原始森林对于维持热带生物多样性是不可替代的
Luke Gibson1, Tien Ming Lee, Lian Pin Koh
1Department of Biological Sciences, National University of Singapore, 14 Science Drive 4, Singapore 117543, Singapore. lggibson@nus.edu.sg
Nature
|September 16, 2011
概括
人类土地利用的变化严重影响了热带森林的生物多样性. 原始森林对于保护物种多样性至关重要,因为退化森林的生物多样性值明显较低.
科学领域:
- 生态生态学 生态生态学
- 保护生物学 保护生物学
- 环境科学 环境科学
背景情况:
- 人类驱动的土地利用变化,包括森林砍伐和退化,对全球生物多样性构成重大威胁.
- 热带森林是物种多样性的热点,特别容易受到农业扩张,伐木和火灾的影响.
- 退化,二级和种植园森林的日益普遍存在,引发了人们对它们支持生物多样性的能力的担忧.
研究的目的:
- 对干扰和土地转型对热带森林生物多样性的影响进行全球评估.
- 利用元分析方法分析各种形式的森林退化对物种多样性的影响.
- 确定原始森林是否不可替代,以维持热带生物多样性.
主要方法:
- 进行了对138项研究的元分析,包括2220项对对比.
- 在初级森林 (最少受到干扰) 中的生物多样性值与各种类型的受干扰森林中的生物多样性值进行了比较.
- 统计分析考虑了潜在的混因素,如息地组成,隔离和扰乱后的时间.
主要成果:
- 与原始森林相比,退化热带森林的生物多样性值明显低于原始森林.
- 生物多样性丧失的程度在不同地理区域,分类群体,生态指标和干扰类型之间有很大差异.
- 即使控制了混因素,大多数形式的森林退化都对热带生物多样性产生了不利影响.
结论:
- 原始森林对于保持热带生物多样性至关重要和不可替代.
- 森林退化,包括伐木和火灾,导致生物多样性显著丧失.
- 保护工作应优先考虑保护和恢复初级热带雨林.
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