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Cao HX, Michels D, Vu GTH, Gailing O. Applications of CRISPR Technologies in Forestry and Molecular Wood Biotechnology. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:11792. [PMID: 39519342 PMCID: PMC11547103 DOI: 10.3390/ijms252111792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2024] [Revised: 10/27/2024] [Accepted: 11/01/2024] [Indexed: 11/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Forests worldwide are under increasing pressure from climate change and emerging diseases, threatening their vital ecological and economic roles. Traditional breeding approaches, while valuable, are inherently slow and limited by the long generation times and existing genetic variation of trees. CRISPR technologies offer a transformative solution, enabling precise and efficient genome editing to accelerate the development of climate-resilient and productive forests. This review provides a comprehensive overview of CRISPR applications in forestry, exploring its potential for enhancing disease resistance, improving abiotic stress tolerance, modifying wood properties, and accelerating growth. We discuss the mechanisms and applications of various CRISPR systems, including base editing, prime editing, and multiplexing strategies. Additionally, we highlight recent advances in overcoming key challenges such as reagent delivery and plant regeneration, which are crucial for successful implementation of CRISPR in trees. We also delve into the potential and ethical considerations of using CRISPR gene drive for population-level genetic alterations, as well as the importance of genetic containment strategies for mitigating risks. This review emphasizes the need for continued research, technological advancements, extensive long-term field trials, public engagement, and responsible innovation to fully harness the power of CRISPR for shaping a sustainable future for forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hieu Xuan Cao
- Forest Genetics and Forest Tree Breeding, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany; (H.X.C.)
- Center for Integrated Breeding Research (CiBreed), University of Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
| | - David Michels
- Forest Genetics and Forest Tree Breeding, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany; (H.X.C.)
| | - Giang Thi Ha Vu
- Forest Genetics and Forest Tree Breeding, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany; (H.X.C.)
- Center for Integrated Breeding Research (CiBreed), University of Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Oliver Gailing
- Forest Genetics and Forest Tree Breeding, University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany; (H.X.C.)
- Center for Integrated Breeding Research (CiBreed), University of Göttingen, 37075 Göttingen, Germany
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Rundel PW, Harmon TC, Fernandez-Bou AS, Allen MF. Collaborative Use of Sensor Networks and Cyberinfrastructure to Understand Complex Ecosystem Interactions in a Tropical Rainforest: Challenges and Lessons Learned. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 23:9081. [PMID: 38005470 PMCID: PMC10674975 DOI: 10.3390/s23229081] [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: 06/13/2023] [Revised: 10/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023]
Abstract
Collaborations between ecosystem ecologists and engineers have led to impressive progress in developing complex models of biogeochemical fluxes in response to global climate change. Ecology and engineering iteratively inform and transform each other in these efforts. Nested data streams from local sources, adjacent networks, and remote sensing sources together magnify the capacity of ecosystem ecologists to observe systems in near real-time and address questions at temporal and spatial scales that were previously unobtainable. We describe our research experiences working in a Costa Rican rainforest ecosystem with the challenges presented by constant high humidity, 4300 mm of annual rainfall, flooding, small invertebrates entering the tiniest openings, stinging insects, and venomous snakes. Over the past two decades, we faced multiple challenges and learned from our mistakes to develop a broad program of ecosystem research at multiple levels of integration. This program involved integrated networks of diverse sensors on a series of canopy towers linked to multiple belowground soil sensor arrays that could transport sensor data streams from the forest directly to an off-site location via a fiber optic cable. In our commentary, we highlight three components of our work: (1) the eddy flux measurements using canopy towers; (2) the soil sensor arrays for measuring the spatial and temporal patterns of CO2 and O2 fluxes at the soil-atmosphere interface; and (3) focused investigations of the ecosystem impact of leaf-cutter ants as "ecosystem engineers" on carbon fluxes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip W. Rundel
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Thomas C. Harmon
- Sierra Nevada Research Institute, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Merced, CA 95343, USA; (T.C.H.); (A.S.F.-B.)
| | - Angel S. Fernandez-Bou
- Sierra Nevada Research Institute, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Merced, CA 95343, USA; (T.C.H.); (A.S.F.-B.)
- Climate & Energy Program, Union of Concerned Scientists, 500 12th St., Suite 340, Oakland, CA 94607, USA
| | - Michael F. Allen
- Center for Conservation Biology, Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92507, USA;
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3
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Jaramillo C. The evolution of extant South American tropical biomes. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 239:477-493. [PMID: 37103892 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18931] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
This review explores the evolution of extant South American tropical biomes, focusing on when and why they developed. Tropical vegetation experienced a radical transformation from being dominated by non-angiosperms at the onset of the Cretaceous to full angiosperm dominance nowadays. Cretaceous tropical biomes do not have extant equivalents; lowland forests, dominated mainly by gymnosperms and ferns, lacked a closed canopy. This condition was radically transformed following the massive extinction event at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary. The extant lowland tropical rainforests first developed at the onset of the Cenozoic with a multistratified forest, an angiosperm-dominated closed canopy, and the dominance of the main families of the tropics including legumes. Cenozoic rainforest diversity has increased during global warming and decreased during global cooling. Tropical dry forests emerged at least by the late Eocene, whereas other Neotropical biomes including tropical savannas, montane forests, páramo/puna, and xerophytic forest are much younger, greatly expanding during the late Neogene, probably at the onset of the Quaternary, at the expense of the rainforest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Jaramillo
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Apartado 0843-03092, Balboa, Ancón, Panama City, Panama
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4
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Dynamics of a coupled socio-environmental model: An application to global CO2 emissions. Ecol Modell 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2023.110279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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Wittemann M, Andersson MX, Ntirugulirwa B, Tarvainen L, Wallin G, Uddling J. Temperature acclimation of net photosynthesis and its underlying component processes in four tropical tree species. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 42:1188-1202. [PMID: 35038330 PMCID: PMC9190752 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpac002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
The effect of temperature change on leaf physiology has been extensively studied in temperate trees and to some extent in boreal and tropical tree species. While increased temperature typically stimulates leaf CO2 assimilation and tree growth in high-altitude ecosystems, tropical species are often negatively affected. These trees may operate close to their temperature optima and have a limited thermal acclimation capacity due to low seasonal and historical variation in temperature. To test this hypothesis, we studied the extent to which the temperature sensitivities of leaf photosynthesis and respiration acclimate to growth temperature in four common African tropical tree species. Tree seedlings native to different altitudes and therefore adapted to different growth temperatures were cultivated at three different temperatures in climate-controlled chambers. We estimated the acclimation capacity of the temperature sensitivities of light-saturated net photosynthesis, the maximum rates of Rubisco carboxylation (Vcmax) and thylakoid electron transport (J), and dark respiration. Leaf thylakoid membrane lipid composition, nitrogen content and leaf mass per area were also analyzed. Our results showed that photosynthesis in tropical tree species acclimated to higher growth temperatures, but that this was weakest in the species originating from the coolest climate. The temperature optimum of J acclimated significantly in three species and variation in J was linked to changes in the thylakoid membrane lipid composition. For Vcmax, there was only evidence of significant acclimation of optimal temperature in the lowest elevation species. Respiration acclimated to maintain homeostasis at growth temperature in all four species. Our results suggest that the lowest elevation species is better physiologically adapted to acclimate to high growth temperatures than the highest elevation species, indicating a potential shift in competitive balance and tree community composition to the disadvantage of montane tree species in a warmer world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Wittemann
