Today, mid- and high-elevation belts in the American Tropics still support montane evergreen broad-leaved oak (Quercus) forests.They range from r- atively dry woodlands to extremely wet cloud forests,and may occur either as pure monotypic stands sometimes with giant oaks up to 60 m tall or as mixed-species systems in which oak co-occurs with other predominant g- era such as pine (Pinus) and sweetgum (Liquidambar). They are found throughout southern Mexico, Central America and the Colombian Andes,and form a major component of the American Tropics ecoregions, biodiversity hotspots,and centers of plant diversity. Their biological richness, expressed in the large variety of trees, shrubs, epiphytic orchids and bromeliads, ferns, bryophytes, lichens and fungi, is indeed striking. Even animal life is astonishing: the avifauna is among the greatest worldwide,with the mythical Resplendent Quetzal as its most beau- ful representative. Large mammals such as jaguar, puma, tapir, peccary and deer still roam around in considerable quantities.In terms of biogeochemical cycling,most of these forests,and especially the oak cloud forests filter large air masses.They capture and incorporate water and nutrients from mist and fog into their cycles,providing nascent rivers with clear fresh water. Originally, these montane oak forests were widely distributed. However, since the early 1800s,large oak forest areas in the highland Neotropics have made way for coffee plantations and pastures. Today,only few intact blocks remain while most forests are fragmented,suffering from severe disturbance.

to Neotropical Montane Oak Forests

Global and Neotropical Distribution and Diversity of Oak (genus Quercus) and Oak Forests
Paleo-Ecology and Biogeography
Immigration of Oak into Northern South America: a Paleo-Ecological Document
Effects of the Younger Dryas Cooling Event on Late Quaternary Montane Oak Forest in Costa Rica
Altitudinal Zonation of Montane Oak Forests Along Climate and Soil Gradients in Costa Rica
Saprotrophic and Ectomycorrhizal Macrofungi of Costa Rican Oak Forests
Diversity and Biogeography of Lichens in Neotropical Montane Oak Forests
Epiphytic Communities of Bryophytes and Macrolichens in a Costa Rican Montane Oak Forest
Stand Structure and Composition
Composition and Structure of Humid Montane Oak Forests at Different Sites in Central and Eastern Mexico
Oak Forests of the Hyper-Humid Region of La Chinantla, Northern Oaxaca Range, Mexico
Structure and Composition of Costa Rican Montane Oak Forests
Structure and Composition of Colombian Montane Oak Forests
Population Dynamics
Regeneration and Population Dynamics of Quercus rugosa at the Ajusco Volcano, Mexico
Ecology of Acorn Dispersal by Small Mammals in Montane Forests of Chiapas, Mexico
Establishment, Survival and Growth of Tree Seedlings Under Successional Montane Oak Forests in Chiapas, Mexico
Population Structures of Two Understory Plant Species Along an Altitudinal Gradient in Costa Rican Montane Oak Forests
Ecosystem Disturbance and Regeneration
Secondary Succession in Montane Pine-Oak Forests of Chiapas, Mexico
Changes in Diversity and Structure Along a Successional Gradient in a Costa Rican Montane Oak Forest
Regeneration Dynamics in a Costa Rican Montane Oak Forest After Reduced-Impact Logging
Growth and Physiological Responses of Oak, Pine andShrub Seedlings to Edge Gradients in a Fragmented Mexican Montane Oak Forest
Morphological Variations of Gall-Forming Insects on Different Species of Oaks (Quercus) in Mexico
Above-Ground Water and Nutrient Fluxes in Three Successional Stages of Costa Rican Montane Oak Forest with Contrasting Epiphyte Abundance
Changes in Fine Root System Size and Structure During Secondary Succession in a Costa Rican Montane Oak Forest
Soil Seed Bank Changes Along a Forest Interior-Edge-Pasture Gradient in a Costa Rican Montane Oak Forest
Frugivorous Birds, Habitat Preference and Seed Dispersal in a Fragmented Costa Rican Montane Oak Forest Landscape
Diet and Habitat Preference of the Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno costaricensis) in Costa Rican Montane Oak Forest
Small Terrestrial Rodents in Disturbed and Old-Growth Montane Oak Forest in Costa Rica
Habitat Preference, Feeding Habits and Conservation of Baird's Tapir in Neotropical Montane Oak Forests
Conservation and Sustainable Use
Dynamics and Silviculture of Montane Mixed Oak Forests in Western Mexico
Vascular Epiphytes and Their Potential as a Conservation Tool in Pine-Oak Forests of Chiapas, Mexico
Land Use, Ethnobotany and Conservation in Costa Rican Montane Oak Forests
Charcoal Production in a Costa Rican Montane Oak Forest
Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Management of Central American Montane Oak Forests
Economic Valuation of Water Supply as a Key Environmental Service Provided by Montane Oak Forest Watershed Areas in Costa Rica
Synthesis
Neotropical Montane Oak Forests: Overview and Outlook.