Environmental, Campaign & Website News > How tree communities respond to distance to edges and canopy openness
Tropical forests frequently experience the opening and closing of canopy gaps as part of their natural dynamics. When an edge is created, and the area outside the boundary is a disturbed or unnatural system, forests can be seriously affected even at some distance from the fragmented edge, since sunlight and wind penetrate to a much greater extent. This increases tree mortality and, consequently, canopy openness close to the edge. Thus, canopy openness can be both part of a natural gap-dynamics cycle and the direct manifestation of human edge effects.
http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1207-edge_effects_costa_rica_tcs.html
How tree communities respond to distance to edges and canopy openness
Date : 6th December 2009, Source : MongabayTropical forests frequently experience the opening and closing of canopy gaps as part of their natural dynamics. When an edge is created, and the area outside the boundary is a disturbed or unnatural system, forests can be seriously affected even at some distance from the fragmented edge, since sunlight and wind penetrate to a much greater extent. This increases tree mortality and, consequently, canopy openness close to the edge. Thus, canopy openness can be both part of a natural gap-dynamics cycle and the direct manifestation of human edge effects.
http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1207-edge_effects_costa_rica_tcs.html
Document last updated on Tuesday 30 August 2011
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