Dry seasonal tropical forests have received less attention than tropical rainforests, but they have been destroyed at a greater rate. Less than 10% of the Mesoamerican seasonal tropical forest remains, so restoration must supplement conservation for the protection of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Forest restoration experiments will be conducted at two seasonal tropical sites in Mexico, the Chamela Ecological Reserve and the El Eden Ecological Reserve, to determine the importance of mycorrhizae for successful restoration. Native trees inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi will be planted in disturbed sites at both Reserves. Many types of disturbance deplete the soil of nutrients and mycorrhizal inoculum, and mycorrhizae are more beneficial in soils that are low in available nutrients. Inoculating trees with mycorrhizae will have a greater impact at the El Eden Reserve where soils are poorer in phosphorus. The principal investigators will use tree species that provide local people with food, forage and fiber. The experiments will provide new information on how to reestablish forests that have been devastated by conversion to pasture and by wildfire. In addition, the investigators will study tree growth and forest succession, both of which are little understood for these forests.
