Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-l4dxg Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-18T01:39:55.378Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Hurricane damage and forest structure in Guadeloupe, French West Indies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

Daniel Imbert ,
Patrick Labbé  and
Alain Rousteau
Daniel Imbert
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Biologie Végétale, Université des Antilles et de la Guyane, BP 592, 97159 Pointe-à-Pitre Cedex, Guadeloupe, France
Patrick Labbé
Affiliation:
Station de Recherches Forestières, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique, BP 1332, 97184 Pointe-à-Pitre Cedex, Guadeloupe, France
Alain Rousteau
Affiliation:
Laboratoire de Biologie Végétale, Université des Antilles et de la Guyane, BP 592, 97159 Pointe-à-Pitre Cedex, Guadeloupe, France
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A comparative study of the damage caused by Hurricane Hugo on the three main types of forest in the lesser Antilles was carried out in the mangrove forest, the semi-evergreen forest and the rainforests of Guadeloupe. Hurricane impact on these forests showed at first that high canopy trees generally prevented understorey trees from heavy direct damage (shield effect). In the species-poor, structurally homogeneous stands, in the mangrove forest, species' susceptibility was the major determinant in both intensity and type of damage. Damage was heavy in places and showed a certain spatial uniformity. In the rainforest, the high structural complexity of the vegetation generally induced a great variability in the spatial distribution of damage even at a small scale. Due to the presence of tall trees, indirect damage was locally very heavy. Clumps of large trees formed resistant structures which diminished lethal damage below the main canopy (cluster effect). In such a highly structured, species-rich forest, species' susceptibility was concealed at the local scale by the prevailing influence of vertical structure. Because of its relatively rich flora but low stature, the semi-deciduous forest exhibited intermediate patterns of damage. It was concluded that floristic composition and forest structure help to explain, and to predict, hurricane damage to forest cover.

Keywords

disturbanceforest structureGuadeloupehurricanemangrovetropical rainforesttropical semi-evergreen forest
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 12 , Issue 5 , September 1996 , pp. 663 - 680
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1996

