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Villanova PH, Torres CMME, Jacovine LAG, Schettini BLS, Ribeiro SC, da Rocha SJSS, Rufino MPMX, de Freitas MF, Kerkoff LA. Impacts of a severe storm on carbon accumulation in coarse woody debris within a secondary Atlantic Forest fragment in Brazil. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2024; 196:203. [PMID: 38277071 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-024-12316-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
The alarming increase in extreme weather events, such as severe storms with torrential rain and strong winds, is a direct result of climate change. These events have led to discernible shifts in forest structure and the carbon cycle, primarily driven by a surge in tree mortality. However, the impacts caused by these severe storms on the production and carbon increment from coarse woody debris (CWD) are still poorly understood, especially in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Thus, the goal proposed by the study was to quantify the CWD volume, necromass, and carbon stock before and after the occurrence of a severe storm and to determine the importance of spatial, structural, and qualitative variables of trees in the CWD carbon increment. The increase in carbon by the storm was 2.01 MgC ha-1, with a higher concentration in the CWD less decomposed and smaller diameter class. The forest fragment plots showed distinct increments (0.05-0.35 MgC), being influenced by spatial (elevation, declivity, and slope angle) structural (basal area) and qualitative factors (trunk quality and tree health), intrinsic to the forest. Thus, it is concluded that severe storms cause a large increase in carbon in CWD, making it essential to understand the susceptibility of forests to the action of intense rains and strong winds to model and monitor the future impacts of these extreme weather events on Atlantic Forest and other tropical forests in the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paulo Henrique Villanova
- Departamento de Engenharia Florestal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
| | | | | | | | - Sabina Cerruto Ribeiro
- Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Natureza, Universidade Federal do Acre, Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Lucas Abreu Kerkoff
- Departamento de Engenharia Florestal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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2
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de Lima RB, Görgens EB, da Silva DAS, de Oliveira CP, Batista APB, Caraciolo Ferreira RL, Costa FRC, Ferreira de Lima RA, da Silva Aparício P, de Abreu JC, da Silva JAA, Guimaraes AF, Fearnside PM, Sousa TR, Perdiz R, Higuchi N, Berenguer E, Resende AF, Elias F, de Castilho CV, de Medeiros MB, de Matos Filho JR, Sardinha MA, Freitas MAF, da Silva JJ, da Cunha AP, Santos RM, Muelbert AE, Guedes MC, Imbrózio R, de Sousa CSC, da Silva Aparício WC, da Silva E Silva BM, Silva CA, Marimon BS, Junior BHM, Morandi PS, Storck-Tonon D, Vieira ICG, Schietti J, Coelho F, Alves de Almeida DR, Castro W, Carvalho SPC, da Silva RDSA, Silveira J, Camargo JL, Melgaço K, de Freitas LJM, Vedovato L, Benchimol M, de Oliveira de Almeida G, Prance G, da Silveira AB, Simon MF, Garcia ML, Silveira M, Vital M, Andrade MBT, Silva N, de Araújo RO, Cavalheiro L, Carpanedo R, Fernandes L, Manzatto AG, de Andrade RTG, Magnusson WE, Laurance B, Nelson BW, Peres C, Daly DC, Rodrigues D, Zopeletto AP, de Oliveira EA, Dugachard E, Barbosa FR, Santana F, do Amaral IL, Ferreira LV, Charão LS, Ferreira J, Barlow J, Blanc L, Aragão L, Sist P, de Paiva Salomão R, da Silva ASL, Laurance S, Feldpausch TR, Gardner T, Santiago W, Balee W, Laurance WF, Malhi Y, Phillips OL, da Silva Zanzini AC, Rosa C, Tadeu Oliveira W, Pereira Zanzini L, José Silva R, Mangabeira Albernaz AL. Giants of the Amazon: How does environmental variation drive the diversity patterns of large trees? GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:4861-4879. [PMID: 37386918 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Revised: 04/13/2023] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
For more than three decades, major efforts in sampling and analyzing tree diversity in South America have focused almost exclusively on trees with stems of at least 10 and 2.5 cm diameter, showing highest species diversity in the wetter western and northern Amazon forests. By contrast, little attention has been paid to patterns and drivers of diversity in the largest canopy and emergent trees, which is surprising given these have dominant ecological functions. Here, we use a machine learning approach to quantify the importance of environmental factors and apply it to generate spatial predictions of the species diversity of all trees (dbh ≥ 10 cm) and for very large trees (dbh ≥ 70 cm) using data from 243 forest plots (108,450 trees and 2832 species) distributed across different forest types and biogeographic regions of the Brazilian Amazon. The diversity of large trees and of all trees was significantly associated with three environmental factors, but in contrasting ways across regions and forest types. Environmental variables associated with disturbances, for example, the lightning flash rate and wind speed, as well as the fraction of photosynthetically active radiation, tend to govern the diversity of large trees. Upland rainforests in the Guiana Shield and Roraima regions had a high diversity of large trees. By contrast, variables associated with resources tend to govern tree diversity in general. Places such as the province of Imeri and the northern portion of the province of Madeira stand out for their high diversity of species in general. Climatic and topographic stability and functional adaptation mechanisms promote ideal conditions for species diversity. Finally, we mapped general patterns of tree species diversity in the Brazilian Amazon, which differ substantially depending on size class.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eric Bastos Görgens
- Departamento de Engenharia Florestal, Universidade Federal do Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Rinaldo L Caraciolo Ferreira
