Understanding Patterns and Mechanisms of Forest Canopy Diversity and Ecosystem Functions in a Changing World

The arboreal ecosystem is vitally important to global and local biogeochemical processes, the maintenance of biodiversity in natural systems, and human health in urban environments. The ability to collect samples, observations, and data to conduct meaningful scientific research is similarly vital. The primary methods and modes of access remain limited and difficult. In an online survey, canopy researchers (n = 219) reported a range of challenges in obtaining adequate samples, including ∼10% who found it impossible to procure what they needed. Currently, these samples are collected using a combination of four primary methods: (1) sampling from the ground; (2) tree climbing; (3) constructing fixed infrastructure; and (4) using mobile aerial platforms, primarily rotorcraft drones. An important distinction between instantaneous and continuous sampling was identified, allowing more targeted engineering and development strategies. The combination of methods for sampling the arboreal ecosystem provides a range of possibilities and opportunities, particularly in the context of the rapid development of robotics and other engineering advances. In this study, we aim to identify the strategies that would provide the benefits to a broad range of scientists, arborists, and professional climbers and facilitate basic discovery and applied management. Priorities for advancing these efforts are (1) to expand participation, both geographically and professionally; (2) to define 2–3 common needs across the community; (3) to form and motivate focal teams of biologists, tree professionals, and engineers in the development of solutions to these needs; and (4) to establish multidisciplinary communication platforms to share information about innovations and opportunities for studying arboreal ecosystems.

16,188 views

22 citations

Original Research

23 November 2021

Structuring Interaction Networks Between Epiphytic Bryophytes and Their Hosts in Yunnan, SW China

Hai-Xia Hu

, 3 more and

Liang Song

7,441 views

7 citations

Original Research

27 October 2021

Spatiotemporal Distribution of Herbivorous Insects Along Always-Green Mountaintop Forest Islands

Juliana Kuchenbecker

, 2 more and

Frederico S. Neves

4,033 views

8 citations

Original Research

27 October 2021

Persistent Effects of Historical Selective Logging on a Vascular Epiphyte Assemblage in the Forest Canopy of the Western Ghats, India

K. S. Seshadri

, 1 more and

Soubadra M. Devy

2,919 views

3 citations

Original Research

22 September 2021

Response of Background Herbivory in Mature Birch Trees to Global Warming

Masahiro Nakamura

, 5 more and

Tsutom Hiura

2,418 views

4 citations

Mini Review

12 August 2021

Climate Change Alters Temperate Forest Canopies and Indirectly Reshapes Arthropod Communities

Aurélien Sallé

, 4 more and

Christophe Bouget

Global change challenges the adaptive potential of forests. Large-scale alterations of forest canopies have been reported across Europe, and further modifications are expected in response to the predicted changes in drought and windstorm regimes. Since forest canopies are dynamic interfaces between atmosphere and land surface, communities of canopy-dwelling insects are at the forefront of major changes in response to both direct and indirect effects of climate change. First, we briefly introduce the factors shaping arthropod communities in the canopy of temperate forests. Second, we cover the significant impacts of a forest decline on canopy structure and functioning, and more specifically its contrasted effects on insect microhabitats, trophic resources and forest microclimates. Deleterious effects may be expected for several guilds of leaf-dwelling insects. Nonetheless, a forest decline could also lead to transient or long-lasting resource pulses for other canopy-dwelling guilds, especially saproxylic species depending on deadwood substrates and tree-related microhabitats. The novel microclimates may also become more favorable for some particular groups of insects. We pinpoint current knowledge gaps and the technological locks that should be undone to improve our understanding of the canopy biotope and biodiversity in temperate forests. We highlight the need for integrative approaches to reveal the mechanisms at play. We call for cross-scale studies and long-term collaborative research efforts, involving different disciplines such as community and disturbance ecology, plant and insect ecophysiology, and thermal ecology, to better anticipate ongoing functional and conservation issues in temperate forest ecosystems.

8,713 views

35 citations

Original Research

09 July 2021

Life in the Canopy: Using Camera-Traps to Inventory Arboreal Rainforest Mammals in Borneo

Jessica Karen Haysom

, 5 more and

Matthew J. Struebig

Arboreal mammals form a diverse group providing ecologically important functions such as predation, pollination and seed dispersal. However, their cryptic and elusive nature, and the heights at which they live, makes studying these species challenging. Consequently, our knowledge of rainforest mammals is heavily biased towards terrestrial species, limiting our understanding of overall community structure and the possible impacts of human-induced disturbance. We undertook the first in-depth appraisal of an arboreal mammal community in Southeast Asia, using camera-traps set in unlogged and logged tropical rainforest in Sabah, Borneo. Using paired canopy and terrestrial camera-traps at 50 locations (25 in unlogged forest, 25 in logged), we assessed the effectiveness of camera-trapping at characterising the arboreal versus terrestrial community, and tested the influence of strata and forest type on community structure and composition. The paired design detected 55 mammal species across 15,817 camera-trap nights (CTNs), and additional canopy sampling in a subset of trees added a further two arboreal species to the inventory. In total, thirty species were detected exclusively by terrestrial camera-traps, eighteen exclusively by canopy camera-traps, and nine by units set at both heights, demonstrating significant differences between arboreal and terrestrial communities. This pattern was strongest in unlogged forest, reflecting greater structural diversity of this habitat, but held in logged forest as well. Species accumulation curves revealed that canopy camera-trapping significantly boosted species inventories compared to terrestrial-only sampling, and was particularly effective at detecting gliding mammals, rodents and primates. Canopy inventories took longer to reach an asymptote, suggesting that a greater sampling effort is required when deploying canopy camera-traps compared to those set on the ground. We demonstrate that arboreal mammals in Borneo’s rainforest form a diverse and distinct community, and can be sampled effectively using canopy camera-traps. However, the additional costs incurred by sampling in the canopy can be substantial. We provide recommendations to maximise sampling effectiveness, while bringing down costs, to help encourage further study into one of the last frontiers of tropical forest research.

12,560 views

26 citations

Original Research

23 July 2021

Vertical Distribution of Arthropod Assemblages and the Effects of Weather Conditions on Arthropod Rain in a Temperate Conifer Forest

Tomohiro Yoshida

, 2 more and

Naoki Hijii

2,690 views

4 citations

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