Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available

Floristics: No Data Available

Dynamics:  Diversity of above-ground plant functional groups (species that share morphological, chemical, structural or life history characteristics) determines the role of biodiversity in ecosystem functioning such as nutrient cycling, forest regeneration and successional patterns. Diversity of animal functional groups determines a number of key ecological processes such as trophic structure, nutrient cycling, and the system''s resilience to disturbance. Community composition/diversity /structure affects species diversity and several ecosystem-level processes. Gap dynamics provide light, the major environmental limiting factor to plant growth in the closed-canopy humid tropical forest, and maintains the forest in shifting mosaic steady state.

Biotic interactions: pollination (bees, butterflies, beetles, moths, bats, and hummingbirds) is important for reproductive success and pollinators influence the frequency and distribution pattern of plant species; seed dispersal is executed by fruit-eating birds, mammals and ants, is important for reproductive success, and seed dispersal agents affect food webs in tropical forests by making available reproductive resources to other consumers and influencing the frequency and distribution pattern of plant species, especially woody species; seed predation is important for reproductive success and seed predation affects population recruitment and establishment of diverse plant species (e.g., palms and legumes). Seed predators occasionally act as dispersers. Seed predation is a specialized form of herbivory. Vertebrates involved are often objects of hunting by humans. Herbivores, including insects, parasitic fungi, and vertebrates, affect vigor and mortality of plants of all sizes, especially understory seedlings, and influences food chain and species composition of understory. The presence of top predators controls the populations of small mammals and herbivores. Species diversity and composition of soil biota, e.g., mycorrhizae, fungi, microbes, soil mesofauna such as leaf-cutter ants, termites, nematodes, collembola, dung beetles, etc., are fundamental for nutrient cycling and soil structure.

Disturbance regimes from catastrophic natural causes, e.g., hurricanes, rare catastrophic floods, or multiple landslides, or volcanism, or earthquakes, rare extreme cold fronts, rare extreme droughts, are rare events that can be very important for ecological dynamics. Create canopy gaps of great size allowing pioneer species to colonize and initiate successional processes, e.g., hurricanes play a major role in landscape-scale dynamics of forests on Caribbean islands. Fire due to dry spell or prolonged dry seasons or human activities: Certain species might be maintained because of this big, very rare catastrophic event. For example, mahogany thrives on fire outbreaks. Background disturbances, such as small gaps, small landslides, downbursts, normal cold fronts, and normal seasonal precipitation variability. Important for creating and maintaining habitat heterogeneity and species and structural diversity, preventing competitive exclusion. Drives regeneration.

Spatial integration and coverage (e.g., connectivity by riparian habitats) allowing migration of animals and plants outside of lowland forest: Allow to define at landscape level integrity of ecosystem. Allow to assess the extent of potential for species extinction. Spatial integration important for species to maintain contact with all habitats required for life cycles.

Biogeochemical dynamics (referring to regional and global processes such as global warming, ozone depletion, CO2 concentration, atmospheric and soil pollution, etc.): Affects basic ecosystem functioning at both global and local levels. Soil type or fertility: Affects forest primary productivity and species richness. Soil type is also relevant to tree mortality rate, treefall frequency, forest regeneration mode, and stand turnover time (Hartshorn 1990).