Deadwood in Forest Ecosystems

Abstract

The common idea for many people is that forests are just a collection of trees. However; they are much more than that. They are a complex; functional system of interacting and often interdependent biological; physical; and chemical components; the biological part of which has evolved to perpetuate itself. This complexity produces combinations of climate; soils; trees and plant species unique to each site; resulting in hundreds of different forest types around the world. Logically; trees are an important component for the research in forest ecosystems; but the wide variety of other life forms and abiotic components in most forests means that other elements; such as wildlife or soil nutrients; should also be the focal point in ecological studies and management plans to be carried out in forest ecosystems. In this book; the readers can find the latest research related to forest ecosystems but with a different twist. The research described here is not just on trees and is focused on the other components; structures and functions that are usually overshadowed by the focus on trees; but are equally important to maintain the diversity; function and services provided by forests. The first section of this book explores the structure and biodiversity of forest ecosystems; whereas the second section reviews the research done on ecosystem structure and functioning. The third and last section explores the issues related to forest management as an ecosystem-level activity; all of them from the perspective of the other parts of a forest.