- Laboratório de Manejo de Florestas Naturais "José Serafim Feitoza Ferraz", Departamento de Ciência Florestal, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil
| | - Flavia R C Costa
- Coordenação de Pesquisas em Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - José Antônio Aleixo da Silva
- Laboratório de Manejo de Florestas Naturais "José Serafim Feitoza Ferraz", Departamento de Ciência Florestal, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil
| | - Aretha Franklin Guimaraes
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Botânica Aplicada, Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, Brazil
| | - Philip M Fearnside
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Av. André Araújo, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Thaiane R Sousa
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Ricardo Perdiz
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Botânica, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, Brazil
| | - Niro Higuchi
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia-Coordenação de Pesquisas em Silvicultura Tropical, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Erika Berenguer
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | | | - Fernando Elias
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Maurício Alves Sardinha
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biodiversidade e Biotecnologia-Rede Bionorte, Universidade Federal do Amapá, Macapá, Brazil
| | | | - José Jussian da Silva
- Instituto Federal de Educação Ciência e Tecnologia do Amapá, Laranjal do Jari, Brazil
| | | | - Renan Mendes Santos
- Laboratório de Manejo Florestal, Universidade do Estado do Amapá, Macapá, Brazil
| | | | | | - Reinaldo Imbrózio
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Av. André Araújo, Manaus, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | - Beatriz Schwantes Marimon
- Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias, Biológicas e Sociais Aplicadas, Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, Nova Xavantina, Brazil
| | - Ben Hur Marimon Junior
- Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias, Biológicas e Sociais Aplicadas, Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, Nova Xavantina, Brazil
| | - Paulo S Morandi
- Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, Campus de Nova Xavantina, Nova Xavantina, Brazil
| | - Danielle Storck-Tonon
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ambiente e Sistemas de Produção Agrícola, Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, Tangará da Serra, Brazil
| | | | - Juliana Schietti
- Departamento de Biologia, Universidade Federal do Amazonas, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Coelho
- Department of Forestry, University of Brasilia, Brasilia, Brazil
| | - Danilo R Alves de Almeida
- Department of Forest Sciences, "Luiz de Queiroz" College of Agriculture, University of São Paulo (USP/ESALQ), Piracicaba, Brazil
| | - Wendeson Castro
- Laboratório de Botânica e Ecologia Vegetal, Universidade Federal do Acre, Rio Branco, Brazil
| | | | | | - Juliana Silveira
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | | | | | | | | | - Maíra Benchimol
- Laboratório de Ecologia Aplicada à Conservação, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Salobrinho, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Marcelo Fragomeni Simon
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, Brazil
| | | | - Marcos Silveira
- Museu Universitário, Universidade Federal do Acre, Rio Branco, Brazil
| | - Marcos Vital
- Universidade Federal de Roraima (UFRR), Boa Vista, Brazil
| | - Maryane B T Andrade
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Av. André Araújo, Manaus, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Rainiellen Carpanedo
- Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT), Núcleo de Estudos da Biodiversidade da Amazônia Mato-grossense, Sinop, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - William E Magnusson
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Av. André Araújo, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Bill Laurance
- James Cook University, Douglas, Queensland, Australia
| | - Bruce Walker Nelson
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Av. André Araújo, Manaus, Brazil
| | | | - Douglas C Daly
- Institute of Systematic Botany, The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Domingos Rodrigues
- Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Instituto de Ciências Naturais, Humanas e Sociais, Sinop, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | - Flavia Santana
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Av. André Araújo, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Iêda Leão do Amaral
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Av. André Araújo, Manaus, Brazil
| | | | - Leandro S Charão
- Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, Victoria, Mexico
| | - Joice Ferreira
- Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Rede Amazônia Sustentável, Belém, Brazil
| | - Jos Barlow
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Lilian Blanc
- Unité Propre de Recherche Biens et Services des Écosystèmes Forestiers Tropicaux: l'Enjeu du Changement Global (BSEF), CIRAD, Montpellier, France
| | - Luiz Aragão
- National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, Brazil
| | - Plinio Sist
- Centre de Coopération International en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD), Paris, France
| | | | | | - Susan Laurance
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science (TESS), College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Douglas, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - Toby Gardner
- Stockholm Environment Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | | | - William F Laurance
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science (TESS), College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Douglas, Queensland, Australia
| | - Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Antônio Carlos da Silva Zanzini
- Setor de Ecologia e Manejo da Vida Silvestre, Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Universidade Federal de Lavras, Lavras, MG, Brazil
| | - Clarissa Rosa
