Tropical Forest Community Ecology

Table 7.1

The locations and site descriptions for the large tropical forest

dynamics plots belonging to the Center for Tropical Forest

Science (CTFS) network.

Center forTropical ForestScience program

Collaboratinginstitutions

Year initiatedand censusescompleted

Plot size Altitude

Annual rainfall,and durationof dry season

No. of speciesand trees

LatinAmericaBarro Colorado IslandNature Monument,Panama

CTFS/SmithsonianTropical ResearchInstitute (STRI),University of Georgia(USA)

1980;5th census: 20006th census: ongoing

50 ha

120–160 m

2551 mm3 months

300 spp.213,800 trees

Luquillo ExperimentalForest, Puerto Rico

University of Puerto Rico(USA), US ForestService, STRI

1990;3rd census: 2001

16 ha

333–428 m

3548 mm0 months

138 spp.67,100 trees

Yasuní National Park,Ecuador

Pontificia UniversidadCatólica del Ecuador,University of Aarhus(Denmark), STRI

1995;2nd census: 2003

50 ha

215–245 m

3081 mm0 months

1104 spp.152,400 trees(25 ha)

La Planada NatureReserve, Colombia

Instituto de Investigaciónde Recursos Biológicos“Alexander vonHumboldt”, STRI

1997;2nd census: 2002

25 ha

1796–1891 m

4087 mm0 months

228 spp.115,100 trees

Biological Dynamics ofForest Fragments,Manaus, Brazil

Brazilian Institute forResearch in the Amazon(INPA)

Future site;census: ongoing

50 ha

40–80 m

2600 mm5 months

• 
  

AsiaPasoh Forest Reserve,Peninsular Malaysia

Forest Research InstituteMalaysia, NationalInstitute of EnvironmentalStudies (Japan), HarvardUniversity (USA), STRI

1986;4th census: 20015th census: ongoing

50 ha

70–90 m

1788 mm1 month

814 spp.335,400 trees

Mudumalai WildlifeSanctuary, India

Center for EcologicalSciences of the IndianInstitute of Science, STRI

1988;5th census: 2004

50 ha

980–1120 m

1250 mm6 months

71 spp.18,000 trees