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, PO Box 461, Gothenburg SE-405 30, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre (GGBC), University of Gothenburg, PO Box 461, Gothenburg SE-405 30, Sweden
- Department of Biology, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda, University Avenue, PO Box 117, Huye, Rwanda
| | - Mats X Andersson
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, PO Box 461, Gothenburg SE-405 30, Sweden
| | - Bonaventure Ntirugulirwa
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, PO Box 461, Gothenburg SE-405 30, Sweden
- Department of Biology, College of Science and Technology, University of Rwanda, University Avenue, PO Box 117, Huye, Rwanda
- Rwanda Agriculture and Resources Development Board (RAB), PO Box 5016, Kigali, Rwanda
| | - Lasse Tarvainen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, PO Box 461, Gothenburg SE-405 30, Sweden
| | - Göran Wallin
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, PO Box 461, Gothenburg SE-405 30, Sweden
| | - Johan Uddling
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, PO Box 461, Gothenburg SE-405 30, Sweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre (GGBC), University of Gothenburg, PO Box 461, Gothenburg SE-405 30, Sweden
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Noguchi M, Hoshizaki K, Matsushita M, Sugiura D, Yagihashi T, Saitoh T, Itabashi T, Kazuhide O, Shibata M, Hoshino D, Masaki T, Osumi K, Takahashi K, Suzuki W. Aboveground biomass increments over 26 years (1993-2019) in an old-growth cool-temperate forest in northern Japan. JOURNAL OF PLANT RESEARCH 2022; 135:69-79. [PMID: 34973093 PMCID: PMC8755688 DOI: 10.1007/s10265-021-01358-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2021] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Assessing long-term changes in the biomass of old-growth forests with consideration of climate effects is essential for understanding forest ecosystem functions under a changing climate. Long-term biomass changes are the result of accumulated short-term changes, which can be affected by endogenous processes such as gap filling in small-scale canopy openings. Here, we used 26 years (1993-2019) of repeated tree census data in an old-growth, cool-temperate, mixed deciduous forest that contains three topographic units (riparian, denuded slope, and terrace) in northern Japan to document decadal changes in aboveground biomass (AGB) and their processes in relation to endogenous processes and climatic factors. AGB increased steadily over the 26 years in all topographic units, but different tree species contributed to the increase among the topographic units. AGB gain within each topographic unit exceeded AGB loss via tree mortality in most of the measurement periods despite substantial temporal variation in AGB loss. At the local scale, variations in AGB gain were partially explained by compensating growth of trees around canopy gaps. Climate affected the local-scale AGB gain: the gain was larger in the measurement periods with higher mean air temperature during the current summer but smaller in those with higher mean air temperature during the previous autumn, synchronously in all topographic units. The influences of decadal summer and autumn warming on AGB growth appeared to be counteracting, suggesting that the observed steady AGB increase in KRRF is not fully explained by the warming. Future studies should consider global and regional environmental factors such as elevated CO2 concentrations and nitrogen deposition, and include cool-temperate forests with a broader temperature range to improve our understanding on biomass accumulation in this type of forests under climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahoko Noguchi
- Tohoku Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Morioka, 020-0123, Japan.
| | - Kazuhiko Hoshizaki
- Department of Biological Environment, Akita Prefectural University, Akita, 010-0195, Japan
| | - Michinari Matsushita
- Forest Tree Breeding Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Hitachi, 319-1301, Japan
| | - Daiki Sugiura
- Department of Biological Environment, Akita Prefectural University, Akita, 010-0195, Japan
| | - Tsutomu Yagihashi
- Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba, 305-8687, Japan
| | - Tomoyuki Saitoh
- Tohoku Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Morioka, 020-0123, Japan
| | - Tomohiro Itabashi
- Department of Biological Environment, Akita Prefectural University, Akita, 010-0195, Japan
| | - Ohta Kazuhide
- Department of Biological Environment, Akita Prefectural University, Akita, 010-0195, Japan
| | - Mitsue Shibata
- Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba, 305-8687, Japan
| | - Daisuke Hoshino
- Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba, 305-8687, Japan
| | - Takashi Masaki
- Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Tsukuba, 305-8687, Japan
| | - Katsuhiro Osumi
- Field Science Center, Faculty of Agriculture, Tottori University (Retired), Tottori, 680-8553, Japan
| | - Kazunori Takahashi
- Kansai Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Kyoto, 612-0855, Japan
| | - Wajirou Suzuki
- Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (Retired), Tsukuba, 305-8687, Japan
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Kaasalainen U, Tuovinen V, Kirika PM, Mollel NP, Hemp A, Rikkinen J. Diversity of Leptogium (Collemataceae, Ascomycota) in East African Montane Ecosystems. Microorganisms 2021; 9:microorganisms9020314. [PMID: 33546461 PMCID: PMC7913733 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms9020314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 01/15/2021] [Accepted: 01/29/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Tropical mountains and especially their forests are hot spots of biodiversity threatened by human population pressure and climate change. The diversity of lichens in tropical Africa is especially poorly known. Here we use the mtSSU and nuITS molecular markers together with morphology and ecology to assess Leptogium (Peltigerales, Ascomycota) diversity in the tropical mountains of Taita Hills and Mt. Kasigau in Kenya and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. The sampled habitats cover a wide range of ecosystems from savanna to alpine heath vegetation and from relatively natural forests to agricultural environments and plantation forests. We demonstrate that Leptogium diversity in Africa is much higher than previously known and provide preliminary data on over 70 putative species, including nine established species previously known from the area and over 60 phylogenetically, morphologically, and/or ecologically defined Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs). Many traditional species concepts are shown to represent morphotypes comprised of several taxa. Many of the species were only found from specific ecosystems and/or restricted habitats and are thus threatened by ongoing habitat fragmentation and degradation of the natural environment. Our results emphasize the importance of molecular markers in species inventories of highly diverse organism groups and geographical areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulla Kaasalainen
- Department of Geobiology, University of Göttingen, Goldschmidtstraβe 3, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Finnish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 7, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland;
- Correspondence: or
| | - Veera Tuovinen
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden;
| | - Paul M. Kirika
- National Museums of Kenya, East African Herbarium, Museum Hill Road, P.O. Box 45166, Nairobi 00100, Kenya;
| | - Neduvoto P. Mollel
- National Herbarium, Tropical Pesticides Research Institute, P.O. Box 3024, Arusha 23201, Tanzania;
| | - Andreas Hemp
- Department of Plant Systematics, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstr. 30, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany;
| | - Jouko Rikkinen
- Finnish Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 7, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland;
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 65, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
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8
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The erosion of biodiversity and biomass in the Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot. Nat Commun 2020; 11:6347. [PMID: 33311511 PMCID: PMC7733445 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-20217-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Tropical forests are being deforested worldwide, and the remaining fragments are suffering from biomass and biodiversity erosion. Quantifying this erosion is challenging because ground data on tropical biodiversity and biomass are often sparse. Here, we use an unprecedented dataset of 1819 field surveys covering the entire Atlantic Forest biodiversity hotspot. We show that 83−85% of the surveys presented losses in forest biomass and tree species richness, functional traits, and conservation value. On average, forest fragments have 25−32% less biomass, 23−31% fewer species, and 33, 36, and 42% fewer individuals of late-successional, large-seeded, and endemic species, respectively. Biodiversity and biomass erosion are lower inside strictly protected conservation units, particularly in large ones. We estimate that biomass erosion across the Atlantic Forest remnants is equivalent to the loss of 55−70 thousand km2 of forests or US$2.3−2.6 billion in carbon credits. These figures have direct implications on mechanisms of climate change mitigation. Quantifying forest degradation and biodiversity losses is necessary to inform conservation and restoration policies. Here the authors analyze a large dataset for the Atlantic Forest in South America to quantify losses in forest biomass and tree species richness, functional traits, and conservation value.