- Coordenação de Pesquisas em Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Wagner Tadeu Oliveira
- CESAM - Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar, Departamento de Biologia, Collaborating Researcher, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Lucas Pereira Zanzini
- Departamento de Engenharia Florestal, Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, Cáceres, MT, Brazil
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3
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Requena Suarez D, Rozendaal DMA, De Sy V, Decuyper M, Málaga N, Durán Montesinos P, Arana Olivos A, De la Cruz Paiva R, Martius C, Herold M. Forest disturbance and recovery in Peruvian Amazonia. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:3601-3621. [PMID: 36997337 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16695] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Amazonian forests function as biomass and biodiversity reservoirs, contributing to climate change mitigation. While they continuously experience disturbance, the effect that disturbances have on biomass and biodiversity over time has not yet been assessed at a large scale. Here, we evaluate the degree of recent forest disturbance in Peruvian Amazonia and the effects that disturbance, environmental conditions and human use have on biomass and biodiversity in disturbed forests. We integrate tree-level data on aboveground biomass (AGB) and species richness from 1840 forest plots from Peru's National Forest Inventory with remotely sensed monitoring of forest change dynamics, based on disturbances detected from Landsat-derived Normalized Difference Moisture Index time series. Our results show a clear negative effect of disturbance intensity tree species richness. This effect was also observed on AGB and species richness recovery values towards undisturbed levels, as well as on the recovery of species composition towards undisturbed levels. Time since disturbance had a larger effect on AGB than on species richness. While time since disturbance has a positive effect on AGB, unexpectedly we found a small negative effect of time since disturbance on species richness. We estimate that roughly 15% of Peruvian Amazonian forests have experienced disturbance at least once since 1984, and that, following disturbance, have been increasing in AGB at a rate of 4.7 Mg ha-1 year-1 during the first 20 years. Furthermore, the positive effect of surrounding forest cover was evident for both AGB and its recovery towards undisturbed levels, as well as for species richness. There was a negative effect of forest accessibility on the recovery of species composition towards undisturbed levels. Moving forward, we recommend that forest-based climate change mitigation endeavours consider forest disturbance through the integration of forest inventory data with remote sensing methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Requena Suarez
- Laboratory of Geo-Information Science and Remote Sensing, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Danaë M A Rozendaal
- Plant Production Systems Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Centre for Crop Systems Analysis, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Veronique De Sy
- Laboratory of Geo-Information Science and Remote Sensing, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Mathieu Decuyper
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Centre for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Natalia Málaga
- Laboratory of Geo-Information Science and Remote Sensing, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Patricia Durán Montesinos
- Servicio Nacional Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre (SERFOR), Ministerio de Desarrollo Agrario y Riego (MIDAGRI), Lima, Peru
| | - Alexs Arana Olivos
- Servicio Nacional Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre (SERFOR), Ministerio de Desarrollo Agrario y Riego (MIDAGRI), Lima, Peru
| | - Ricardo De la Cruz Paiva
- Servicio Nacional Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre (SERFOR), Ministerio de Desarrollo Agrario y Riego (MIDAGRI), Lima, Peru
| | - Christopher Martius
- Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) Germany gGmbH, Bonn, Germany
| | - Martin Herold
- Laboratory of Geo-Information Science and Remote Sensing, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
- Section 1.4 Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics, Helmholtz Center Potsdam GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences, Potsdam, Germany
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4
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Tropical tree mortality has increased with rising atmospheric water stress. Nature 2022; 608:528-533. [PMID: 35585230 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04737-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Evidence exists that tree mortality is accelerating in some regions of the tropics1,2, with profound consequences for the future of the tropical carbon sink and the global anthropogenic carbon budget left to limit peak global warming below 2 °C. However, the mechanisms that may be driving such mortality changes and whether particular species are especially vulnerable remain unclear3-8. Here we analyse a 49-year record of tree dynamics from 24 old-growth forest plots encompassing a broad climatic gradient across the Australian moist tropics and find that annual tree mortality risk has, on average, doubled across all plots and species over the last 35 years, indicating a potential halving in life expectancy and carbon residence time. Associated losses in biomass were not offset by gains from growth and recruitment. Plots in less moist local climates presented higher average mortality risk, but local mean climate did not predict the pace of temporal increase in mortality risk. Species varied in the trajectories of their mortality risk, with the highest average risk found nearer to the upper end of the atmospheric vapour pressure deficit niches of species. A long-term increase in vapour pressure deficit was evident across the region, suggesting that thresholds involving atmospheric water stress, driven by global warming, may be a primary cause of increasing tree mortality in moist tropical forests.
