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Article: New conservation biology findings from Evergreen State College, State College published.
- Article from:
- Ecology, Environment & Conservation
- Article date:
- October 23, 2009
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 NewsRX. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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According to recent research published in the journal Conservation Biology, "Tropical pastures present multiple barriers to tree regeneration and restoration. Relict trees serve as ''regeneration foci'' because they ameliorate the soil microclimate and serve as safe spots for dispersers."
"Here, we describe another mechanism by which remnant trees may facilitate pasture regeneration: the presence of seed banks in the canopy soil that accumulates from decomposing epiphytes within the crowns of mature remnant trees in tropical cloud forest pastures. We compared seed banks of canopy soils (histosols derived from fallen leaves, fruits, flower, and twigs of host trees ...