The role of disturbance in the regeneration of the forest ecosystems

This paper shows a review about the role of disturbance in the regeneration of the forest ecosystems. Several hipotheses are actually raised to explain the diversity in the tropics, and the role of disturbance is one them. Thus, the present work addresses the concept of disturbance and the importance of the scale to find spacial and temporal patterns, mechanisms that account species coexistence in the regeneration of these ecosystems and finally, the role of fire as a disturbance agent changing the vegetation communities. The review seeks to interlink old concepts with current and divergent applications in development, with an extensive discussion about the central theme. It concludes of a new way to try to understand the great diversity in the tropics, the key role of natural regeneration in response to disturbance.