Unlocking Tropical Forest Complexity: How Tree Assemblages in Secondary Forests Boost Biodiversity Conservation
Secondary forests now dominate tropical landscapes and play a crucial role in achieving COP15 conservation objectives. This study develops a replicable national approach to identifying and characterising forest ecosystems, with a focus on the role of secondary forests. We hypothesised that dominant...
| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Formato: | Artículo |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
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2026
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| Acceso en línea: | https://repositorio.catie.ac.cr/handle/11554/14216 |
| _version_ | 1855488534115254272 |
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| author | Souza Oliveira, Maïri Lenormand, Maxime Luque, Sandra Zamora, Nelson A. Alleaume, Samuel Aguilar Porras, Adriana C. Castillo, Marvin U. Chacón-Madrigal, Eduardo Delgado, Diego Hernández Sánchez, Luis Gustavo Ngo-Bieng, Marie Ange Quesada-Monge, Ruperto Solano, Gilberth S. Zúñiga, Pedro M. |
| author_browse | Aguilar Porras, Adriana C. Alleaume, Samuel Castillo, Marvin U. Chacón-Madrigal, Eduardo Delgado, Diego Hernández Sánchez, Luis Gustavo Lenormand, Maxime Luque, Sandra Ngo-Bieng, Marie Ange Quesada-Monge, Ruperto Solano, Gilberth S. Souza Oliveira, Maïri Zamora, Nelson A. Zúñiga, Pedro M. |
| author_facet | Souza Oliveira, Maïri Lenormand, Maxime Luque, Sandra Zamora, Nelson A. Alleaume, Samuel Aguilar Porras, Adriana C. Castillo, Marvin U. Chacón-Madrigal, Eduardo Delgado, Diego Hernández Sánchez, Luis Gustavo Ngo-Bieng, Marie Ange Quesada-Monge, Ruperto Solano, Gilberth S. Zúñiga, Pedro M. |
| author_sort | Souza Oliveira, Maïri |
| collection | Repositorio CATIE |
| description | Secondary forests now dominate tropical landscapes and play a crucial role in achieving COP15 conservation objectives. This study develops a replicable national approach to identifying and characterising forest ecosystems, with a focus on the role of secondary forests. We hypothesised that dominant tree species in the forest canopy serve as reliable indicators for delineating forest ecosystems and untangling biodiversity complexity. Using national inventories, we identified in situ clusters through hierarchical clustering based on dominant species abundance dissimilarity, determined using the Importance Variable Index. These clusters were characterised by analysing species assemblages and their interactions. We then applied object-oriented Random Forest modelling, segmenting the national forest cover using NDVI to identify the forest ecosystems derived from in situ clusters. Freely available spectral (Sentinel-2) and environmental data were used in the model to delineate and characterise key forest ecosystems. We finished with an assessment of the distribution of secondary and old-growth forests within ecosystems. In Costa Rica, 495 dominant tree species defined 10 in situ clusters, with 7 main clusters successfully modelled. The modelling (F1-score: 0.73, macro F1-score: 0.58) and species-based characterisation highlighted the main ecological trends of these ecosystems, which are distinguished by specific species dominance, topography, climate, and vegetation dynamics, aligning with local forest classifications. The analysis of secondary forest distribution provided an initial assessment of ecosystem vulnerability by evaluating their role in forest maintenance and dynamics. This approach also underscored the major challenge of in situ data acquisition. |
| format | Artículo |
| id | RepoCATIE14216 |
| institution | Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | RepoCATIE142162026-01-10T23:55:30Z Unlocking Tropical Forest Complexity: How Tree Assemblages in Secondary Forests Boost Biodiversity Conservation Souza Oliveira, Maïri Lenormand, Maxime Luque, Sandra Zamora, Nelson A. Alleaume, Samuel Aguilar Porras, Adriana C. Castillo, Marvin U. Chacón-Madrigal, Eduardo Delgado, Diego Hernández Sánchez, Luis Gustavo Ngo-Bieng, Marie Ange Quesada-Monge, Ruperto Solano, Gilberth S. Zúñiga, Pedro M. Ecosistema forestal||forest ecosystems||undefined||écosystème forestier Bosque secundario||secondary forests||floresta secundária||forêt secondaire Costa Rica||Costa