ATBC 2003 LinksRegistration Special Symposium Conference Information | A range of symposia are being prepared for the meeting, some related to the theme of biotic interactions, some emphasising other topics of current interest and importance to tropical biology. Brief descriptions of each symposium can be found below, as well as contact details for the symposium organiser. A number of sessions will also be held for contributions (both oral and poster presentations), whose focus lies outside of this list of themes. The programme and the abstracts for the oral sessions is available as a zipped doc file and also as a pdf file. AbstractsBat-Plant Interactions A decade ago, when the IUCN Action Plan on Old World Fruit Bats was published, it called for research on the possible role of bats as keystone species in tropical forests. Since then many research projects have been initiated in both the Old and New Worlds on the role of bats as pollinators and seed dispersers. This coincides with an increased interest generally in evaluating the ecological services provided by bats. This symposium aims to review some of the current work on bat-plant interactions by selecting contributions from as broad a range of ecosystems as possible. Belowground Interactions in Tropical Vegetation In the last decade there has been growing recognition of the importance of below ground interactions between plants either directly in terms of competition for water or nutrients or indirectly through mycorrhizal and other associations. The importance of belowground interactions has been highlighted in a recent book by Wardle. This symposium will give speakers a chance to present new results which will illustrate that below-ground interactions in tropical vegetation are more important than previously thought, that effects become more significant over time and that many types of organisms are involved in these interactions. Biodiversity, Ecology and Land Use in the Brazilian Cerrado The cerrado of central Brazil harbours approximately 320.000 species of plants animals and microrganisms which corresponds roughly to 30% of all Brazilian biota. Within the Cerrado biome over 6,000 vascular plant species have been identified, and some of these species present different potential uses, such as: food for human consumption, forage, ornamental plants, oils and fats, timber, phytochemicals, among others. The great spatial variation in woody plant density across the Cerrado landscape results in a complex pattern of resource availability, which changes both horizontally across the landscape and vertically within each vegetation type. Plants exhibit an array of physiological and morphological mechanisms to cope with rainfall seasonality and recurrent fires. Considering the vertebrate fauna, the Cerrado bears more than 800 species of birds, at least 212 mammal species, 177 species of reptiles and the lists are still growing as we sample unexplored areas. In spite of the high levels of endemicity that may reach 50% for vascular plants, the cerrado vertebrate fauna shares many species with neighboring biomes and, endemicity tends to be considerably lower: 4% for birds, 9% for mammals and 25% for lizards. As other megadiversity countries, Brazil is going through rapid environmental changes and facing severe socio-economic problems that make it very difficult to develop the conservation programs needed to protect its biological diversity. Nowadays the Cerrado is the most important agricultural frontier to be explored and at least 50 species of Cerrado reptiles, birds and mammals are threatened with extinction. The perception of abundant land has driven most of the land use changes in the Cerrado in the last 40 years. Policies were often formulated with little attention to their implications for Cerrado land-use. As a result they encouraged inefficient forms of development and caused social conflict. Although the extent of environmental modification and land degradation are less well documented than the economical transformation, it is clear that the net impact has been negative. Biotic Interactions in Dipterocarp Forest Regeneration Dipterocarps are the ecologically dominant trees of south East Asia, where they also form the basis of the timber industry. Outside of fully-protected reserves, the presence of a viable and sustainable logging industry is vital if these forests are to avoid wholesale conversion to plantations, and for this, the maintenance of high dipterocarp densities is a prerequisite. This symposium will present results from recent studies of the impact of soils, nutrient cycling, mycorrhizas, pollinators, pathogens and herbivores on dipterocarp seed production and seedling establishment. Much of this research has centred on a large-scale reciprocal transplant of dipterocarp seedlings between contrasting soil types at Sepilok Forest Reserve in Sabah, although research from other lowland dipterocarp forest sites will also be discussed. Ecological Consequences of Variation in Seed Size in Tropical Forests Seed size plays a critically important role in determining dispersal success, seed germination characteristics, and seedling establishment requirements. Wide variation in seed size and morphology among tropical forest plants indicates that the advantages and disadvantages associated with particular seed characteristics may be balanced by a series of trade-offs. The mechanistic basis by which these trade-offs operate, however, is poorly understood. The objective of this symposium is to identify potential trade-offs and to highlight how variation in seed size within and among species influences recruitment success. Element Cycling in Tropical Ecosystems The processes by which elements are cycled through the atmosphere, biosphere and soils are fundamental for ecosystem functioning. These processes also have feedbacks on the global climate system. Tropical ecosystems have a wide range of abiotic controls on ecosystem processes such as soil parent material, soil ages or weathering states, and climatic variation. In addition, many tropical ecosystems stand out among other biomes in their great biodiversity. Researchers