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9
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Maia VA, Santos ABM, de Aguiar-Campos N, de Souza CR, de Oliveira MCF, Coelho PA, Morel JD, da Costa LS, Farrapo CL, Fagundes NCA, de Paula GGP, Santos PF, Gianasi FM, da Silva WB, de Oliveira F, Girardelli DT, de Carvalho Araújo F, Vilela TA, Pereira RT, da Silva LCA, de Oliveira Menino GC, Garcia PO, Fontes MAL, Dos Santos RM. The carbon sink of tropical seasonal forests in southeastern Brazil can be under threat. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eabd4548. [PMID: 33355136 PMCID: PMC11206208 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abd4548] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Tropical forests have played an important role as a carbon sink over time. However, the carbon dynamics of Brazilian non-Amazon tropical forests are still not well understood. Here, we used data from 32 tropical seasonal forest sites, monitored from 1987 to 2020 (mean site monitoring length, ~15 years) to investigate their long-term trends in carbon stocks and sinks. Our results highlight a long-term decline in the net carbon sink (0.13 Mg C ha-1 year-1) caused by decreasing carbon gains (2.6% by year) and increasing carbon losses (3.4% by year). The driest and warmest sites are experiencing the most severe carbon sink decline and have already moved from carbon sinks to carbon sources. Because of the importance of the terrestrial carbon sink for the global climate, policies are needed to mitigate the emission of greenhouse gases and to restore and protect tropical seasonal forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinícius Andrade Maia
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Universidade Federal de Lavras, P.O. Box 3037, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil.
| | | | - Natália de Aguiar-Campos
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Universidade Federal de Lavras, P.O. Box 3037, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil
| | - Cléber Rodrigo de Souza
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Universidade Federal de Lavras, P.O. Box 3037, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil
| | | | - Polyanne Aparecida Coelho
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Universidade Federal de Lavras, P.O. Box 3037, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil
| | - Jean Daniel Morel
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Universidade Federal de Lavras, P.O. Box 3037, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil
| | - Lauana Silva da Costa
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Universidade Federal de Lavras, P.O. Box 3037, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil
| | - Camila Laís Farrapo
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Universidade Federal de Lavras, P.O. Box 3037, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil
| | - Nathalle Cristine Alencar Fagundes
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Universidade Federal de Lavras, P.O. Box 3037, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Lavras, P.O. Box 3037, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil
- Universidade do Estado de Minas Gerais, P.O. Box 431, Ituiutaba, MG 38302-192, Brazil
| | | | - Paola Ferreira Santos
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Lavras, P.O. Box 3037, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Moreira Gianasi
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Lavras, P.O. Box 3037, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil
| | - Wilder Bento da Silva
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Universidade Federal de Lavras, P.O. Box 3037, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil
| | - Fernanda de Oliveira
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Lavras, P.O. Box 3037, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil
| | - Diego Teixeira Girardelli
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Universidade Federal de Lavras, P.O. Box 3037, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil
| | - Felipe de Carvalho Araújo
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Universidade Federal de Lavras, P.O. Box 3037, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Lavras, P.O. Box 3037, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil
| | - Taynara Andrade Vilela
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Universidade Federal de Lavras, P.O. Box 3037, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil
| | - Rafaella Tavares Pereira
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Universidade Federal de Lavras, P.O. Box 3037, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil
| | | | | | - Paulo Oswaldo Garcia
- Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia Sul de Minas Gerais-Campus Muzambinho, P.O. Box 02, Muzambinho, MG 37890-000, Brazil
| | - Marco Aurélio Leite Fontes
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Universidade Federal de Lavras, P.O. Box 3037, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil
| | - Rubens Manoel Dos Santos
- Departamento de Ciências Florestais, Universidade Federal de Lavras, P.O. Box 3037, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil.
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Lavras, P.O. Box 3037, Lavras, MG 37200-900, Brazil
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Needham JF, Chambers J, Fisher R, Knox R, Koven CD. Forest responses to simulated elevated CO 2 under alternate hypotheses of size- and age-dependent mortality. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:5734-5753. [PMID: 32594557 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2020] [Revised: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide (eCO2 ) is predicted to increase growth rates of forest trees. The extent to which increased growth translates to changes in biomass is dependent on the turnover time of the carbon, and thus tree mortality rates. Size- or age-dependent mortality combined with increased growth rates could result in either decreased carbon turnover from a speeding up of tree life cycles, or increased biomass from trees reaching larger sizes, respectively. However, most vegetation models currently lack any representation of size- or age-dependent mortality and the effect of eCO2 on changes in biomass and carbon turnover times is thus a major source of uncertainty in predictions of future vegetation dynamics. Using a reduced-complexity form of the vegetation demographic model the Functionally Assembled Terrestrial Ecosystem Simulator to simulate an idealised tropical forest, we find increases in biomass despite reductions in carbon turnover time in both size- and age-dependent mortality scenarios in response to a hypothetical eCO2 -driven 25% increase in woody net primary productivity (wNPP). Carbon turnover times decreased by 9.6% in size-dependent mortality scenarios due to a speeding up of tree life cycles, but also by 2.0% when mortality was age-dependent, as larger crowns led to increased light competition. Increases in aboveground biomass (AGB) were much larger when mortality was age-dependent (24.3%) compared with size-dependent (13.4%) as trees reached larger sizes before death. In simulations with a constant background mortality rate, carbon turnover time decreased by 2.1% and AGB increased by 24.0%, however, absolute values of AGB and carbon turnover were higher than in either size- or age-dependent mortality scenario. The extent to which AGB increases and carbon turnover decreases will thus depend on the mechanisms of large tree mortality: if increased size itself results in elevated mortality rates, then this could reduce by about half the increase in AGB relative to the increase in wNPP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica F Needham
- Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Department, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Jeffrey Chambers
- Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Department, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Rosie Fisher
- Centre Européen de Recherche et de Formation Avancée en Calcul Scientifique, Toulouse, France
| | - Ryan Knox
- Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Department, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Charles D Koven
- Climate and Ecosystem Sciences Department, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
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11