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5
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Quantifying Post-Fire Changes in the Aboveground Biomass of an Amazonian Forest Based on Field and Remote Sensing Data. REMOTE SENSING 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/rs14071545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Fire is a major forest degradation component in the Amazon forests. Therefore, it is important to improve our understanding of how the post-fire canopy structure changes cascade through the spectral signals registered by medium-resolution satellite sensors over time. We contrasted accumulated yearly temporal changes in forest aboveground biomass (AGB), measured in permanent plots, and in traditional spectral indices derived from Landsat-8 images. We tested if the spectral indices can improve Random Forest (RF) models of post-fire AGB losses based on pre-fire AGB, proxied by AGB data from immediately after a fire. The delta normalized burned ratio, non-photosynthetic vegetation, and green vegetation (ΔNBR, ΔNPV, and ΔGV, respectively), relative to pre-fire data, were good proxies of canopy damage through tree mortality, even though small and medium trees were the most affected tree size. Among all tested predictors, pre-fire AGB had the highest RF model importance to predicting AGB within one year after fire. However, spectral indices significantly improved AGB loss estimates by 24% and model accuracy by 16% within two years after a fire, with ΔGV as the most important predictor, followed by ΔNBR and ΔNPV. Up to two years after a fire, this study indicates the potential of structural and spectral-based spatial data for integrating complex post-fire ecological processes and improving carbon emission estimates by forest fires in the Amazon.
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Impact of a tropical forest blowdown on aboveground carbon balance. Sci Rep 2021; 11:11279. [PMID: 34050217 PMCID: PMC8163810 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-90576-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Field measurements demonstrate a carbon sink in the Amazon and Congo basins, but the cause of this sink is uncertain. One possibility is that forest landscapes are experiencing transient recovery from previous disturbance. Attributing the carbon sink to transient recovery or other processes is challenging because we do not understand the sensitivity of conventional remote sensing methods to changes in aboveground carbon density (ACD) caused by disturbance events. Here we use ultra-high-density drone lidar to quantify the impact of a blowdown disturbance on ACD in a lowland rain forest in Costa Rica. We show that the blowdown decreased ACD by at least 17.6%, increased the number of canopy gaps, and altered the gap size-frequency distribution. Analyses of a canopy-height transition matrix indicate departure from steady-state conditions. This event will initiate a transient sink requiring an estimated 24-49 years to recover pre-disturbance ACD. Our results suggest that blowdowns of this magnitude and extent can remain undetected by conventional satellite optical imagery but are likely to alter ACD decades after they occur.
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Gora EM, Esquivel-Muelbert A. Implications of size-dependent tree mortality for tropical forest carbon dynamics. NATURE PLANTS 2021; 7:384-391. [PMID: 33782580 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-021-00879-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Tropical forests are mitigating the ongoing climate crisis by absorbing more atmospheric carbon than they emit. However, widespread increases in tree mortality rates are decreasing the ability of tropical forests to assimilate and store carbon. A relatively small number of large trees dominate the contributions of these forests to the global carbon budget, yet we know remarkably little about how these large trees die. Here, we propose a cohesive and empirically informed framework for understanding and investigating size-dependent drivers of tree mortality. This theory-based framework enables us to posit that abiotic drivers of tree mortality-particularly drought, wind and lightning-regulate tropical forest carbon cycling via their disproportionate effects on large trees. As global change is predicted to increase the pressure from abiotic drivers, the associated deaths of large trees could rapidly and lastingly reduce tropical forest biomass stocks. Focused investigations of large tree death are needed to understand how shifting drivers of mortality are restructuring carbon cycling in tropical forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan M Gora
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Panama.
| | - Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert
- School of Geography, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
- Birmingham Institute of Forest Research, Birmingham, UK.
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Dalagnol R, Wagner FH, Galvão LS, Streher AS, Phillips OL, Gloor E, Pugh TAM, Ometto JPHB, Aragão LEOC. Large-scale variations in the dynamics of Amazon forest canopy gaps from airborne lidar data and opportunities for tree mortality estimates. Sci Rep 2021; 11:1388. [PMID: 33446809 PMCID: PMC7809196 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80809-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
We report large-scale estimates of Amazonian gap dynamics using a novel approach with large datasets of airborne light detection and ranging (lidar), including five multi-temporal and 610 single-date lidar datasets. Specifically, we (1) compared the fixed height and relative height methods for gap delineation and established a relationship between static and dynamic gaps (newly created gaps); (2) explored potential environmental/climate drivers explaining gap occurrence using generalized linear models; and (3) cross-related our findings to mortality estimates from 181 field plots. Our findings suggest that static gaps are significantly correlated to dynamic gaps and can inform about structural changes in the forest canopy. Moreover, the relative height outperformed the fixed height method for gap delineation. Well-defined and consistent spatial patterns of dynamic gaps were found over the Amazon, while also revealing the dynamics of areas never sampled in the field. The predominant pattern indicates 20-35% higher gap dynamics at the west and southeast than at the central-east and north. These estimates were notably consistent with field mortality patterns, but they showed 60% lower magnitude likely due to the predominant detection of the broken/uprooted mode of death. While topographic predictors did not explain gap occurrence, the water deficit, soil fertility, forest flooding and degradation were key drivers of gap variability at the regional scale. These findings highlight the importance of lidar in providing opportunities for large-scale gap dynamics and tree mortality monitoring over the Amazon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ricardo Dalagnol
- Earth Observation and Geoinformatics Division, National Institute for Space Research-INPE, São José dos Campos, SP, 12227-010, Brazil.