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

LITERATURE CITED

Anonymous. 1990. L'Ouragan Hugo. Service météorologique interrégional Antilles-Guyane, Pointe-à-Pitre. 32 pp.Google Scholar
Basnet, K., Likens, G. E., Scatena, F. N. & Lugo, A. E. 1992. Hurricane Hugo: damage to a tropical rain forest in Puerto Rico. Journal of Tropical Ecology 8:47–55.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beard, J. S. 1944. Climax vegetation in tropical America. Ecology 25:127–158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beard, J. S. 1945. The progress of plant succession on the Soufrière of St. Vincent. Journal of Ecology 33:1–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Beard, J. S. 1949. The natural vegetation of the Windward and Leeward Islands. Oxford Forestry Memoirs 21. 192 pp.Google Scholar
Bellingham, P. J. 1991. Landforms influence patterns of hurricane damage: evidence from Jamaican montane forests. Biotropica 23:427–433.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bellingham, P. J., Kapos, V., Varty, N., Healey, J. R., Tanner, E. V. J., Kelly, D. L., Dalling, J. W., Burns, L. S., Lee, D. & Sidrak, G. 1992. Hurricanes need not cause high mortality: the effects of Hurricane Gilbert on forests in Jamaica. Journal of Tropical Ecology 8:217–223.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boucher, D. H. 1990. Growing back after hurricanes; catastrophes may be critical to rain forest dynamics. Bioscience 40:163–166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bouchon, C., Bouchon-Navaro, Y., Imbert, D. & Louis, M. 1991. Effets de l'Ouragan Hugo sur les communautés côtières de Guadeloupe, Antilles Françaises. Annales de l'Institut Océanographique 67:5–33.Google Scholar
Brokaw, N. V. L. & Grear, J. S. 1991. Forest structure before and after Hurricane Hugo at three elevations in the Luquillo Mountains, Puerto Rico. Biotropica 23:386–392.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brokaw, N. V. L. & Walker, L. R. 1991. Summary of the effects of Caribbean hurricanes on vegetation. Biotropica 23:442–447.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clark, D. B. & Clark, D. A. 1991. The impact of physical damage on canopy free regeneration in tropical rain forest. Journal of Ecology 79:447–457.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dallmeier, F., Taylor, C. M., Mayne, J. C., Kabel, M. & Rice, R. 1992. Effects of Hurricane Hugo on the Bisley biodiversity plot, Luquillo biosphere reserve, Puerto Rico. Pp. 47–63 in Dallmeier, F. (ed.). Long-term monitoring of biological diversity in tropical areas. Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Digest 11.Google Scholar
Dittus, W. P. J. 1985. The influence of cyclones on the dry evergreen forest of Sri Lanka. Biotropica 17:1–14.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Doyle, T. W. 1981. The role of disturbance in the gap dynamics of a montane rain forest: an application of a tropical forest succession model. Pp. 56–73 in West, D. C., Shugart, H. H. & Botkin, D. B. (eds). Forest succession; concepts and application. Springer-Verlag, New York, Heidelberg, Berlin. 517 pp.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ducrey, M. & Labbé, P. 1985. Étude de la régénération naturelle contrôlée en forêt tropicale humide de Guadeloupe. 1 – Revue bibliographique, milieu naturel et élaboration d'un protocole expérimental. Annales des Sciences Forestières 42:297–322.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ducrey, M. & Labbé, P. 1986. Étude de la régénération naturelle contrôlée en forêt tropicale humide de Guadeloupe. II. Installation et croissance des semis après les coupes d'ensemencement. Annales des Sciences Forestières 43:299–326.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Foster, D. R. 1988. Species and stand response to catastrophic wind in Central New England, USA. Journal of Ecology 76:135–151.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frangi, J. L. & Lugo, A. E. 1991. Hurricane damage to a flood plain forest in the Luquillo Mountains of Puerto Rico. Biotropica 23:324–335.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gaussen, H. 1973. International classification and mapping of vegetation. Ecology and Conservation 6. UNESCO, Paris. 93 pp.Google Scholar
Gresham, C. A., Williams, T. M. & Lipscomb, D. J. 1991. Hurricane Hugo wind damage to southern coastal forest tree species. Biotropica 23:420–426.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howard, R. A. 1979. Flora of the Lesser Antilles, Leeward and Windward Islands. Volume 3: Monocotyledoneae. Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, Massachusetts. 586 pp.Google Scholar
Howard, R. A. 1988. Flora of the Lesser Antilles, Leeward and Windward Islands. Volume 4: Dicotyledoneae, part 1. Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, Massachusetts. 673 pp.Google Scholar
Howard, R. A. 1989a. Flora of the Lesser Antilles, Leeward and Windward Islands. Volume 5: Dicotyledoneae, part 2. Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, Massachusetts. 604 pp.Google Scholar
Howard, R. A. 1989b. Flora of the Lesser Antilles, Leeward and Windward Islands. Volume 6: Dicotyledoneae, part 3. Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University, Massachusetts. 658 pp.Google Scholar
Imbert, D. 1985. Organisation spatio-temporelle des communautés végétales dans la mangrove du Grand Cul-de-sac Marin, Guadeloupe. PhD Thesis, Université des Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, Montpellier, France.Google Scholar
Imbert, D., Bland, F. & Russier, F. 1989. Les milieux humides du littoral de la Guadeloupe. Office National des Forêts, Basse-Terre, Guadeloupe. 61 pp.Google Scholar
Imbert, D. & Portecop, J. 1986. Production de litière dans la mangrove du Grand Cul-de-sac Marin, Guadeloupe. Oecologia Plantarum 21:379–396.Google Scholar