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di Porcia E Brugnera M, Fischer R, Taubert F, Huth A, Verbeeck H. Lianas in silico, ecological insights from a model of structural parasitism. Ecol Modell 2020; 431:109159. [PMID: 32884164 PMCID: PMC7410096 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2020.109159] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Tropical forests are a critical component of the Earth system, storing half of the global forest carbon stocks and accounting for a third of terrestrial photosynthesis. Lianas are structural parasites that can substantially reduce the carbon sequestration capacity of these forests. Simulations of this peculiar growth form have only recently started and a single vegetation model included lianas so far. In this work we present a new liana implementation within the individual based model Formind. Initial tests indicate high structural realism both horizontal and vertical. In particular, we benchmarked the model against empirical observations of size distribution, mean liana cluster size and vertical leaf distribution for the Paracou site in French Guiana. Our model predicted a reduction of above-ground biomass between 10% for mature stands to 45% for secondary plots upon inclusion of lianas in the simulations. The reduced biomass was the result of a lower productivity due to a combination of lower tree photosynthesis and high liana respiration. We evaluated structural metrics (LAI, basal area, mean tree-height) and carbon fluxes (GPP, respiration) by comparing simulations with and without lianas. At the equilibrium, liana productivity was 1.9tC ha−1 y−1, or 23% of the total GPP and the forest carbon stocks were between 5% and 11% lower in simulations with lianas. We also highlight the main strengths and limitations of this new approach and propose new field measurements to further the understanding of liana ecology in a modelling framework.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rico Fischer
- Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Franziska Taubert
- Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Andreas Huth
- Department of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany.,Institute of Environmental System Research, University of Osnabruck, Osnabruck, Germany.,German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research iDiv, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Hans Verbeeck
- CAVElab - Department of Environment, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
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12
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Rutishauser E, Wright SJ, Condit R, Hubbell SP, Davies SJ, Muller-Landau HC. Testing for changes in biomass dynamics in large-scale forest datasets. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:1485-1498. [PMID: 31498520 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2019] [Accepted: 08/27/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Tropical forest responses to climate and atmospheric change are critical to the future of the global carbon budget. Recent studies have reported increases in estimated above-ground biomass (EAGB) stocks, productivity, and mortality in old-growth tropical forests. These increases could reflect a shift in forest functioning due to global change and/or long-lasting recovery from past disturbance. We introduce a novel approach to disentangle the relative contributions of these mechanisms by decomposing changes in whole-plot biomass fluxes into contributions from changes in the distribution of gap-successional stages and changes in fluxes for a given stage. Using 30 years of forest dynamic data at Barro Colorado Island, Panama, we investigated temporal variation in EAGB fluxes as a function of initial EAGB (EAGBi ) in 10 × 10 m quadrats. Productivity and mortality fluxes both increased strongly with initial quadrat EAGB. The distribution of EAGB (and thus EAGBi ) across quadrats hardly varied over 30 years (and seven censuses). EAGB fluxes as a function of EAGBi varied largely and significantly among census intervals, with notably higher productivity in 1985-1990 associated with recovery from the 1982-1983 El Niño event. Variation in whole-plot fluxes among census intervals was explained overwhelmingly by variation in fluxes as a function of EAGBi , with essentially no contribution from changes in EAGBi distributions. The high observed temporal variation in productivity and mortality suggests that this forest is very sensitive to climate variability. There was no consistent long-term trend in productivity, mortality, or biomass in this forest over 30 years, although the temporal variability in productivity and mortality was so strong that it could well mask a substantial trend. Accurate prediction of future tropical forest carbon budgets will require accounting for disturbance-recovery dynamics and understanding temporal variability in productivity and mortality.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Stephen P Hubbell
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Stuart J Davies
- Center for Tropical Forest Science-Forest Global Earth Observatory, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama City, Panama
- Department of Botany, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
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13
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Olaya-Arenas P, Meléndez-Ackerman EJ, Pérez ME. Long-term temperature and precipitation trends in the Luquillo Mountains, and their relationships to global atmospheric indices used in climate change predictions. CARIBB J SCI 2020. [DOI: 10.18475/cjos.v50i1.a13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Paola Olaya-Arenas
- Department of Entomology, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana, U. S. A
| | - Elvia J. Meléndez-Ackerman
- Department of Environmental Science, College of Natural Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico
| | - María E. Pérez
- Department of Mathematics, College of Natural Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras, Puerto Rico
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14
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Sheldon KS. Climate Change in the Tropics: Ecological and Evolutionary Responses at Low Latitudes. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2019. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-110218-025005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Climate change is affecting every ecosystem on Earth. Though climate change is global in scope, literature reviews on the biotic impacts of climate change have focused on temperate and polar regions. Tropical species have distinct life histories and physiologies, and ecological communities are assembled differently across latitude. Thus, tropical species and communities may exhibit different responses to climate change compared with those in temperate and polar regions. What are the fingerprints of climate change in the tropics? This review summarizes the current state of knowledge on impacts of climate change in tropical regions and discusses research priorities to better understand the ways in which species and ecological communities are responding to climate change in the most biodiverse places on Earth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly S. Sheldon
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996, USA
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15
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Requena Suarez D, Rozendaal DMA, De Sy V, Phillips OL, Alvarez‐Dávila E, Anderson‐Teixeira K, Araujo‐Murakami A, Arroyo L, Baker TR, Bongers F, Brienen RJW, Carter S, Cook‐Patton SC, Feldpausch TR, Griscom BW, Harris N, Hérault B, Honorio Coronado EN, Leavitt SM, Lewis SL, Marimon BS, Monteagudo Mendoza A, Kassi N'dja J, N'Guessan AE, Poorter L, Qie L, Rutishauser E, Sist P, Sonké B, Sullivan MJP, Vilanova E, Wang MMH, Martius C, Herold M. Estimating aboveground net biomass change for tropical and subtropical forests: Refinement of IPCC default rates using forest plot data. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2019; 25:3609-3624. [PMID: 31310673 PMCID: PMC6852081 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2019] [Accepted: 06/06/2019] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
As countries advance in greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting for climate change mitigation, consistent estimates of aboveground net biomass change (∆AGB) are needed. Countries with limited forest monitoring capabilities in the tropics and subtropics rely on IPCC 2006 default ∆AGB rates, which are values per ecological zone, per continent. Similarly, research into forest biomass change at a large scale also makes use of these rates. IPCC 2006 default rates come from a handful of studies, provide no uncertainty indications and do not distinguish between older secondary forests and old-growth forests. As part of the 2019 Refinement to the 2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, we incorporate ∆AGB data available from 2006 onwards, comprising 176 chronosequences in secondary forests and 536 permanent plots in old-growth and managed/logged forests located in 42 countries in Africa, North and South America and Asia. We generated ∆AGB rate estimates for younger secondary forests (≤20 years), older secondary forests (>20 years and up to 100 years) and old-growth forests, and accounted for uncertainties in our estimates. In tropical rainforests, for which data availability was the highest, our ∆AGB rate estimates ranged from 3.4 (Asia) to 7.6 (Africa) Mg ha-1 year-1 in younger secondary forests, from 2.3 (North and South America) to 3.5 (Africa) Mg ha-1 year-1 in older secondary forests, and 0.7 (Asia) to 1.3 (Africa) Mg ha-1 year-1 in old-growth forests. We provide a rigorous and traceable refinement of the IPCC 2006 default rates in tropical and subtropical ecological zones, and identify which areas require more research on ∆AGB. In this respect, this study should be considered as an important step towards quantifying the role of tropical and subtropical forests as carbon sinks with higher accuracy; our new rates can be used for large-scale GHG accounting by governmental bodies, nongovernmental organizations and in scientific research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Requena Suarez