are just beginning to appreciate the potential role of biotic interactions in maintaining nutrient and element cycles. This symposium will highlight recent and ongoing studies of element cycles in tropical ecosystems. Our Symposium will stress the following themes: element cycle-fauna interactions, species diversity and ecosystem processes, element cycles and global change, and plant-soil interactions (e.g. soil fertility and plant species distributions). Emerging Threats To Tropical Forests Tropical forests and their biotas are being subjected to myriad threats and environmental alterations, many of which are either relatively new or poorly understood. Moreover, some of these environmental changes may interact additively or synergistically, posing even greater threats to tropical ecosystems. This symposium will bring together leading and up-and-coming researchers involved in cutting-edge studies of emerging threats to tropical forests. The unifying focus of the symposium is on identifying threatening processes or synergisms that are either new, poorly understood, or under-appreciated. Possible examples include interactions among fire, forest fragmentation and regional desiccation; synergisms between logging and hunting; large-scale edge effects; impacts of exotic diseases on tropical biotas; and the effects of global climate change on tropical ecosystems. Epiphytes as Indicators of Climate Change Epiphytes represent a considerable proportion of living biomass in tropical forests, with many cloudforest habitats under threat from a changing climate. Displaying a diverse array of morphological and physiological adaptations to temporary water deficits, and dependent on the extent of any dry season, epiphyte distribution within the forest canopy is also stratified and related to exposure. This symposium will discuss the environmental constraints to epiphyte habitat preference and determinants of individual niches, as well as exploring the potential for epiphytes to act as markers of climate change, with stable isotope signals representing past and present climates, and allowing future trajectories to be monitored. Thus, whether anthropogenically induced effects are due locally to deforestation, or are coupled globally, epiphytes provide a dynamic system to monitor climate change. Evidence-based Forest Management in Tropical South America The tropical forests of South America are the largest and most diverse area of continuous forest remaining on the planet. They are decreasing in size and integrity at an alarming rate. Many of the key countries involved are becoming more proactive in controlling forest management activities, and are in a position to use knowledge and understanding of forest and management processes to improve tropical forest management. Tools, approaches and knowledge of the impacts of alternative management scenarios are generally lacking for South American forests, leaving regulators and managers with little ability to control impact. This special symposium will draw together the application of tools and approaches for increased knowledge of the effects of management on tropical forests in South America. Presentations will be followed by a targeted discussion of "knowledge application - how to use knowledge more in forest policy and planning, and what knowledge and commitment is required?" Evolutionary Ecology of Pollination in the Tropics Pollination relationships between plants and animals formed a critical part of the evidence Charles Darwin assembled to support his hypothesis of evolution by means of natural selection, and pollination has formed a productive arena of evolutionary research ever since. Studies of tropical pollination have contributed disproportionately to our understanding of the diversity of mutualistic relationships and the evolution of extreme specialization. Studies of tropical pollination are today yielding new insights into evolutionary and ecological mechanisms, while at the same time raising concerns about the long-term viability of fragmented tropical ecosystems. This symposium brings together a mix of young and established researchers from a variety of tropical and extra-tropical countries to present results of their most recent research at the interface of evolution and ecology of tropical pollination. Functional Groups Among Tropical Trees Diversity among tree species in tropical forest is so high that it complicates the analysis of forest structure and dynamics, for example when comparing forests in different areas. Grouping of tree species according to their ecology has been done in different ways in order to fulfil various different objectives. However, when comparing these groupings there seem to be several ideas in common: 1. relationships based on ecological traits and 2. relationships based on forest dynamics. The second of these methods of grouping species reflects the dynamic behaviour of trees in the forest. The objective of this symposium is to present and discuss different ways in which trees are grouped according to their ecological behaviour, in order to stimulate generalizing theory. A structural comparison of functional groupings and the criteria for grouping can help us to get a better idea of what characterizes "a tree" and its behaviour in the forest, and which selection pressures have helped to shape the tree. Moreover, the understanding of tree behaviour in the forest and grouping of species according to criteria related with management has the potential to improve silvicultural practices. Networks in Tropical Ecology Tropical ecologists are working together as never before. Two factors are driving this trend. First, the realisation that ecosystems everywhere are affected and threatened by a daunting array of anthropogenic changes, including land-use changes, and shifts in the physical (e.g. climate change), chemical (e.g. nutrient deposition), and biological (e.g. defaunation) environment. Many of these changes are truly global in nature, so detecting and understanding their impacts demands that we shift our traditional site-centred perspective and collaborate across continents. Second, improved communications are enabling us to work together in ways impossible even ten years ago. For the first time, we can bring our combined efforts to bear on the big, "old" questions that have long fascinated tropical ecologists - Where is diversity concentrated ? What processes allow species to co-exist ? To what extent are tropical ecosystems expressions of random processes, and to what extent are they determined by environment ? The symposium will highlight some of the exciting results now emerging from the new networks of tropical ecologists, and to encourage reflection on how we can improve our efforts to tackle the big science questions, both old and new. Specifically, speakers will consider:
