想知道森林如何形成的生态学家们都面临一个几乎难以超越的问题：森林形成过程极其缓慢。他们需要回答的最重要问题之一,就是不同种类的树木如何竞争有限的土壤、水分和阳光。研究人员特别瞩目的是：当成熟的树木移去后,其阴影下的树苗和小树在有机会发挥全部潜能的情况下,会发生什么。然而,与树林打交道并非易事。伐木、火灾和塌方会改变整个生态系统。对一些树来说,温室试验不自然而且受到了限制。现在,美国的一位生态学家发现了一种完全自然状态的实验室——数百公 Ecologists wanting to know how forests form are facing an almost insurmountable problem: the process of forest formation is extremely slow. One of the most important questions they need to answer is how different kinds of trees compete for limited soil, moisture and sunlight. Of particular interest to the researchers is what happens to the shaded saplings and young trees when they have the opportunity to reach their full potential as mature trees are removed. However, dealing with the woods is not easy. Logging, fire and landslides can change the entire ecosystem. For some trees, greenhouse experiments are unnatural and limited. Now an ecologist in the United States has discovered a completely natural state laboratory - hundreds of kilometers