| | - Fabien H Wagner
- Earth Observation and Geoinformatics Division, National Institute for Space Research-INPE, São José dos Campos, SP, 12227-010, Brazil
- GeoProcessing Division, Foundation for Science, Technology and Space Applications-FUNCATE, São José dos Campos, SP, 12210-131, Brazil
| | - Lênio S Galvão
- Earth Observation and Geoinformatics Division, National Institute for Space Research-INPE, São José dos Campos, SP, 12227-010, Brazil
| | - Annia S Streher
- Earth Observation and Geoinformatics Division, National Institute for Space Research-INPE, São José dos Campos, SP, 12227-010, Brazil
| | | | - Emanuel Gloor
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Thomas A M Pugh
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
- Birmingham Institute of Forest Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Jean P H B Ometto
- Earth System Sciences Center, National Institute for Space Research-INPE, São José dos Campos, SP, 12227-010, Brazil
| | - Luiz E O C Aragão
- Earth Observation and Geoinformatics Division, National Institute for Space Research-INPE, São José dos Campos, SP, 12227-010, Brazil
- Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4RJ, UK
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9
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Abstract
When developing theories, designing studies, and interpreting the results, researchers are influenced by their perception of tree size. For example, we may compare two trees of the same size belonging to different species, and attribute any differences to dissimilarities between the species. However, the meaning of “same size” depends on the measures of size used. Wood density influences certain measures, such as biomass, but does not influence e.g., trunk diameter. Therefore, the choice of the measure of size can reverse any conclusions. Hence, it is import to consider which measure of size should be used. I argue that the most common measure of size, i.e., trunk diameter, is often a bad choice when wood density varies, as diameter is then not directly related to processes important in evolution. When trees with equal diameters but differing wood densities are compared, the tree with denser wood is larger if the measure of size is related to construction cost or trunk strength, a proxy of leaf area. From this perspective, the comparison is then conducted between a biologically larger heavy-wooded tree and a smaller light-wooded tree, and the differences between the trees may be caused by size instead of wood density. Therefore, trunk biomass and strength may often be more suitable measures of size, as they reflect the construction cost and biomechanical potency linked to leaf area crown height, often too challenging to estimate more directly. To assess how commonly inadequate measures of tree size have been used, I reviewed 10 highly cited journal articles. None of these 10 articles discussed the impact of wood density on biological size, and instead based the analyses on diameters or basal areas. This led to conclusions that could change or even reverse in an analysis based on biomass or strength. Overall, I do not suggest avoiding the use of diameter, but I recommend considering result sensitivity to the measure of size, particularly in studies ones with variable wood densities.
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10
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Gorgens EB, Nunes MH, Jackson T, Coomes D, Keller M, Reis CR, Valbuena R, Rosette J, de Almeida DRA, Gimenez B, Cantinho R, Motta AZ, Assis M, de Souza Pereira FR, Spanner G, Higuchi N, Ometto JP. Resource availability and disturbance shape maximum tree height across the Amazon. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:177-189. [PMID: 33118242 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2020] [Revised: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Tall trees are key drivers of ecosystem processes in tropical forest, but the controls on the distribution of the very tallest trees remain poorly understood. The recent discovery of grove of giant trees over 80 meters tall in the Amazon forest requires a reevaluation of current thinking. We used high-resolution airborne laser surveys to measure canopy height across 282,750 ha of old-growth and second-growth forests randomly sampling the entire Brazilian Amazon. We investigated how resources and disturbances shape the maximum height distribution across the Brazilian Amazon through the relations between the occurrence of giant trees and environmental factors. Common drivers of height development are fundamentally different from those influencing the occurrence of giant trees. We found that changes in wind and light availability drive giant tree distribution as much as precipitation and temperature, together shaping the forest structure of the Brazilian Amazon. The location of giant trees should be carefully considered by policymakers when identifying important hot spots for the conservation of biodiversity in the Amazon.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric B Gorgens
- Departamento de Engenharia Florestal, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, MG, Brazil
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Bruno Gimenez
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
| | | | - Alline Z Motta
- Departamento de Engenharia Florestal, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, MG, Brazil
| | - Mauro Assis
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Gustavo Spanner
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Niro Higuchi
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, AM, Brazil
| | - Jean Pierre Ometto
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
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11