- Laboratory of Geo‐Information Science and Remote SensingWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Danaë M. A. Rozendaal
- Laboratory of Geo‐Information Science and Remote SensingWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
- Plant Production Systems GroupWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
- Centre for Crop Systems AnalysisWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Veronique De Sy
- Laboratory of Geo‐Information Science and Remote SensingWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | | | - Esteban Alvarez‐Dávila
- Escuela de Ciencias agrícolas, pecuarias y ambientalesUniversidad Nacional Abierta y a DistanciaBogotaColombia
- Fundación ConVidaMedellínColombia
| | - Kristina Anderson‐Teixeira
- Conservation Ecology CenterSmithsonian Conservation Biology InstituteFront RoyalVRUSA
- Center for Tropical Forest Science‐Forest Global Earth ObservatorySmithsonian Tropical Research InstitutePanamaRepublic of Panama
| | - Alejandro Araujo‐Murakami
- Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff MercadoUniversidad Autónoma Gabriel René MorenoSanta CruzBolivia
| | - Luzmila Arroyo
- Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René MorenoSanta CruzBolivia
| | | | - Frans Bongers
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management GroupWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | | | - Sarah Carter
- Laboratory of Geo‐Information Science and Remote SensingWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | | | - Ted R. Feldpausch
- GeographyCollege of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterExeterUK
| | | | | | - Bruno Hérault
- CIRAD, UR Forests & SocietiesUniversity of MontpellierMontpellierFrance
- Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouet‐BoignyYamoussoukroIvory Coast
| | | | | | - Simon L. Lewis
- School of GeographyUniversity of LeedsLeedsUK
- Department of GeographyUniversity College LondonLondonUK
| | - Beatriz S. Marimon
- Campus de Nova XavantinaUniversidade do Estado de Mato GrossoNova XavantinaBrazil
| | - Abel Monteagudo Mendoza
- Jardín Botánico de MissouriOxapampaPeru
- Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del CuscoCuscoPeru
| | - Justin Kassi N'dja
- UFR BiosciencesLaboratoire de BotaniqueUniversité Félix Houphouet‐BoignyAbidjanIvory Coast
| | - Anny Estelle N'Guessan
- UFR BiosciencesLaboratoire de BotaniqueUniversité Félix Houphouet‐BoignyAbidjanIvory Coast
| | - Lourens Poorter
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management GroupWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Lan Qie
- School of Life SciencesUniversity of LincolnLincolnUK
| | - Ervan Rutishauser
- Center for Tropical Forest Science‐Forest Global Earth ObservatorySmithsonian Tropical Research InstitutePanamaRepublic of Panama
| | - Plinio Sist
- CIRAD, UR Forests & SocietiesUniversity of MontpellierMontpellierFrance
| | - Bonaventure Sonké
- Plant Systematic and Ecology LaboratoryUniversity of YaoundéYaoundéCameroon
| | | | - Emilio Vilanova
- Universidad de Los AndesMéridaVenezuela
- School of Environmental and Forest SciencesUniversity of WashingtonSeattleWAUSA
| | - Maria M. H. Wang
- Department of Animal & Plant SciencesUniversity of SheffieldSheffieldUK
| | | | - Martin Herold
- Laboratory of Geo‐Information Science and Remote SensingWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
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16
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di Porcia e Brugnera M, Meunier F, Longo M, Krishna Moorthy SM, De Deurwaerder H, Schnitzer SA, Bonal D, Faybishenko B, Verbeeck H. Modeling the impact of liana infestation on the demography and carbon cycle of tropical forests. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2019; 25:3767-3780. [PMID: 31310429 PMCID: PMC6856694 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14769] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Revised: 07/02/2019] [Accepted: 07/04/2019] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
There is mounting empirical evidence that lianas affect the carbon cycle of tropical forests. However, no single vegetation model takes into account this growth form, although such efforts could greatly improve the predictions of carbon dynamics in tropical forests. In this study, we incorporated a novel mechanistic representation of lianas in a dynamic global vegetation model (the Ecosystem Demography Model). We developed a liana-specific plant functional type and mechanisms representing liana-tree interactions (such as light competition, liana-specific allometries, and attachment to host trees) and parameterized them according to a comprehensive literature meta-analysis. We tested the model for an old-growth forest (Paracou, French Guiana) and a secondary forest (Gigante Peninsula, Panama). The resulting model simulations captured many features of the two forests characterized by different levels of liana infestation as revealed by a systematic comparison of the model outputs with empirical data, including local census data from forest inventories, eddy flux tower data, and terrestrial laser scanner-derived forest vertical structure. The inclusion of lianas in the simulations reduced the secondary forest net productivity by up to 0.46 tC ha-1 year-1 , which corresponds to a limited relative reduction of 2.6% in comparison with a reference simulation without lianas. However, this resulted in significantly reduced accumulated above-ground biomass after 70 years of regrowth by up to 20 tC /ha (19% of the reference simulation). Ultimately, the simulated negative impact of lianas on the total biomass was almost completely cancelled out when the forest reached an old-growth successional stage. Our findings suggest that lianas negatively influence the forest potential carbon sink strength, especially for young, disturbed, liana-rich sites. In light of the critical role that lianas play in the profound changes currently experienced by tropical forests, this new model provides a robust numerical tool to forecast the impact of lianas on tropical forest carbon sinks.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Félicien Meunier
- CAVElab – Computational and Applied Vegetation EcologyGhent UniversityGhentBelgium
- Ecological Forecasting LabDepartment of Earth and EnvironmentBoston UniversityBostonMAUSA
| | - Marcos Longo
- Embrapa Agricultural InformaticsCampinasSPBrazil
- Jet Propulsion LaboratoryCalifornia Institute of TechnologyPasadenaCAUSA
| | | | | | - Stefan A. Schnitzer
- Smithsonian Tropical Research InstituteBalboaAnconPanama
- Department of Biological SciencesMarquette UniversityMilwaukeeWIUSA
| | - Damien Bonal
- UMR SilvaUniversité de Lorraine, AgroParisTech, INRANancyFrance
| | - Boris Faybishenko
- Earth and Environmental Science AreaLawrence Berkeley National LaboratoryBerkeleyCAUSA
| | - Hans Verbeeck
- CAVElab – Computational and Applied Vegetation EcologyGhent UniversityGhentBelgium
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17
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Souza AF, Longhi SJ. Disturbance history mediates climate change effects on subtropical forest biomass and dynamics. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:7184-7199. [PMID: 31380042 PMCID: PMC6662394 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2019] [Revised: 04/19/2019] [Accepted: 05/04/2019] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The responses of forest communities to interacting anthropogenic disturbances like climate change and logging are poorly known. Subtropical forests have been heavily modified by humans and their response to climate change is poorly understood. We investigated the 9-year change observed in a mixed conifer-hardwood Atlantic forest mosaic that included both mature and selectively logged forest patches in subtropical South America. We used demographic monitoring data within 10 1 ha plots that were subjected to distinct management histories (plots logged until 1955, until 1987, and unlogged) to test the hypothesis that climate change affected forest structure and dynamics differentially depending on past disturbances. We determined the functional group of all species based on life-history affinities as well as many functional traits like leaf size, specific leaf area, wood density, total height, stem slenderness, and seed size data for the 66 most abundant species. Analysis of climate data revealed that minimum temperatures and rainfall have been increasing in the last few decades of the 20th century. Floristic composition differed mainly with logging history categories, with only minor change over the nine annual census intervals. Aboveground biomass increased in all plots, but increases were higher in mature unlogged forests, which showed signs of forest growth associated with increased CO2, temperature, and rainfall/treefall gap disturbance at the same time. Logged forests showed arrested succession as indicated by reduced abundances of Pioneers and biomass-accumulators like Large Seeded Pioneers and Araucaria, as well as reduced functional diversity. Management actions aimed at creating regeneration opportunities for long-lived pioneers are needed to restore community functional diversity, and ecosystem services such as increased aboveground biomass accumulation. We conclude that the effects of climate drivers on the dynamics of Brazilian mixed Atlantic forests vary with land-use legacies, and can differ importantly from the ones prevalent in better known tropical forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandre F. Souza