Positive and Negative Interactions between Introduced and Native Species on the Mascarene Archipelago The Mascarene archipelago comprises the volcanic islands of Mauritius, Rodrigues and Reunion located to the east of Madagascar. The three islands have very high levels of endemicity, for example 72% of the 955 taxa of flowering plant on the archipelago are endemic, with many of the taxa restricted to a single island. As a result the area is part of the Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands hotspot. Ever since the colonization of these islands, the unique biodiversity has been affected by extinctions. The main agents being overexploitation, habitat destruction and invasion by alien species. Islands are very susceptible to invasions by alien species and the impact of mammalian predators and plants on the native taxa of the Mascarenes is extremely serious. Evidence for the negative impact of introduced species comes from studies of changes in biological diversity, ecosystem function, community structure, population ecology of individual species, pollination ecology and interactions at the individual level between introduced and native species. However, interactions between invasive and native need not always be negative, especially in communities where the area of native forest is so limited. Examples include the use of plantation species by bats and passerines. In addition, alien species may also be of use in the restoration of habitats, either in terms of large scale habitat manipulation, or as analogue species to replace the exterminated grazing guild. This symposium will concentrate on both the positive and negative effects of introduced species on the native taxa of the Mascarenes. Rehabilitation of Degraded Tropical Lands Most tropical forest landscapes have been altered in the last few decades by deforestation and forest degradation. The extent of forest degradation in the tropics is vast: some 350 million hectares of tropical forest land have been so severely damaged that forests would not regenerate spontaneously. Many areas in the tropics that were deforested have been subsequently used for cultivation of agricultural crops. However, large areas of agricultural land have been now abandoned, which provides an opportunity for rehabilitation to restore the land to its former productive state. There is an intimate connection between the land and its people. When the land suffers from excessive degradation, often, so do the social and economic conditions of the people who extract resources from it. Among the challenges for research on rehabilitation of degraded lands is the need to develop guidelines for successful reintroduction of plants and the need to change human behaviour. This symposium will present results of recent research carried out on forest restoration, secondary forest management and the rehabilitation of degraded forest lands in the tropics, with a focus on South Asian case studies. Resource Partitioning in Animals This symposium will examine the mechanisms determining patterns of species' distribution and relative abundance in tropical forests. It will focus on animals (particularly insects) and will include consideration of both biotic and abiotic factors. It will consider how resources are partitioned from individual-based through to community-based perspectives and will address the following questions: What are patterns of species relative abundance within communities? How and why do species' distributions and abundances vary through time and space? How do patterns of larval host plant specificity vary within assemblages, and do these affect species' distribution and abundance? How do individuals allocate resources to reproduction and dispersal, and how do patterns of resource allocation vary in relation to availability of adult versus larval resources. What are impacts of resource partitioning for species' sensitivity to habitat disturbance? Secondary Forests and Restoration Ecology The rapid increase in extent of secondary forests in tropical regions has been recognized as an important issue and has attracted numerous research activities. The composition of secondary forests has been studied in several tropical regions of the world. While possible pathways of secondary forest development have been described in successional studies, there exist big gaps in our understanding of processes and mechanisms underlying such pathways. Tropical secondary forests are highly dynamic systems, characterized by rapid temporal and spatial changes in structure and composition. For humid tropical areas, we know that the canopy of its initial stages is usually formed by short-lived pioneer species, while the longer-lived later successional and primary species emerge from the understorey where they have to endure fierce competition with pioneer species and herbal vegetation. For dry tropical areas, however, it is yet not clear whether this kind of succession process operates. Also, while studies on secondary forest succession have been more concerned with trees and shrubs, other plant life growth forms haves been overlooked. An example are lianas, which may gain dominance in secondary forests, sometimes hampering development of tree vegetation for long periods. Finally, the role played by different regenerative sources (seed bank, seed rain, root/stem/branch meristems), different functional, demographic and community mechanisms, and different land management