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. 2004 Apr 20;101(16):6045-9.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.0401456101. Epub 2004 Apr 5.

Long-term impacts of logging on forest diversity in Madagascar

Kerry A Brown  1 , Jessica Gurevitch
Affiliations

Long-term impacts of logging on forest diversity in Madagascar

Kerry A Brown et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. .

Abstract

Ecological perturbations can either be necessary for maintaining tropical forest diversity or responsible for its decline, depending on the scale, nature, and frequency of the disturbance. Anthropogenic disturbances such as logging and subsistence agriculture may promote the establishment of nonnative, invasive plant species, potentially affecting forest structure and diversity even long after the perturbation has ceased. We investigated the impacts of logging 50 and 150 years ago on tropical forest vegetation in Madagascar, a "hotspot" of biodiversity. Logging was the overriding factor influencing establishment of nonnative plants. Sites once logged never recovered native species diversity because of the dominance and persistence of invasive species.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Species accumulation curves for stands that were never logged, a cyclone-damaged site, 50-year-old logged stands, and 150-year-old logged stands. The graph shows estimated true species richness (Smax) for each stand type. Data are means for one 900-m2 plot in montane rainforests in Ranomafama National Park.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Species–individual relationships for the same forest stands shown in Fig. 1.
Fig. 3.
Fig. 3.
Size distribution for representative stands from each logging classification. (A) A site (stand 2) logged 50 ya. (B) A site (stand 4) logged 150 ya. (C) A site (stand 6) never logged but cyclone-damaged. (D) A site (stand B) never logged. The size classes are based on DBH measurements up to 60 cm.
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