PARENT SESSION
Organized Oral Session 4: Tropical cyclone disturbance and forest dynamics at multiple temporal scales: results from long-term studies in the new and old worlds
Organizer(s): T Lin, H King, and SP Hamburg
Monday, August 8, 8:00 AM - 11:30 AM, Meeting Room 511 B, Level 5, Palais des congrès de Montréal

Forest canopy arthropod responses to cyclone disturbance in Taiwan and Puerto Rico.

Schowalter, Timothy^*,1, Wu, Wen-Jer², Luh, Hang-Kwang³, Chao, Jung-Tai⁴, ¹ Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA² National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan³ Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA⁴ Taiwan Forestry Research Institute, Taipei, Taiwan

ABSTRACT- Canopy arthropod abundances were compared between tropical cyclone-induced gaps and non-gaps in wet forests at Fu-shan, Taiwan, and El Verde Field Station, Puerto Rico. Both sites are participants in the International Long Term Ecological Research (ILTER) Program. At each site, representative tree species were sampled in replicate, paired, intact forest and 30-50 m diameter gaps resulting from cyclone disturbance. A long-handled insect net was used to collect a branch from each sampled tree in a plastic bag. Arthropods were sorted and tabulated by taxon. Arthropod numbers were divided by dry weight of plant material to standardize abundances and combined by family or functional group for comparison between sites. Arthropods on related tree species (e.g., Blastus in Taiwan, Miconia in Puerto Rico, both Melastomataceae) or canopy dominants (e.g., Castanopsis in Taiwan and Dacryodes in Puerto Rico) showed similar responses to this canopy-opening disturbance.

Key words: hurricane, typhoon, tropical, LTER