Canopy invertebrate responses to Hurricane Hugo

We study long-term responses of insects and other arthropods to various disturbances and environmental changes, as well as important roles in ecosystem processes. Five tree species in 1991, six during 1992-1995, and seven since 1997 were selected to represent early and late successional forests at El Verde. These trees were sampled in both gap and non-gap plots resulting from Hurricane Hugo.  During the past 27 years, these plots have been subjected to multiple disturbances, including Hurricane Georges in 1998 and major droughts in 1994, 1997 and 2002, in addition to several minor hurricanes and droughts.  Each of these disturbances has influenced the arthropod community.  This project is ongoing.

本研究旨在探究昆虫及其他节肢动物（arthropods）对各类干扰与环境变化的长期响应，及其在生态系统过程中的核心功能。1991年，研究团队选取5个树种；1992-1995年选取6个树种；1997年起增至7个，以表征埃尔韦尔德（El Verde）地区的早期与晚期演替森林。所有树种均被设置于飓风雨果（Hurricane Hugo）造成的林隙与非林隙样地中并完成采样。过往27年间，该样地历经多重干扰：除若干小型飓风与干旱事件外，还包括1998年的飓风乔治（Hurricane Georges），以及1994、1997与2002年的严重干旱。每一次干扰均对当地节肢动物群落产生了影响。本项目目前仍在持续进行中。