"Roughly 70 to 80 percent of tree species in the tropics are dispersed by animals, but much less in temperate forests," says Thorsten Wiegand. Another important factor is mycorrhizal fungi.

The plant and animal species that occur in the Adirondacks are diverse and varied unlike anywhere else in the northeast. The mosaic of temperate forest and boreal forest found in the region provides a ...

"Roughly 70 to 80% of tree species in the tropics are dispersed by animals, but much less in temperate forests," says Wiegand. Another important factor is mycorrhizal fungi. This network of fungi ...

particularly those dispersed by animals, stabilizes species coexistence. In contrast, in temperate forests, where the relationship is stronger (abundant species have a similar number of ...

The temperate index is calculated from terrestrial and freshwater populations from the Palearctic and Nearctic realms, and marine populations found north or south of the tropics. The global tropical ...