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OOS-22:
Comparative ecology of tropical trees: Linking physiology to dynamics and
distribution
Endorsed
by the Center for Tropical Forest Science (CTFS) at the Smithsonian Tropical
Research Institute
Tuesday,
August 9, 1:30 PM - 5 PM, Meeting Rooms 511b and 511e, Level 5, Palais
des congrès de Montréal
Organizers:
Sean Thomas (sc.thomas@utoronto.ca),
Kyle Harms
Description:
Contrary
to the assumptions of “neutral” community models, there is now strong
evidence that tropical trees commonly show pronounced differences in
shade-tolerance, size, and other “niche” attributes. For example, large plot
studies coordinated by the Smithsonian’s Center for Tropical Forest Science (CTFS)
indicate that approximately 40 to 60% of trees are strongly associated with
specific soil types in tropical forests. This session brings together scientists
engaged comparative studies that address the underlying functional traits and
physiological mechanisms responsible for such non-random patterns. The talks
encompass both a range of functional traits (photosynthetic gas-exchange, water
relations, anatomy, allocation, and allometry), and population and
community-level characteristics (distributions along climatic and edaphic
gradients, spatial co-occurrence, and correlates of commonness and rarity). As a
whole, this session seeks, by example, to show how mechanistic studies yield
insights into larger-scale patterns, providing a synthetic alternative to
“neutral” tropical forests.
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