Andy Jones: Projects
Completed Projects
- Intraspecific variation in drought responses of tropical tree seedlings - consequences for species distributions under climate change (Intraspec)
Phenotypic variation within species can significantly influence ecological dynamics and may affect species’ responses to climate change. In tropical forests, which are predicted to experience pronounced changes in rainfall patterns, the existence and extent of intraspecific variation in species’ environmental tolerances remain virtually unexplored. To further our understanding into the extent of intraspecific variation in tropical tree species’ responses to water availability and the underlying processes we employ an interdisciplinary approach, combining tools from classical quantitative genetics, plant physiology, and community ecology to assess intraspecific variation in a range of species, using a steep natural rainfall gradient in central Panama as a model system.
at Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
[Details] - RAPID: The effect of an extreme El Nino event on tropical forest seedling regeneration (RAPID)
Tropical forests are among the most diverse terrestrial ecosystems and they play a vital role in the global carbon and water cycle. How tropical forest species and communities will respond to global climate change remains a great source of uncertainty. Over much of the moist and wet tropics, anomalous yet periodic El Niño Southern Oscillation events are associated with reduced cloud cover, decreased rainfall, and severe drought. The seedling stage is a critical stage in the population dynamics and regeneration of trees, and is most sensitive to drought. We study the effects of one of the strongest El Niño events on record on tree seedling regeneration in tropical forests that span a pronounced rainfall gradient in central in Panama.
at Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
[Details]