Forests and Their Canopies: Achievements and Horizons in Canopy Science

Nakamura, Akihiro; Kitching, R. L.; Cao, Min; Creedy, Thomas J.; Fayle, Tom M.; Freiberg, Martin; Hewitt, C. Nicholas; Itioka, Takao; Koh, Lian Pin; Ma, Keping; Malhi, Yadvinder; Mitchell, Andrew W.; Novotný, Vojtěch; Ozanne, Claire; Song, Liang; Wang, Han; Ashton, Louise A.

doi:10.1016/j.tree.2017.02.020

Cited by 222 publications

(205 citation statements)

References 95 publications

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“…Such features can act as hubs for the facilitation of movement, provide essential sleeping sites and food resources, and ensure preservation of the complete range of vertical levels to provide enough space for stratification of faunal communities. This is imperative, especially as vertical differences in wildlife communities are more marked than those that over horizontal gradients (Nakamura et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human disturbance impacts on rainforest mammals are most notable in the canopy, especially for larger‐bodied species

Whitworth

Beirne

Huarcaya

et al. 2019

Diversity and Distributions

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Aim Community‐level assessments of how biodiversity responds to disturbance within forest habitats are often biased towards terrestrial‐based surveys. However, recent research suggests that arboreal communities of several indicator groups (ants, amphibians, beetles and butterflies) are more susceptible to human disturbance than their terrestrial counterparts, but what about wildlife at higher trophic levels? We assess responses to disturbance, from forest floor to canopy, of a key conservation flagship group: medium to large rainforest mammals. Location The Manu Biosphere Reserve, southeast Peru. Methods We deploy both arboreal and terrestrial camera traps to directly compare the response of arboreal and terrestrial mammal communities to rainforest degradation and disturbance. Results We show that the arboreal mammal community is more susceptible to habitat disturbance than the terrestrial community. Furthermore, the largest‐bodied arboreal species, which are major seed dispersers, showed the greatest negative response to forest disturbance. The strongest predictors of occupancy probability for arboreal communities were focal tree connectivity and canopy cover, whereas surrounding forest loss and canopy height were there strongest predictors of terrestrial community occupancy, although these also had effects similar in size and magnitude on the arboreal community. Main conclusions Conservation conclusions drawn from camera‐based studies focused on the terrestrial realm likely underestimate the impact of rainforest degradation to arboreal communities and on arboreal rainforest biodiversity in general. We highlight the importance of implementing arboreal research methods, capable of investigating conservation implications of anthropogenic disturbance across all vertical strata, for accurate conservation assessments and improving rainforest management and restoration strategies.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human disturbance impacts on rainforest mammals are most notable in the canopy, especially for larger‐bodied species

Whitworth

Beirne

Huarcaya

et al. 2019

Diversity and Distributions

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“…In the past, access problems have meant that this, the most diverse microhabitat, has been the least sampled, and the Red List status of some species will undoubtedly need to be re‐assessed as canopy access becomes easier. China currently has established eight canopy cranes, so this is achievable (Nakamura et al., ). However, mature forests with large trees are now rare in China, where most of the forest is now planted or secondary (Ahrends et al., ; Zhai, Xu, Dai, & Vogt, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vertical gradient in bryophyte diversity and species composition in tropical and subtropical forests in Yunnan, SW China