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Hall J, Muscarella R, Quebbeman A, Arellano G, Thompson J, Zimmerman JK, Uriarte M. Hurricane-Induced Rainfall is a Stronger Predictor of Tropical Forest Damage in Puerto Rico Than Maximum Wind Speeds. Sci Rep 2020; 10:4318. [PMID: 32152355 PMCID: PMC7062726 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-61164-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Projected increases in cyclonic storm intensity under a warming climate will have profound effects on forests, potentially changing these ecosystems from carbon sinks to sources. Forecasting storm impacts on these ecosystems requires consideration of risk factors associated with storm meteorology, landscape structure, and forest attributes. Here we evaluate risk factors associated with damage severity caused by Hurricanes María and Irma across Puerto Rican forests. Using field and remote sensing data, total forest aboveground biomass (AGB) lost to the storms was estimated at 10.44 (±2.33) Tg, ca. 23% of island-wide pre-hurricane forest AGB. Storm-related rainfall was a stronger predictor of forest damage than maximum wind speeds. Soil water storage capacity was also an important risk factor, corroborating the influence of rainfall on forest damage. Expected increases of 20% in hurricane-associated rainfall in the North Atlantic highlight the need to consider how such shifts, together with high speed winds, will affect terrestrial ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jazlynn Hall
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Robert Muscarella
- Department of Plant Ecology and Evolution, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Andrew Quebbeman
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Gabriel Arellano
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.,ForestGEO, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Washington DC, USA
| | - Jill Thompson
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0QB, UK
| | - Jess K Zimmerman
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Universidad de Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - María Uriarte
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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12
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Rader AM, Cottrell A, Kudla A, Lum T, Henderson D, Karandikar H, Letcher SG. Tree functional traits as predictors of microburst‐associated treefalls in tropical wet forests. Biotropica 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12761] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alana M. Rader
- Department of Geography Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey New Brunswick New Jersey
| | - Amy Cottrell
- Forestry and Environmental Conservation Department Clemson University Clemson South Carolina
| | - Anna Kudla
- Department of Biology Duke University Durham North Carolina
| | - Tiffany Lum
- Department of Botany University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Honolulu Hawaii
| | - David Henderson
- Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis Missouri
| | - Harshad Karandikar
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management University of California, Berkeley Berkeley California
| | - Susan G. Letcher
- Department of Plant Biology College of the Atlantic Bar Harbor Maine
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13
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Arellano G, Medina NG, Tan S, Mohamad M, Davies SJ. Crown damage and the mortality of tropical trees. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2019; 221:169-179. [PMID: 30067290 DOI: 10.1111/nph.15381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2018] [Accepted: 07/10/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
What causes individual tree death in tropical forests remains a major gap in our understanding of the biology of tropical trees and leads to significant uncertainty in predicting global carbon cycle dynamics. We measured individual characteristics (diameter at breast height, wood density, growth rate, crown illumination and crown form) and environmental conditions (soil fertility and habitat suitability) for 26 425 trees ≥ 10 cm diameter at breast height belonging to 416 species in a 52-ha plot in Lambir Hills National Park, Malaysia. We used structural equation models to investigate the relationships among the different factors and tree mortality. Crown form (a proxy for mechanical damage and other stresses) and prior growth were the two most important factors related to mortality. The effect of all variables on mortality (except habitat suitability) was substantially greater than expected by chance. Tree death is the result of interactions between factors, including direct and indirect effects. Crown form/damage and prior growth mediated most of the effect of tree size, wood density, fertility and habitat suitability on mortality. Large-scale assessment of crown form or status may result in improved prediction of individual tree death at the landscape scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Arellano
- CTFS-ForestGEO, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, PO Box 37012, Washington, DC, 20013-7012, USA
| | - Nagore G Medina
- Department of Botany, University of South Bohemia, Na Zlate stoce 1, České Budjovice, 370 05, Czech Republic
| | - Sylvester Tan
- Sarawak Forest Department, Kuching, Sarawak, 93050, Malaysia
| | - Mohizah Mohamad
- Sarawak Forest Department, Kuching, Sarawak, 93050, Malaysia
| | - Stuart J Davies
- CTFS-ForestGEO, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, PO Box 37012, Washington, DC, 20013-7012, USA
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14
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Magnabosco Marra D, Trumbore SE, Higuchi N, Ribeiro GHPM, Negrón-Juárez RI, Holzwarth F, Rifai SW, Dos Santos J, Lima AJN, Kinupp VF, Chambers JQ, Wirth C. Windthrows control biomass patterns and functional composition of Amazon forests. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2018; 24:5867-5881. [PMID: 30256494 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14457] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2017] [Revised: 09/08/2018] [Accepted: 09/10/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Amazon forests account for ~25% of global land biomass and tropical tree species. In these forests, windthrows (i.e., snapped and uprooted trees) are a major natural disturbance, but the rates and mechanisms of recovery are not known. To provide a predictive framework for understanding the effects of windthrows on forest structure and functional composition (DBH ≥10 cm), we quantified biomass recovery as a function of windthrow severity (i.e., fraction of windthrow tree mortality on Landsat pixels, ranging from 0%-70%) and time since disturbance for terra-firme forests in the Central Amazon. Forest monitoring allowed insights into the processes and mechanisms driving the net biomass change (i.e., increment minus loss) and shifts in functional composition. Windthrown