Imbert, D. & Portecop, J. 1992. La forêt tropicale semi-décidue de la Guadeloupe: structures spatiales et production de litière dans la région nord de la Grande-Terre. Pp. 52–70 in Pérennité et évolution de la flore des Caraïbes; actts du colloque de botanique des Saintes. Conservatoire des Jardins et Paysages, Paris – La Défense. 235 pp.Google Scholar
Labbé, P. & Meloni, S. 1993. Impact du cyclone Hugo sur les peuplements de la forêt dense humide à la Guadeloupe. Revue Forestière Française 45:27–36.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Labbé, P. & Voisin, L. 1990. Régénération naturelle et sylviculture; propositions pour la forêt guadeloupéenne. Revue Forestière Française 42:445–454.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawton, R. O. 1984. Ecological constraints on wood density in tropical montane rain forest. American Journal of Botany 71:261–267.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Little, E. L. & Wadsworth, F. H. 1964. Common trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, vol. I. USDA, Forest Service, Washington, D.C.548 pp.Google Scholar
Little, E. L., Woodbury, R. O. & Wadsworth, F. H. 1974. Trees of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, vol. II. USDA, Forest Service, Washington, D.C.1024 pp.Google Scholar
Lugo, A. E. & Snedaker, S. C. 1974. The ecology of mangroves. Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 5:39–64.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meloni, S. 1991. Dégâts occasionnés à la forêt hygrophile de Guadeloupe par le Cyclone Hugo. MSc Thesis, Université des Sciences et Techniques du Languedoc, Montpellier, France.Google Scholar
Odum, E. P. 1981. The effects of stress on the trajectory of ecological succession. Pp. 43–47 in Barett, Gary W. & Rosenberg, R. (eds). Stress effects on natural ecosystems. John Wiley & Sons Ltd. 305 pp.Google Scholar
Odum, H. T. 1970. Rain forest structure and mineral cycling homeostatis. In Odum, H. T. & Pigeon, R. F. {eds). A tropical rain forest. National Technical Information Service, Springfield, Virginia, USA.Google Scholar
Portecop, J. 1982. Vegetation. PI. 9 in Lasserre, G. (ed.). Atlas des départements français d'outre-mer. 3 – La Guadeloupe. CNRS, Paris, Talence. 36 pl.Google Scholar
Putz, F. E. & Sharitz, R. R. 1991. Hurricane damage to old-growth forest in Congaree Swamp Monument, South Carolina, U.S.A. Canadian Journal of Forestry Research 21:1765–1770.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reilly, A. E. 1991. The impact of Hurricane Hugo in three tropical forests in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Biotropica 23:414–419.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rousteau, A. 1995a. Carte écologique de la Guadeloupe. Carte au 1/75 000ème avec notice, Office National des Forêts, Pare National de la Guadeloupe, Université Antilles-Guyane. 32 pp.Google Scholar
Rousteau, A. 1995b. Structures, Bores, dynamiques: réponses des forêts pluviales des Petites Antilles aux milieux montagnards. In Actes du collogue international de phytogéographie tropicale, Paris 6–8 juillet 1993. In press.Google Scholar
Scatena, F. N., Silver, W., Siccama, T., Johnson, A. & Sanchez, M. J. 1993. Biomass and nutrient content of the Bisley experimental watersheds, Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico, before and after Hurricane Hugo. Biotropica 25:15–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shaw, W. G. 1984. Tropical cyclones: determinants of pattern and structure in New Zealand's indigenous forests. Pacific Science 37:405–414.Google Scholar
Stehlé, H. 1936. Flore de la Guadeloupe et dépendances – Essai d'écologie et de géographic botanique. Imprimerie Catholique, Basse-Terre. 282 pp.Google Scholar
Stehlé, H. 1945. Les types forestiers des îles caraïbes. Caribbean Forester 6:273–468.Google Scholar
Stehlé, H. 1946. Les types forestiers des îles caraïbes. Caribbean Forester 7:337–709.Google Scholar
Tanner, E. V. J., Kapos, V. & Healey, J. R. 1991. Hurricane effects on forest ecosystems in the Caribbean. Biotropica 23:513–521.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Turenne, J. F. 1984. Les sols de la mangrove de Guadeloupe. Unpublished report, ORSTOM, Fort-de-France. 45 pp.Google Scholar
Wadsworth, F. H. & Englerth, G. H. 1959. Effects of the 1956 hurricane on forests in Puerto Rico. Caribbean Forester 20:38–51.Google Scholar
Walker, L. R. 1991. Tree damage and recovery from Hurricane Hugo in the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico. Biotropica 23:379–385.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Webb, L. J. 1958. Cyclones as an ecological factor in tropical lowland rain forest, North Queensland. Australian Journal of Botany 6:220–228.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whigham, D. F., Olmsted, I., Cano, E. C. & Harmon, M. E. 1991. The impact of Hurricane Gilbert on trees, litterfall, and woody debris in a dry tropical forest in the northeastern Yucatan peninsula. Biotropica 23:434–441.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Whitmore, T. C. 1974. Change with time and the role of cyclones in tropical rain forest on Kolombangara, Solomon Islands. Commonwealth Forestry Institute Paper No. 46. Oxford University.Google Scholar
Whitmore, T. C. 1978. Gaps in the forest canopy. Pp. 639–656 in Tomlinson, P. B. & Zimmerman, M. H. (eds). Tropical trees as living systems. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.Google Scholar
Zimmerman, J. K., Everham, E. M., Waide, R. B., Lodje, D. J., Taylor, C. M. & Brokaw, N. V. L. 1994. Responses of tree species to hurricane winds in subtropical wet forest in Puerto Rico: implications for tropical tree life histories. Journal of Ecology 82:911–922.CrossRefGoogle Scholar