Shen

Corlett

Song

et al. 2018

J Vegetation Science

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Questions We sampled epiphytic bryophytes along the entire vertical gradient, from tree base to upper canopy, in tropical and subtropical forests in order to answer the following questions: (a) how do diversity, composition and life forms differ between forests; (b) how do communities change along the vertical gradient in each forest; (c) what are the likely environmental drivers of this; and (d) what is the conservation significance of the results? Location Canopy crane sites in tropical lowland seasonal rain forest (TRF) and subtropical montane moist forest (STF) in Yunnan, southwest China. Methods Bryophytes were sampled from 1,600–2,400 cm2 of bark surface in 14 vertical segments in three canopy layers on 142 trees, using canopy cranes. Microclimate was measured at five levels on the crane towers. Diversity was compared within and between forests using ANOVA. NMDS was used to compare species composition and assess potential drivers. Results In total, 184 species were recorded in 106 genera and 39 families. STF had a richer bryoflora than TRF. More species occurred in the canopy than the sub‐canopy and understorey in both sites. The fan life form was dominant in the lower two layers of both forests, while mats were more common in the canopy of TRF and tall turfs in STF. The main axis of variation in species composition was associated with the vertical gradient of declining humidity and vapour pressure, and increasing temperature, light and wind speed. Conclusions This study demonstrates the value of canopy cranes for complete sampling of the epiphytic bryoflora in complex forests. Both forest types had very high species richness, reflecting the diversity of microhabitats along the vertical gradient. Observed and projected climate change may threaten this bryoflora as a result of rising temperatures and, in some areas, declining rainfall and fog frequency.

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“…They can acquire remotely sensed data from relatively inaccessible environments, and thus are useful for measuring and (long‐term) monitoring of forest canopies (Kachamba, Ørka, Gobakken, Eid, & Mwase, ; Paneque‐Gálvez, McCall, Napoletano, Wich, & Koh, ; Zahawi et al., ; Zhang et al., ). Additionally, UAVs can capture data at even finer temporal and spatial resolutions than satellite and manned‐airborne remote sensing (Nakamura et al., ). This is especially important because visually distinguishing lianas from trees requires ultra‐fine resolution (mm–cm) image data: liana leaves grow among the leaves of the trees in which they are located, becoming embedded in the canopy, and are also heterogeneous in nature, as lianas are phylogenetically and functionally highly diverse (Burnham, ; Gentry, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A view from above: Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provide a new tool for assessing liana infestation in tropical forest canopies

Waite

Heijden

Field

et al. 2019

Journal of Applied Ecology

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Tropical forests store and sequester large quantities of carbon, mitigating climate change. Lianas (woody vines) are important tropical forest components, most conspicuous in the canopy. Lianas reduce forest carbon uptake and their recent increase may, therefore, limit forest carbon storage with global consequences for climate change. Liana infestation of tree crowns is traditionally assessed from the ground, which is labour intensive and difficult, particularly for upper canopy layers. We used a lightweight unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to assess liana infestation of tree canopies from above. It was a commercially available quadcopter UAV with an integrated, standard three‐waveband camera to collect aerial image data for 150 ha of tropical forest canopy. By visually interpreting the images, we assessed the degree of liana infestation for 14.15 ha of forest for which ground‐based estimates were collected simultaneously. We compared the UAV liana infestation estimates with those from the ground to determine the validity, strengths, and weaknesses of using UAVs as a new method for assessing liana infestation of tree canopies. Estimates of liana infestation from the UAV correlated strongly with ground‐based surveys at individual tree and plot level, and across multiple forest types and spatial resolutions, improving liana infestation assessment for upper canopy layers. Importantly, UAV‐based surveys, including the image collection, processing, and visual interpretation, were considerably faster and more cost‐efficient than ground‐based surveys. Synthesis and applications. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) image data of tree canopies can be easily captured and used to assess liana infestation at least as accurately as traditional ground data. This novel method promotes reproducibility of results and quality control, and enables additional variables to be derived from the image data. It is more cost‐effective, time‐efficient and covers larger geographical extents than traditional ground surveys, enabling more comprehensive monitoring of changes in liana infestation over space and time. This is important for assessing liana impacts on the global carbon balance, and particularly useful for forest management where knowledge of the location and change in liana infestation can be used for tailored, targeted, and effective management of tropical forests for enhanced carbon sequestration (e.g., REDD+ projects), timber concessions, and forest restoration.

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Forests and Their Canopies: Achievements and Horizons in Canopy Science

Cited by 222 publications

References 95 publications

Human disturbance impacts on rainforest mammals are most notable in the canopy, especially for larger‐bodied species

Human disturbance impacts on rainforest mammals are most notable in the canopy, especially for larger‐bodied species

Vertical gradient in bryophyte diversity and species composition in tropical and subtropical forests in Yunnan, SW China

A view from above: Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) provide a new tool for assessing liana infestation in tropical forest canopies

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