Parallel to this shift in forest cover, the species found within forests are changing rapidly over time. The species that make up forest communities fluctuates naturally as forests recover over time, as well as with to human activities (eg. when species are introduced to new areas, when a species is driven to local extinction or when populations move to avoid disturbances or changes in climate).
Since each species has a unique set of traits, changes in which tree species inhabit a forest can affect which resources are available, and when. Shifts in the types of trees which make up a forest can therefore change the type and quality of habitat available.
I am conducting a research project to investigate how tree biodiversity changes in naturally regenerating secondary forests over time, and how these changes affect the ability of forests to sustain other plants and animals.
I also conducted a parallel study in timber plantation forests in Fife, Scotland and will supplement this research by analysing data from the BioTIME biodiversity time series database [4].
With this research, I hope to better understand how changes in the tree community affect the habitat and conservation value of forests, as well as the relationship between species, species’ traits and habitat quality. In this way, I hope to gain some further insight into how the ongoing rapid changes in forest cover and forest communities will affect the ability of forests to provide habitat and act as biodiversity reservoirs.
Citations
1. Global Forest Watch. Tree Cover Loss (2015). Available at: www.globalforestwatch.org.
2. FAO. The global forest resources assessment. FAO For. 44 (2015).
3. Bekele, F. L. The History of Cocoa Production in Trinidad and Tobago. Proc. APASTT Semin. 4–12 (2004).
4. Dornelas, M. et al. BioTIME: A database of biodiversity time series for the anthropocene. Glob. Ecol. Biogeogr. 0, 1–26 (2018).
Field team: Dan Jaggernauth, Nicholas Manchouck, James Josaphat, Keshan Mahabir, Dr Amy Deacon, Dr Aidan Farrell, Dr Mark Hulme, Dr Alex Sansom, Ada Fontrodona Eslava, Linton Arneaud, Vicki Balfour, Shane Ballah