Rica||Costa Rica||Costa Rica Inventarios forestales Forest inventories Gbf 2030 targets Hierarchical clustering Network analysis Random forest Sentinel-2 Sede Central ODS 15 - Vida de ecosistemas terrestres Secondary forests now dominate tropical landscapes and play a crucial role in achieving COP15 conservation objectives. This study develops a replicable national approach to identifying and characterising forest ecosystems, with a focus on the role of secondary forests. We hypothesised that dominant tree species in the forest canopy serve as reliable indicators for delineating forest ecosystems and untangling biodiversity complexity. Using national inventories, we identified in situ clusters through hierarchical clustering based on dominant species abundance dissimilarity, determined using the Importance Variable Index. These clusters were characterised by analysing species assemblages and their interactions. We then applied object-oriented Random Forest modelling, segmenting the national forest cover using NDVI to identify the forest ecosystems derived from in situ clusters. Freely available spectral (Sentinel-2) and environmental data were used in the model to delineate and characterise key forest ecosystems. We finished with an assessment of the distribution of secondary and old-growth forests within ecosystems. In Costa Rica, 495 dominant tree species defined 10 in situ clusters, with 7 main clusters successfully modelled. The modelling (F1-score: 0.73, macro F1-score: 0.58) and species-based characterisation highlighted the main ecological trends of these ecosystems, which are distinguished by specific species dominance, topography, climate, and vegetation dynamics, aligning with local forest classifications. The analysis of secondary forest distribution provided an initial assessment of ecosystem vulnerability by evaluating their role in forest maintenance and dynamics. This approach also underscored the major challenge of in situ data acquisition. 2026-01-09T17:17:14Z 2026-01-09T17:17:14Z 2025-11-10 Artículo https://repositorio.catie.ac.cr/handle/11554/14216 openAccess en Ecology and Evolution https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.72428 21 páginas application/pdf |
| spellingShingle | Ecosistema forestal||forest ecosystems||undefined||écosystème forestier Bosque secundario||secondary forests||floresta secundária||forêt secondaire Costa Rica||Costa Rica||Costa Rica||Costa Rica Inventarios forestales Forest inventories Gbf 2030 targets Hierarchical clustering Network analysis Random forest Sentinel-2 Sede Central ODS 15 - Vida de ecosistemas terrestres Souza Oliveira, Maïri Lenormand, Maxime Luque, Sandra Zamora, Nelson A. Alleaume, Samuel Aguilar Porras, Adriana C. Castillo, Marvin U. Chacón-Madrigal, Eduardo Delgado, Diego Hernández Sánchez, Luis Gustavo Ngo-Bieng, Marie Ange Quesada-Monge, Ruperto Solano, Gilberth S. Zúñiga, Pedro M. Unlocking Tropical Forest Complexity: How Tree Assemblages in Secondary Forests Boost Biodiversity Conservation |
| title | Unlocking Tropical Forest Complexity: How Tree Assemblages in Secondary Forests Boost Biodiversity Conservation |
| title_full | Unlocking Tropical Forest Complexity: How Tree Assemblages in Secondary Forests Boost Biodiversity Conservation |
| title_fullStr | Unlocking Tropical Forest Complexity: How Tree Assemblages in Secondary Forests Boost Biodiversity Conservation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Unlocking Tropical Forest Complexity: How Tree Assemblages in Secondary Forests Boost Biodiversity Conservation |
| title_short | Unlocking Tropical Forest Complexity: How Tree Assemblages in Secondary Forests Boost Biodiversity Conservation |
| title_sort | unlocking tropical forest complexity how tree assemblages in secondary forests boost biodiversity conservation |
| topic | Ecosistema forestal||forest ecosystems||undefined||écosystème forestier Bosque secundario||secondary forests||floresta secundária||forêt secondaire Costa Rica||Costa Rica||Costa Rica||Costa Rica Inventarios forestales Forest inventories Gbf 2030 targets Hierarchical clustering Network analysis Random forest Sentinel-2 Sede Central ODS 15 - Vida de ecosistemas terrestres |
| url | https://repositorio.catie.ac.cr/handle/11554/14216 |
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