- Programa de Pós‐Graduação em Ecologia, CBUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do NorteNatalBrazil
| | - Solon Jonas Longhi
- PPG Engenharia Florestal, Depto. Ciências FlorestaisUniversidade Federal de Santa MariaSanta MariaBrazil
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18
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Bogawski P, Damen T, Nowak MM, Pędziwiatr K, Wilkin P, Mwachala G, Pierzchalska J, Wiland‐Szymańska J. Current and future potential distributions of three Dracaena Vand. ex L. species under two contrasting climate change scenarios in Africa. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:6833-6848. [PMID: 31380019 PMCID: PMC6662280 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2018] [Accepted: 04/18/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Forest undergrowth plants are tightly connected with the shady and humid conditions that occur under the canopy of tropical forests. However, projected climatic changes, such as decreasing precipitation and increasing temperature, negatively affect understory environments by promoting light-demanding and drought-tolerant species. Therefore, we aimed to quantify the influence of climate change on the spatial distribution of three selected forest undergrowth plants, Dracaena Vand. ex L. species, D. afromontana Mildbr., D. camerooniana Baker, and D. surculosa Lindl., simultaneously creating the most comprehensive location database for these species to date. A total of 1,223 herbarium records originating from tropical Africa and derived from 93 herbarium collections worldwide have been gathered, validated, and entered into a database. Species-specific Maxent species distribution models (SDMs) based on 11 bioclimatic variables from the WorldClim database were developed for the species. HadGEM2-ES projections of bioclimatic variables in two contrasting representative concentration pathways (RCPs), RCP2.6 and RCP8.5, were used to quantify the changes in future potential species distribution. D. afromontana is mostly sensitive to temperature in the wettest month, and its potential geographical range is predicted to decrease (up to -63.7% at RCP8.5). Optimum conditions for D. camerooniana are low diurnal temperature range (6-8°C) and precipitation in the wettest season exceeding 750 mm. The extent of this species will also decrease, but not as drastically as that of D. afromontana. D. surculosa prefers high precipitation in the coldest months. Its potential habitat area is predicted to increase in the future and to expand toward the east. This study developed SDMs and estimated current and future (year 2050) potential distributions of the forest undergrowth Dracaena species. D. afromontana, naturally associated with mountainous plant communities, was the most sensitive to predicted climate warming. In contrast, D. surculosa was predicted to extend its geographical range, regardless of the climate change scenario.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paweł Bogawski
- Laboratory of Biological Spatial Information, Faculty of BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
| | - Theo Damen
- Independent ScholarWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Maciej M. Nowak
- Laboratory of Biological Spatial Information, Faculty of BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
| | - Katarzyna Pędziwiatr
- Laboratory of Biological Spatial Information, Faculty of BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
| | | | | | - Joanna Pierzchalska
- Department of Plant Taxonomy, Faculty of BiologyAdam Mickiewicz UniversityPoznańPoland
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19
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Degradation of Ecosystem Services and Deforestation in Landscapes With and Without Incentive-Based Forest Conservation in the Ecuadorian Amazon. FORESTS 2019. [DOI: 10.3390/f10050442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Anthropogenic activities such as logging or forest conversion into agricultural lands are affecting Ecuadorian Amazon forests. To foster private and communal conservation activities an economic incentive-based conservation program (IFC) called Socio Bosque was established. Existing analyses related to conservation strategies are mainly focused on deforestation; while degradation and the role of IFC to safeguard ecosystem services are still scarce. Further on, there is a lack of landscape-level studies taking into account potential side effects of IFC on different forest types. Therefore we assessed ecosystem services (carbon stocks, timber volume) and species richness in landscapes with and without IFC. Additionally, we evaluated potential side-effects of IFC in adjacent forest types; hypothesizing potential leakage effects of IFC. Finally, we tested if deforestation rates decreased after IFC implementation. Forest inventories were conducted in 72 plots across eight landscapes in the Ecuadorian Central Amazon with and without IFC. Plots were randomly selected within three forest types (old-growth, logged and successional forests). In each plot all individuals with a diameter at breast height greater than 10 cm were measured. Old-growth forests in general showed higher carbon stocks, timber volume and species richness, and no significant differences between old-growth forests in IFC and non-IFC landscapes were found. Logged forests had 32% less above-ground carbon (AGC) and timber volume in comparison to old-growth forests. Surprisingly, logged forests near IFC presented higher AGC stocks than logged forests in non-IFC landscapes, indicating positive side-effects of IFC. Successional forests contain 56% to 64% of AGC, total carbon and timber volume, in comparison to old-growth forests, and 82% to 87% in comparison to logged forests. Therefore, successional forests could play an important role for restoration and should receive more attention in national climate change policies. Finally, after IFC implementation deforestation rate decreased on parish level. Our study presents scientific evidence of IFC contribution to conserving ecosystem services and species richness. In addition IFC could help indirectly to reduce degradation effects attributed to logging, indicating potential compatibility of conservation aims with forest activities at a landscape level.
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20
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Hubau W, De Mil T, Van den Bulcke J, Phillips OL, Angoboy Ilondea B, Van Acker J, Sullivan MJP, Nsenga L, Toirambe B, Couralet C, Banin LF, Begne SK, Baker TR, Bourland N, Chezeaux E, Clark CJ, Collins M, Comiskey JA, Cuni-Sanchez A, Deklerck V, Dierickx S, Doucet JL, Ewango CEN, Feldpausch TR, Gilpin M, Gonmadje C, Hall JS, Harris DJ, Hardy OJ, Kamdem MND, Kasongo Yakusu E, Lopez-Gonzalez G, Makana JR, Malhi Y, Mbayu FM, Moore S, Mukinzi J, Pickavance G, Poulsen JR, Reitsma J, Rousseau M, Sonké B, Sunderland T, Taedoumg H, Talbot J, Tshibamba Mukendi J, Umunay PM, Vleminckx J, White LJT, Zemagho L, Lewis SL, Beeckman H. The persistence of carbon in the African forest understory. NATURE PLANTS 2019; 5:133-140. [PMID: 30664730 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-018-0316-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Quantifying carbon dynamics in forests is critical for understanding their role in long-term climate regulation1-4. Yet little is known about tree longevity in tropical forests3,5-8, a factor that is vital for estimating carbon persistence3,4. Here we calculate mean carbon age (the period that carbon is fixed in trees7) in different strata of African tropical forests using (1) growth-ring records with a unique timestamp accurately demarcating 66 years of growth in one site and (2) measurements of diameter increments from the African Tropical Rainforest Observation Network (23 sites). We find that in spite of their much smaller size, in understory trees mean carbon age (74 years) is greater than in sub-canopy (54 years) and canopy (57 years) trees and similar to carbon age in emergent trees (66 years). The remarkable carbon longevity in the understory results from slow and aperiodic growth as an adaptation to limited resource availability9-11. Our analysis also reveals that while the understory represents a small share (11%) of the carbon stock12,13, it contributes disproportionally to the forest carbon sink (20%). We conclude that accounting for the diversity of carbon age and carbon sequestration among different forest strata is critical for effective conservation management14-16 and for accurate modelling of carbon cycling4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wannes Hubau
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium.
