The influence of forest structure and land use history on microclimate buffering in secondary tropical forests

Abstract

Tropical forests harbour approximately half of the terrestrial biodiversity while only covering about 6% of the Earth’s surface. This immense biodiversity is partly attributed to the diversity of microclimates created by the forest structure. A key characteristic of microclimates is that understory temperature extremes are buffered from the macroclimate by the forest’s structure. However, tropical forests, and the microclimates they create, are increasingly affected by human disturbances. Such disturbances can have lasting impacts on forest structure and the microclimate conditions. Yet, the role of the past land use (hereafter land use history; LUH) in shaping forest regeneration, structure and microclimate buffering is not fully understood. This study investigates how forest structure and LUH influence microclimate buffering in a secondary rainforest reserve in Costa Rica and explores the potential of microclimate variables as proxy for forest structure and functioning.