areas recovering for between 4-27 years had biomass stocks as low as 65.2-91.7 Mg/ha or 23%-38% of those in nearby undisturbed forests (~255.6 Mg/ha, all sites). Even low windthrow severities (4%-20% tree mortality) caused decadal changes in biomass stocks and structure. While rates of biomass increment in recovering vegetation were nearly double (6.3 ± 1.4 Mg ha-1 year-1 ) those of undisturbed forests (~3.7 Mg ha-1 year-1 ), biomass loss due to post-windthrow mortality was high (up to -7.5 ± 8.7 Mg ha-1 year-1 , 8.5 years since disturbance) and unpredictable. Consequently, recovery to 90% of "pre-disturbance" biomass takes up to 40 years. Resprouting trees contributed little to biomass recovery. Instead, light-demanding, low-density genera (e.g., Cecropia, Inga, Miconia, Pourouma, Tachigali, and Tapirira) were favored, resulting in substantial post-windthrow species turnover. Shifts in functional composition demonstrate that windthrows affect the resilience of live tree biomass by favoring soft-wooded species with shorter life spans that are more vulnerable to future disturbances. As the time required for forests to recover biomass is likely similar to the recurrence interval of windthrows triggering succession, windthrows have the potential to control landscape biomass/carbon dynamics and functional composition in Amazon forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Magnabosco Marra
- Biogeochemical Processes Department, Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
- Laboratório de Manejo Florestal, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil
- AG Spezielle Botanik und Funktionelle Biodiversität, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Susan E Trumbore
- Biogeochemical Processes Department, Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
| | - Niro Higuchi
- Laboratório de Manejo Florestal, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Gabriel H P M Ribeiro
- Laboratório de Manejo Florestal, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Robinson I Negrón-Juárez
- Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California
| | - Frederic Holzwarth
- AG Spezielle Botanik und Funktionelle Biodiversität, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sami W Rifai
- Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Joaquim Dos Santos
- Laboratório de Manejo Florestal, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Adriano J N Lima
- Laboratório de Manejo Florestal, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Valdely F Kinupp
- Ciência e Tecnologia do Amazonas, Campus Manaus-Zona Leste, Herbário EAFM, Instituto Federal de Educação, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Jeffrey Q Chambers
- Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California
- Geography Department, University of California, Berkeley, California
| | - Christian Wirth
- AG Spezielle Botanik und Funktionelle Biodiversität, Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Functional Biogeography Fellow Group, Max-Planck-Institute for Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany
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15
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Couvreur V, Ledder G, Manzoni S, Way DA, Muller EB, Russo SE. Water transport through tall trees: A vertically explicit, analytical model of xylem hydraulic conductance in stems. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2018; 41:1821-1839. [PMID: 29739034 DOI: 10.1111/pce.13322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Revised: 04/14/2018] [Accepted: 04/16/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Trees grow by vertically extending their stems, so accurate stem hydraulic models are fundamental to understanding the hydraulic challenges faced by tall trees. Using a literature survey, we showed that many tree species exhibit continuous vertical variation in hydraulic traits. To examine the effects of this variation on hydraulic function, we developed a spatially explicit, analytical water transport model for stems. Our model allows Huber ratio, stem-saturated conductivity, pressure at 50% loss of conductivity, leaf area, and transpiration rate to vary continuously along the hydraulic path. Predictions from our model differ from a matric flux potential model parameterized with uniform traits. Analyses show that cavitation is a whole-stem emergent property resulting from non-linear pressure-conductivity feedbacks that, with gravity, cause impaired water transport to accumulate along the path. Because of the compounding effects of vertical trait variation on hydraulic function, growing proportionally more sapwood and building tapered xylem with height, as well as reducing xylem vulnerability only at branch tips while maintaining transport capacity at the stem base, can compensate for these effects. We therefore conclude that the adaptive significance of vertical variation in stem hydraulic traits is to allow trees to grow tall and tolerate operating near their hydraulic limits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentin Couvreur
- Earth and Life Institute-Agronomy, Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Glenn Ledder
- Department of Mathematics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Stefano Manzoni
- Department of Physical Geography and Bolin Centre for Climate Research, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Danielle A Way
- Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, N6A 5B7, Canada
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - Erik B Muller
- Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
- Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Sabrina E Russo
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
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16
