Riparian and upland understory vegetation lifeforms and leaf-litterfall ordination analyses in the Luquillo Forest Dynamics Plot

Riparian areas are proportionally a small component of the forested landscape, they are significant contributors to ecosystem process, terrestrial and aquatic linkages, plant community composition, as well to basal energy resources for aquatic fauna. We describe vegetation and leaf-litterfall composition in relation to past land use in riparian and upland locations in tropical wet forest, Luquillo Forest Dynamics Plot (LFDP), Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. Data collected from 2003 to 2005. Stratified sampling was conducted in riparian and upland areas of LFDP with high and low past land use. Understory vegetation life-form composition were sampled in plots. \ Support for this work was provided by grants BSR-8811902, DEB-9411973, DEB-9705814 , DEB-0080538, DEB-0218039 , DEB-0620910 , DEB-1239764, DEB-1546686, and DEB-1831952 from the National Science Foundation to the University of Puerto Rico as part of the Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research Program. Additional support provided by the University of Puerto Rico and the International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service.\

河岸带（Riparian areas）在森林景观中占比极小，却是生态过程、水陆连通性、植物群落组成以及水生动物基础能量来源的重要贡献者。本研究针对波多黎各卢奎约实验森林内的卢奎约森林动态样地（Luquillo Forest Dynamics Plot, LFDP）中的热带湿润森林河岸带与高地样点，分析了其植被与叶片凋落物组成与既往土地利用的关联。数据采集时间为2003年至2005年。研究针对LFDP内既往土地利用程度高低不同的河岸带与高地区域，采用分层抽样法开展调查。对样地内的林下植被生活型组成进行了抽样调查。本研究的资助来自美国国家科学基金会（National Science Foundation）拨付给波多黎各大学的多项拨款，具体编号包括BSR-8811902、DEB-9411973、DEB-9705814、DEB-0080538、DEB-0218039、DEB-0620910、DEB-1239764、DEB-1546686及DEB-1831952，属于卢奎约长期生态研究计划的一部分。额外资助来自波多黎各大学以及美国农业部林业局（USDA Forest Service）国际热带森林研究所。