Dissertation Research: Island Biogeography Theory and Restoration: The Role of Tree Islands as Regeneration Foci in the Rehabilitation of Abandoned Pastures in Honduras.

University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL

Investigators

Abstract

0071811 Augspurger This project addresses aspects of island biogeography theory in relation to ecological restoration. The research will evaluate whether larger island size and/or shorter distance from seed source increase the rate of seed recruitment, seedling establishment, and subsequent island expansion of woody species in a "sea" of abandoned pasture. Artificial tree islands will be created by planting woody cuttings of two species (one that fixes nitrogen and one that does not fix nitrogen). The two species will be evaluated for their relative ability to serve as island "regeneration foci". In addition, to evaluate the efficacy of the two artificial island treatments on regeneration processes, comparisons will be made to three other habitats: open pasture, remnant islands, and secondary forest. This study will contribute a test of a theoretically based and possibly universally applicable model for accelerating succession in degraded pastures that have become widespread in tropical regions.