Posted on 15/03/08
Can't see the (old) forest for the (new) trees
Plant supplantersTHE NEWS One of the biggest threats to the Hawaiian rainforest isn't clear-cutting or forest fires - it's other trees. Invasive species such as strawberry guava (introduced for agriculture) and tropical ash (for commercial forestry) are proliferating at the expense of native species. In a new study described in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from Stanford's Carnegie Institution mapped the 3D structure of 220,000 hectares of Hawaiian forest and concluded that invasives are changing the forest at every level. Strawberry guava trees, for example, form dense canopies that prevent light from reaching the forest floor, inhibiting native ferns.
The full text of this article has 762 words.
To continue reading this article, you will need to purchase this article.
Already have a member account? Login now
Pay-Per-View Offers To read the complete article, select one of the following options
Purchasing from globeandmail.com is quick and secure.
