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Forests and Their Canopies: Achievements and Horizons in Canopy Science

Nakamura A 1 , Kitching RL 2 , Cao M 1 , Creedy TJ 3 , Fayle TM 4 , Freiberg M 5 Show all authors , Hewitt CN 6 , Itioka T 7 , Koh LP 8 , Ma K 9 , Malhi Y 10 , Mitchell A 11 , Novotny V 12 , Ozanne CMP 13 , Song L 1 , Wang H 14 , Ashton LA 15

Affiliations 

  • 1 Key Laboratory of Tropical Forest Ecology, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Menglun, Mengla, Yunnan 666303, China
  • 2 Environmental Futures Research Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Brisbane, QLD 4111, Australia
  • 3 Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK; Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
  • 4 Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the University of South Bohemia, Branisovska 31, Ceske Budejovice 370 05, Czech Republic; Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, 88400 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
  • 5 Institute of Botany, University of Leipzig, Leipzig 04103, Germany
  • 6 Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YQ, UK
  • 7 Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
  • 8 University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, Australia
  • 9 State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
  • 10 University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QY, UK
  • 11 Global Canopy Programme, Oxford OX1 3HZ, UK
  • 12 Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences and the University of South Bohemia, Branisovska 31, Ceske Budejovice 370 05, Czech Republic
  • 13 University of Roehampton, London SW15 5PJ, UK
  • 14 College of Forestry, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
  • 15 Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK. Electronic address: l.ashton@nhm.ac.uk
Trends Ecol Evol, 2017 06;32(6):438-451.
PMID: 28359572 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2017.02.020

Abstract

Forest canopies are dynamic interfaces between organisms and atmosphere, providing buffered microclimates and complex microhabitats. Canopies form vertically stratified ecosystems interconnected with other strata. Some forest biodiversity patterns and food webs have been documented and measurements of ecophysiology and biogeochemical cycling have allowed analyses of large-scale transfer of CO2, water, and trace gases between forests and the atmosphere. However, many knowledge gaps remain. With global research networks and databases, and new technologies and infrastructure, we envisage rapid advances in our understanding of the mechanisms that drive the spatial and temporal dynamics of forests and their canopies. Such understanding is vital for the successful management and conservation of global forests and the ecosystem services they provide to the world.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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