Ecology and Conservation of Neotropical Montane Oak Forests (Ecological Studies Book 185)

From the reviews: "This volume is a highly valuable, almost complete contribution to the study of these widespread oak mountain ecosystems. ... The present volume synthesises an impressive amount of data and information in many ways. It provides a very sound basis for future research ... . In general, it is a remarkable volume of the ‘Ecological Studies’ series, which would deserve a wider distribution." (Siegmar-W. Breckle, Phytocoenologia, Vol. 37 (2), 2007) "This book summarizes current knowledge about neotropical montane oak ecosystems. ... This book will be great value to managers, researchers, teachers, and students who work in the Americas neotropical montane region. It also will be valuable to ecologists, forest managers, and researchers throughout the world ... ." (Brain Roy Lockhart, Mountain Research & Development, Vol. 27 (3), 2007) Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Global and Neotropical Distribution and Diversity of Oak (genus Quercus ) and Oak Forests....Pages 3-13 Front Matter....Pages 15-15 Immigration of Oak into Northern South America: a Paleo-Ecological Document....Pages 17-28 Effects of the Younger Dryas Cooling Event on Late Quaternary Montane Oak Forest in Costa Rica....Pages 29-37 Altitudinal Zonation of Montane Oak Forests Along Climate and Soil Gradients in Costa Rica....Pages 39-54 Saprotrophic and Ectomycorrhizal Macrofungi of Costa Rican Oak Forests....Pages 55-68 Diversity and Biogeography of Lichens in Neotropical Montane Oak Forests....Pages 69-81 Epiphytic Communities of Bryophytes and Macrolichens in a Costa Rican Montane Oak Forest....Pages 83-98 Front Matter....Pages 99-99 Composition and Structure of Humid Montane Oak Forests at Different Sites in Central and Eastern Mexico....Pages 101-112 Oak Forests of the Hyper-Humid Region of La Chinantla, Northern Oaxaca Range, Mexico....Pages 113-125 Structure and Composition of Costa Rican Montane Oak Forests....Pages 127-139 Structure and Composition of Colombian Montane Oak Forests....Pages 141-151 Front Matter....Pages 153-153 Regeneration and Population Dynamics of Quercus rugosa at the Ajusco Volcano, Mexico....Pages 155-163 Ecology of Acorn Dispersal by Small Mammals in Montane Forests of Chiapas, Mexico....Pages 165-176 Establishment, Survival and Growth of Tree Seedlings Under Successional Montane Oak Forests in Chiapas, Mexico....Pages 177-189 Population Structures of Two Understory Plant Species Along an Altitudinal Gradient in Costa Rican Montane Oak Forests....Pages 191-206 Front Matter....Pages 207-207 Secondary Succession in Montane Pine-Oak Forests of Chiapas, Mexico....Pages 209-221 Changes in Diversity and Structure Along a Successional Gradient in a Costa Rican Montane Oak Forest....Pages 223-233 Regeneration Dynamics in a Costa Rican Montane Oak Forest After Reduced-Impact Logging....Pages 235-243 Growth and Physiological Responses of Oak, Pine and Shrub Seedlings to Edge Gradients in a Fragmented Mexican Montane Oak Forest....Pages 245-257 Morphological Variations of Gall-Forming Insects on Different Species of Oaks ( Quercus ) in Mexico....Pages 259-269 Front Matter....Pages 207-207 Above-Ground Water and Nutrient Fluxes in Three Successional Stages of Costa Rican Montane Oak Forest with Contrasting Epiphyte Abundance....Pages 271-282 Changes in Fine Root System Size and Structure During Secondary Succession in a Costa Rican Montane Oak Forest....Pages 283-297 Soil Seed Bank Changes Along a Forest Interior-Edge-Pasture Gradient in a Costa Rican Montane Oak Forest....Pages 299-308 Frugivorous Birds, Habitat Preference and Seed Dispersal in a Fragmented Costa Rican Montane Oak Forest Landscape....Pages 309-324 Diet and Habitat Preference of the Resplendent Quetzal ( Pharomachrus mocinno costaricensis ) in Costa Rican Montane Oak Forest....Pages 325-336 Small Terrestrial Rodents in Disturbed and Old-Growth Montane Oak Forest in Costa Rica....Pages 337-345 Habitat Preference, Feeding Habits and Conservation of Baird’s Tapir in Neotropical Montane Oak Forests....Pages 347-359 Front Matter....Pages 361-361 Dynamics and Silviculture of Montane Mixed Oak Forests in Western Mexico....Pages 363-374 Vascular Epiphytes and Their Potential as a Conservation Tool in Pine-Oak Forests of Chiapas, Mexico....Pages 375-391 Land Use, Ethnobotany and Conservation in Costa Rican Montane Oak Forests....Pages 393-406 Charcoal Production in a Costa Rican Montane Oak Forest....Pages 407-419 Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Management of Central American Montane Oak Forests....Pages 421-434 Economic Valuation of Water Supply as a Key Environmental Service Provided by Montane Oak Forest Watershed Areas in Costa Rica....Pages 435-446 Front Matter....Pages 447-447 Neotropical Montane Oak Forests: Overview and Outlook....Pages 449-467 Annotation This comprehensive synthesis systematically covers the entire range of natural and managed oak forests in the highlands of tropical America. Originally, these forests were widely distributed, but largely through human impact large parts have disappeared and the remaining patches are under increasing threat. For the first time, aspects as diverse as the paleo-ecology, biogeography, stand structure and composition, biodiversity, population dynamics, ecosystem dynamics, fragmentation and recovery, conservation and sustainable use of Neotropical montane oak forests are treated in a coherent manner. Providing a thorough understanding of ecological patterns and processes that determine the structure and functioning of these magnificent forests, this volume can serve as a sound basis for sustainable forest management and biodiversity conservation in general