinds of tree species, one of the most prominent being ‘ohi‘a lehua (Metrosideros polymorpha).
Observation of permanent forest plots started in 1976. A key objective of this project is to gather empirical data to test a conceptual model developed in 1987 predicting the full regeneration of the M. polymorpha tree layer following dieback. The project will also assess how the distribution of the dieback changes over time, whether the dieback is fueled by climate change and abiotic factors at the landscape scale, and whether the canopy tree decline promotes invasions by alien plant species, in particular alien tree species.
Funding: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), U.S. Geological Survey Ecosystems Research Program, National Science Foundation (NSF), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), Reinhold-Tüxen-Gesellschaft