in the dynamics of secondary forest needs further attention. Understanding secondary forest development and the major processes involved will enable a better and more rationale use of these forests in the future. Also such basic knowledge has paramount importance for restoration issues. Restoration of increasing areas of degraded lands towards forests is of high importance for sustainable landscape management in tropical countries. In this symposium we will bring together specialists in this field from different continents. Together they are expected to give a comprehensive overview, exemplified by ongoing and novel research, of developed ecological knowledge in secondary forests and how this can be used for restoration activities. Many people in tropical countries depend on secondary forests and restoration is therefore of paramount importance from a social and biological perspective. Systematics, Ecology and Management of Tropical Forests: A Memorial Symposium for Tim Whitmore Tim Whitmore's influence in tropical biology is immense. There are few, if any, attending this meeting who will not have read some of Whitmore's writings, and many at the meeting who knew or were taught by him. His role in Southeast Asian forest botany is especially important, and his 'Tropical Rain Forests of the Far East' remains a classic introduction to and detailed summary of rain forest biology. His untimely death in 2002 touched many who will be at the meeting. A memorial edition of the journal Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics is in production, but this symposium dedicated to Whitmore's contributions to tropical biology will allow participation by many more people. The symposium will include both scientists who knew Whitmore from his early days at Cambridge and younger researchers whose work he has influenced. The topics of the contributors will be wide-ranging, from plant systematics to paleobotany and biogeography, through forest ecology to conservation, reflecting Whitmore's many interests. The talks will present new research or synthesis with an explicit or implicit link to Whitmore's own work. Tropical Bamboos: Interactions with Other Organisms A multidisciplinary look at bamboos: systematics and distribution of bamboo taxa, the uniqueness of vertebrate and invertebrate faunas associated with bamboo, and how these faunas might affect bamboo performance; mechanisms (and their physiological underpinnings) by which bamboo clones spread into surrounding forests; potential effects of global climate change on the spread of bamboo and import for carbon sequestration; the fire cycle hypothesis for masting in bamboo, and its implications for bamboo interactions with forests; propagation, use and over-exploitation of bamboo by indigenous and modern human societies, and the utility of bamboo in reclaiming disturbed habitats. Tropical Forest Canopy Processes The canopies of tropical forests play important roles in ecosystem functions. Forest canopies are biologically significant as the main location for carbon assimilation and reproduction for many plant species. Because of this, there are substantial communities of animals, including herbivores and pollinators, that maintain functional integrity of forests. As the primary interface between forest and atmosphere, canopies also have a crucial biophysical role in the exchange of gases, including carbon dioxide and water vapour. The session will reflect advances in several aspects of canopy process that relate to forest function. Papers will emphasise the progress being made in canopy research now that many access and technological problems have been solved. Tropical Insects: Interactions With Host Plants and Natural Enemies Tropical insect herbivores, their host plants, predators and parasitoids collectively account for the vast majority of the earth's species. As the process of cataloguing these species continues, this symposium brings together ecologists studying the ecological interactions underlying and structuring this enormous diversity. How do plant characteristics affect insect communities at higher trophic levels, and vice versa? How do trophic interactions among species vary in space and time? These and other questions will be addressed by active field researchers studying trophic interactions among tropical plants, insect herbivores, and their natural enemies in a variety of tropical countries. Why are There so Many Kinds of Tropical Plants ? - an Historical Perspective While the maintenance of the high species richness characteristic of tropical forests continues to receive ample attention, and is in fact the focus of the 2003 Special Symposium of the BES and ATB, the origin and historical development of this diversity remains elusive. For decades, ecologists have dissected tropical forest communities, with little understanding of the role of history in community assembly. Owing to recent advances in genetic and analytic techniques, and to a growing number of investigators in the field, we are at the cusp of important advances in our understanding of historical biogeography and speciation in tropical forests, particularly in plants. Questions regarding the origin and historical assemblage of tropical plant communities are currently being addressed using genetic, ecological, and paleobotanical approaches. Advanced molecular techniques are being applied in phylogeographic studies of tropical plant groups to reveal broad biogeographic patterns and provide insight into life history correlates of diversification. Ecological studies are detailing mechanisms underlying tropical plant diversification, including coevolution, hybridization, and reinforcement. Finally, paleobotanists are using the fossil record to reconstruct historical shifts in tropical climates and forest communities, from which information on origins and historical biogeography of individual species may be derived. Our symposium on historical biogeography and speciation in tropical plants will amass researchers from a broad scope of institutions and disciplines, whose collective studies represent a wide range of both Neo- and Paleotropical taxa. |