9801320 Terborgh and Asquith This work focuses on the question of why tropical forests support an extraordinary level of species diversity and the factors that reduce diversity following disturbance. The approach is to combine both monitoring and manipulations in forest fragments in Panama that have been isolated for over 85 years. These forest patches were created in 1912 as a byproduct of the construction of the Panama Canal. Such forest fragments have been shown to have suffered forest tree species loss. Comparison of species diversity in forest fragments with nearby intact forests will provide an indication of the extent of tree species loss during this period of time and manipulative experiments will provide evidence for mechanisms driving this loss of diversity. Specifically, rates of germination, seed predation, seedling herbivory and survivorship will be measured in forests with different mammal communities and other experiments will focus on effects of soil moisture on seedling survival. These experiments will provide insights into the mechanisms that drive loss of biodiversity in disturbed tropical forests.