- UGent-Woodlab, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
| | - Tom De Mil
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
- UGent-Woodlab, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jan Van den Bulcke
- UGent-Woodlab, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Centre for X-ray Tomography , Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Bhély Angoboy Ilondea
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
- Institut National pour l'Étude et la Recherche Agronomique, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- École Régionale Postuniversitaire d'Aménagement et de Gestion intégrés des Forêts et Territoires tropicaux , Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Joris Van Acker
- UGent-Woodlab, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Centre for X-ray Tomography , Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Laurent Nsenga
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
| | - Benjamin Toirambe
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
| | - Camille Couralet
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
| | | | - Serge K Begne
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | | | - Nils Bourland
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
- CIFOR, Bogor, Indonesia
- Forest Resources Management, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Resources and Synergies Development, Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Connie J Clark
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Murray Collins
- Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London, UK
| | - James A Comiskey
- Inventory and Monitoring Program, National Park Service, Fredericksburg, VA, USA
- Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Aida Cuni-Sanchez
- Department of Geography, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Geography and Environment, University of York, York, UK
| | - Victor Deklerck
- UGent-Woodlab, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Centre for X-ray Tomography , Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sofie Dierickx
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
| | - Jean-Louis Doucet
- Forest Resources Management, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Corneille E N Ewango
- Wildlife Conservation Society-DR Congo, Kinshasa I, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Centre de Formation et de Recherche en Conservation Forestière , Epulu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Faculté de Gestion de Ressources Naturelles Renouvelables, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Ted R Feldpausch
- Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | | | | | - Jefferson S Hall
- ForestGEO, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá, Republic of Panama
| | | | - Olivier J Hardy
- Service d'Évolution Biologique et écologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Marie-Noel D Kamdem
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Cameroon
- Faculty of Science, Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Emmanuel Kasongo Yakusu
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
- UGent-Woodlab, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Faculté de Gestion de Ressources Naturelles Renouvelables, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | | | - Jean-Remy Makana
- Wildlife Conservation Society-DR Congo, Kinshasa I, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Faustin M Mbayu
- Faculté de Gestion de Ressources Naturelles Renouvelables, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Sam Moore
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jacques Mukinzi
- Wildlife Conservation Society-DR Congo, Kinshasa I, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Salonga National Park, Kinshasa I, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | | | - John R Poulsen
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jan Reitsma
- Bureau Waardenburg, Culemborg, the Netherlands
| | - Mélissa Rousseau
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
- Resources and Synergies Development, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Bonaventure Sonké
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Terry Sunderland
- CIFOR, Bogor, Indonesia
- Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Hermann Taedoumg
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Joey Talbot
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - John Tshibamba Mukendi
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
- Faculté de Gestion de Ressources Naturelles Renouvelables, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Faculté des Sciences Appliquées, Université de Mbujimayi, Mbujimayi, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Peter M Umunay
- Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jason Vleminckx
- Service d'Évolution Biologique et écologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Lee J T White
- Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux, Libreville, Gabon
- Institut de Recherche en Écologie Tropicale, Libreville, Gabon
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | - Lise Zemagho
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Simon L Lewis
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Department of Geography, University College London, London, UK
| | - Hans Beeckman
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
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21
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Hemp A, Hemp C. Broken bridges: The isolation of Kilimanjaro's ecosystem. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2018; 24:3499-3507. [PMID: 29504230 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.14078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2017] [Accepted: 01/22/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Biodiversity studies of global change mainly focus on direct impacts such as losses in species numbers or ecosystem functions. In this study, we focus on the long-term effects of recent land-cover conversion and subsequent ecological isolation of Kilimanjaro on biodiversity in a paleobiogeographical context, linking our findings with the long-standing question whether colonization of African mountains mainly depended on long-distance dispersal, or whether gradual migration has been possible through habitat bridges under colder climates. For this, we used Orthoptera as bioindicators, whose patterns of endemism and habitat demands we studied on about 500 vegetation plots on Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru (Tanzania) since 1996. Land-cover changes in the same area were revealed using a supervised classification of Landsat images from 1976 to 2000. In 1976, there was a corridor of submontane forest vegetation linking Kilimanjaro with Mt. Meru, replaced by human settlements and agriculture after 2000. Until recently, this submontane forest bridge facilitated the dispersal of forest animals, illustrated by the large number of endemic submontane forest Orthoptera shared by both mountains. Furthermore, the occurrence of common montane endemics suggests the existence of a former forest corridor with montane vegetation during much earlier times under climatic conditions 2-7°C cooler and 400-1,700 mm wetter than today. Based on the endemicity patterns of forest Orthoptera, negative consequences are predicted due to the effects of isolation, in particular for larger forest animals. Kilimanjaro is becoming an increasingly isolated ecosystem with far reaching consequences for diversity and endemism. Forest bridges between East African mountains acted as important migratory corridors and are not only a prehistoric phenomenon during periods with other climatic conditions but also disappeared in some places recently due to increasing and direct anthropogenic impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Hemp
- Department of Plant Systematics, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Claudia Hemp
- Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Frankfurt (Main), Germany
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22
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Qie L, Lewis SL, Sullivan MJP, Lopez-Gonzalez G, Pickavance GC, Sunderland T, Ashton P, Hubau W, Abu Salim K, Aiba SI, Banin LF, Berry N, Brearley FQ, Burslem DFRP, Dančák M, Davies SJ, Fredriksson G, Hamer KC, Hédl R, Kho LK, Kitayama K, Krisnawati H, Lhota S, Malhi Y, Maycock C, Metali F, Mirmanto E, Nagy L, Nilus R, Ong R, Pendry CA, Poulsen AD, Primack RB, Rutishauser E, Samsoedin I, Saragih B, Sist P, Slik JWF, Sukri RS, Svátek M, Tan S, Tjoa A, van Nieuwstadt M, Vernimmen RRE, Yassir I, Kidd PS, Fitriadi M, Ideris NKH, Serudin RM, Abdullah Lim LS, Saparudin MS, Phillips OL. Long-term carbon sink in Borneo's forests halted by drought and vulnerable to edge effects. Nat Commun 2017; 8:1966. [PMID: 29259276 PMCID: PMC5736600 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01997-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Accepted: 10/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Less than half of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions remain in the atmosphere. While carbon balance models imply large carbon uptake in tropical forests, direct on-the-ground observations are still lacking in Southeast Asia. Here, using long-term plot monitoring records of up to half a century, we find that intact forests in Borneo gained 0.43 Mg C ha−1 per year (95% CI 0.14–0.72, mean period 1988–2010) in above-ground live biomass carbon. These results closely match those from African and Amazonian plot networks, suggesting that the world’s remaining intact tropical forests are now en masse out-of-equilibrium. Although both pan-tropical and long-term, the sink in remaining intact forests appears vulnerable to climate and land use changes. Across Borneo the 1997–1998 El Niño drought temporarily halted the carbon sink by increasing tree mortality, while fragmentation persistently offset the sink and turned many edge-affected forests into a carbon source to the atmosphere. The existence of a pan-tropical forest carbon sink remains uncertain due to the lack of data from Asia. Here, using direct on-the-ground observations, the authors confirm remaining intact forests in Borneo have provided a long-term carbon sink, but carbon net gains are vulnerable to drought and edge effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lan Qie
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK. .,Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, SL5 7PY, UK.