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Csilléry K, Kunstler G, Courbaud B, Allard D, Lassègues P, Haslinger K, Gardiner B. Coupled effects of wind-storms and drought on tree mortality across 115 forest stands from the Western Alps and the Jura mountains. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2017; 23:5092-5107. [PMID: 28580624 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2017] [Accepted: 04/21/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Damage due to wind-storms and droughts is increasing in many temperate forests, yet little is known about the long-term roles of these key climatic factors in forest dynamics and in the carbon budget. The objective of this study was to estimate individual and coupled effects of droughts and wind-storms on adult tree mortality across a 31-year period in 115 managed, mixed coniferous forest stands from the Western Alps and the Jura mountains. For each stand, yearly mortality was inferred from management records, yearly drought from interpolated fields of monthly temperature, precipitation and soil water holding capacity, and wind-storms from interpolated fields of daily maximum wind speed. We performed a thorough model selection based on a leave-one-out cross-validation of the time series. We compared different critical wind speeds (CWSs) for damage, wind-storm, and stand variables and statistical models. We found that a model including stand characteristics, drought, and storm strength using a CWS of 25 ms-1 performed the best across most stands. Using this best model, we found that drought increased damage risk only in the most southerly forests, and its effect is generally maintained for up to 2 years. Storm strength increased damage risk in all forests in a relatively uniform way. In some stands, we found positive interaction between drought and storm strength most likely because drought weakens trees, and they became more prone to stem breakage under wind-loading. In other stands, we found negative interaction between drought and storm strength, where excessive rain likely leads to soil water saturation making trees more susceptible to overturning in a wind-storm. Our results stress that temporal data are essential to make valid inferences about ecological impacts of disturbance events, and that making inferences about disturbance agents separately can be of limited validity. Under projected future climatic conditions, the direction and strength of these ecological interactions could also change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katalin Csilléry
- Center for Adaptation to a Changing Environment (ACE), ETH Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
- Biodiversity and Conservation Biology, Swiss Federal Research Institute WSL, Bir mensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Georges Kunstler
- Ecosystèmes Montagnards (UR EMGR), Irstea, Université Grenoble Alpes, St-Martin-d'Hères, France
| | - Benoît Courbaud
- Ecosystèmes Montagnards (UR EMGR), Irstea, Université Grenoble Alpes, St-Martin-d'Hères, France
| | - Denis Allard
- Biostatistics and Spatial Processes (BioSP), INRA, Avignon, France
| | - Pierre Lassègues
- Développements et Etudes Climatologiques, Direction de la Climatologie et des Services Cli matiques (DCSC/DEC), Météo-France, Toulouse, France
| | - Klaus Haslinger
- Department of Climate Research, Central Institute for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG), Vienna, Austria
| | - Barry Gardiner
- UMR 1391 ISPA, INRA, Bordeaux Sciences Agro, Villenave d'Ornon, France
- EFI Atlantic, Cestas, France
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17
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Schwartz NB, Uriarte M, DeFries R, Bedka KM, Fernandes K, Gutiérrez-Vélez V, Pinedo-Vasquez MA. Fragmentation increases wind disturbance impacts on forest structure and carbon stocks in a western Amazonian landscape. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2017; 27:1901-1915. [PMID: 28593704 DOI: 10.1002/eap.1576] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2016] [Revised: 04/01/2017] [Accepted: 04/27/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Tropical second-growth forests could help mitigate climate change, but the degree to which their carbon potential is achieved will depend on exposure to disturbance. Wind disturbance is common in tropical forests, shaping structure, composition, and function, and influencing successional trajectories. However, little is known about the impacts of extreme winds on second-growth forests in fragmented landscapes, though these ecosystems are often located in mosaics of forest, pasture, cropland, and other land cover types. Indirect evidence suggests that fragmentation increases risk of wind damage in tropical forests, but no studies have found such impacts following severe storms. In this study, we ask whether fragmentation and forest type (old vs. second growth) were associated with variation in wind damage after a severe convective storm in a fragmented production landscape in western Amazonia. We applied linear spectral unmixing to Landsat 8 imagery from before and after the storm, and combined it with field observations of damage to map wind effects on forest structure and biomass. We also used Landsat 8 imagery to map land cover with the goals of identifying old- and second-growth forest and characterizing fragmentation. We used these data to assess variation in wind disturbance across 95,596 ha of forest, distributed over 6,110 patches. We find that fragmentation is significantly associated with wind damage, with damage severity higher at forest edges and in edgier, more isolated patches. Damage was also more severe in old-growth than in second-growth forests, but this effect was weaker than that of fragmentation. These results illustrate the importance of considering landscape context in planning tropical forest restoration and natural regeneration projects. Assessments of long-term carbon sequestration potential need to consider spatial variation in disturbance exposure. Where risk of extreme winds is high, minimizing fragmentation and isolation could increase carbon sequestration potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi B Schwartz
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York, 10027, USA
| | - María Uriarte
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York, 10027, USA
| | - Ruth DeFries
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, New York, 10027, USA
| | | | - Katia Fernandes
- International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Columbia University, Palisades, New York, 10964, USA
- Center for International Forestry Research, Bogor, 16115, Indonesia
| | - Victor Gutiérrez-Vélez
- Department of Geography and Urban Studies, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19122, USA
| | - Miguel A Pinedo-Vasquez
- International Research Institute for Climate and Society, Columbia University, Palisades, New York, 10964, USA
- Center for International Forestry Research, Bogor, 16115, Indonesia
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