4181 VLSB
UC Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720

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Museum of Physical Factors
Mangrove Zonation
My current research examines the role of disturbance-generated light gaps in the regeneration of canopy trees in a mangrove forest on the Caribbean coast of Panama. The roles of interspecific competition, herbivory by insects and crabs, propagule dispersal and various edaphic factors in gap regeneration are being investigated. I employ a blend of detailed sampling to document spatial and temporal variation and controlled field experiments to test alternative hypotheses for the observed patterns of variation.

Related Publications

Sousa, W.P. and B.J. Mitchell. 1999. The effect of seed predators on plant distributions: is there a general pattern in mangroves? Oikos 86:55-66.

Sousa, W.P., P.G. Kennedy, and B.J. Mitchell. 2003. Propagule size and predispersal damage by insects affect establishment and early growth of mangrove seedlings. Oecologia 135:564-575.

Sousa, W.P., S.P. Quek, and B.J. Mitchell. 2003. Regeneration of Rhizophora mangle in a Caribbean mangrove forest: interacting effects of canopy disturbance and a stem-boring beetle. Oecologia 137: 436-445.

Wang, L., W.P. Sousa, P. Gong, and G.S. Biging. 2004. Comparison of IKONOS and QuickBird images for mapping mangrove species on the Caribbean coast of Panama . Remote Sensing of Environment 91:432-440.

Wang, L., W.P. Sousa, and P. Gong. 2004. Integration of object-based and pixel-based classification for mangrove mapping with IKONOS imagery. International Journal of Remote Sensing 25:5655-5668.

Sousa, W.P., P.G. Kennedy, B.J. Mitchell, and B. M. Ordóñez L. 2006. Supply-side ecology in mangroves: do patterns of propagule dispersal and seedling establishment explain forest structure? Ecological Monographs, in review.