| | - Simon L Lewis
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.,Department of Geography, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | | | | | | | - Terry Sunderland
- Center for International Forestry Research, Jl. CIFOR, Situ Gede, Bogor (Barat), 16115, Indonesia.,School of Environmental and Marine Science, James Cook University, 1 James Cook Dr, Townsville City, QLD, 4811, Australia
| | - Peter Ashton
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 22 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Wannes Hubau
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.,Laboratory for wood Biology and Xylarium, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Leuvensesteenweg 13, 3080, Tervuren, Belgium
| | - Kamariah Abu Salim
- Environmental and Life Sciences Programme, Faculty of Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam
| | - Shin-Ichiro Aiba
- Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Kagoshima University, 890-0065, Kagoshima, Japan
| | - Lindsay F Banin
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.,Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Penicuik, EH26 0QB, UK
| | - Nicholas Berry
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK.,Bioclimate, Thorn House, 5 Rose Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2PR, UK
| | - Francis Q Brearley
- School of Science and the Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester, M1 5GD, UK
| | - David F R P Burslem
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Cruickshank Building, St Machar Drive, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU, UK
| | - Martin Dančák
- Department of Ecology & Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Palacký University in Olomouc, Šlechtitelů 27, CZ-78371, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Stuart J Davies
- Center for Tropical Forest Science - Forest Global Earth Observatory, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Washington, DC, 20013, USA.,Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, 50 Nanyang Avenue, Singapore, 639798, Singapore
| | - Gabriella Fredriksson
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics, University of Amsterdam, 1012 WX, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.,Pro Natura Foundation, Jl. Jend. Sudirman No. 37, Balikpapan, 76112, Indonesia.,Pan Eco, SOCP, Jl. Wahid Hasyim No. 51/74, Medan, 20154, Indonesia
| | - Keith C Hamer
- School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
| | - Radim Hédl
- Department of Vegetation Ecology, Institute of Botany, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Lidicka 25/27, CZ-60200, Brno, Czech Republic.,Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Palacký University in Olomouc, Šlechtitelů 27, CZ-78371, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Lip Khoon Kho
- Tropical Peat Research Institute, Biological Research Division, Malaysian Palm Oil Board, Bandar Baru Bangi, 43000, Kajang, Malaysia
| | - Kanehiro Kitayama
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
| | - Haruni Krisnawati
- Forest Research and Development Center, Research, Development and Innovation Agency, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Jl. Gunung Batu No 5, Bogor, 16610, Indonesia
| | - Stanislav Lhota
- Department of Animal Science and Food Processing, Faculty of Tropical Agrisciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamýcká 129, 165 00 Praha 6 - Suchdol, Prague, Czech Republic.,Ústí nad Labem Zoo, Drážďanská 23, 400 07, Ústí nad Labem, Czech Republic
| | - Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Colin Maycock
- International Tropical Forestry, Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jl. UMS, 88400, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | - Faizah Metali
- Environmental and Life Sciences Programme, Faculty of Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam
| | - Edi Mirmanto
- Research Center for Biology, Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Jl. Raya Jakarta-Bogor KM 46, Cibinong, 16911, Indonesia
| | - Laszlo Nagy
- Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, 13083-970, Brazil
| | - Reuben Nilus
- Sabah Forestry Department Forest Research Centre, Mile 14 Jl. Sepilok, 90000, Sandakan, Malaysia
| | - Robert Ong
- Sabah Forestry Department Forest Research Centre, Mile 14 Jl. Sepilok, 90000, Sandakan, Malaysia
| | | | | | - Richard B Primack
- Biology Department, Boston University, 5 Cummington Mall, Boston, MA, 02215, USA
| | - Ervan Rutishauser
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancon, 03092, Panama.,Carboforexpert, Hermance, 1248, Switzerland
| | - Ismayadi Samsoedin
- Forest Research and Development Center, Research, Development and Innovation Agency, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Jl. Gunung Batu No 5, Bogor, 16610, Indonesia
| | - Bernaulus Saragih
- Faculty of Forestry, Mulawarman University, Jl. Pasir Balengkong, 75123, Samarinda, Indonesia
| | - Plinio Sist
- Forests and Societies Research Unit, CIRAD-Univ. Montpellier, Campus International de Baillarguet, TA C-105/D, 34398, Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - J W Ferry Slik
- Environmental and Life Sciences Programme, Faculty of Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam
| | - Rahayu Sukmaria Sukri
- Environmental and Life Sciences Programme, Faculty of Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam
| | - Martin Svátek
- Department of Forest Botany, Dendrology and Geobiocoenology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 3, 613 00, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Sylvester Tan
- CTFS-ForestGEO Program, Lambir, Miri, 98000, Sarawak, Malaysia
| | - Aiyen Tjoa
- Agriculture Faculty of Tadulako University, Jln Soekarno Hatta km 09, Tondo, 94118, Indonesia
| | | | | | - Ishak Yassir
- Balitek-KSDA, Research, Development and Innovation Agency, Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Jl. Soekarno Hatta KM. 38, RT 09, Samboja, Indonesia
| | - Petra Susan Kidd
- Instituto de Investigaciones Agrobiológicas de Galicia (IIAG), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Santiago de Compostela, 15705, Spain
| | - Muhammad Fitriadi
- Sungai Wain Protected Forest Management Unit, KM. 23, Kel. Karang Joang, Balikpapan, 76101, Indonesia
| | - Nur Khalish Hafizhah Ideris
- Environmental and Life Sciences Programme, Faculty of Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam
| | - Rafizah Mat Serudin
- Environmental and Life Sciences Programme, Faculty of Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam
| | - Layla Syaznie Abdullah Lim
- Environmental and Life Sciences Programme, Faculty of Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam
| | - Muhammad Shahruney Saparudin
- Environmental and Life Sciences Programme, Faculty of Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Jalan Tungku Link, Gadong, BE1410, Brunei Darussalam
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23
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Laurance WF, Camargo JLC, Fearnside PM, Lovejoy TE, Williamson GB, Mesquita RCG, Meyer CFJ, Bobrowiec PED, Laurance SGW. An Amazonian rainforest and its fragments as a laboratory of global change. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2017; 93:223-247. [PMID: 28560765 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2016] [Revised: 04/27/2017] [Accepted: 05/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We synthesize findings from one of the world's largest and longest-running experimental investigations, the Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project (BDFFP). Spanning an area of ∼1000 km2 in central Amazonia, the BDFFP was initially designed to evaluate the effects of fragment area on rainforest biodiversity and ecological processes. However, over its 38-year history to date the project has far transcended its original mission, and now focuses more broadly on landscape dynamics, forest regeneration, regional- and global-change phenomena, and their potential interactions and implications for Amazonian forest conservation. The project has yielded a wealth of insights into the ecological and environmental changes in fragmented forests. For instance, many rainforest species are naturally rare and hence are either missing entirely from many fragments or so sparsely represented as to have little chance of long-term survival. Additionally, edge effects are a prominent driver of fragment dynamics, strongly affecting forest microclimate, tree mortality, carbon storage and a diversity of fauna. Even within our controlled study area, the landscape has been highly dynamic: for example, the matrix of vegetation surrounding fragments has changed markedly over time, succeeding from large cattle pastures or forest clearcuts to secondary regrowth forest. This, in turn, has influenced the dynamics of plant and animal communities and their trajectories of change over time. In general, fauna and flora have responded differently to fragmentation: the most locally extinction-prone animal species are those that have both large area requirements and low tolerance of the modified habitats surrounding fragments, whereas the most vulnerable plants are those that respond poorly to edge effects or chronic forest disturbances, and that rely on vulnerable animals for seed dispersal or pollination. Relative to intact forests, most fragments are hyperdynamic, with unstable or fluctuating populations of species in response to a variety of external vicissitudes. Rare weather events such as droughts, windstorms and floods have had strong impacts on fragments and left lasting legacies of change. Both forest fragments and the intact forests in our study area appear to be influenced by larger-scale environmental drivers operating at regional or global scales. These drivers are apparently increasing forest productivity and have led to concerted, widespread increases in forest dynamics and plant growth, shifts in tree-community composition, and increases in liana (woody vine) abundance. Such large-scale drivers are likely to interact synergistically with habitat fragmentation, exacerbating its effects for some species and ecological phenomena. Hence, the impacts of fragmentation on Amazonian biodiversity and ecosystem processes appear to be a consequence not only of local site features but also of broader changes occurring at landscape, regional and even global scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- William F Laurance
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science (TESS) and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, 4878, Australia.,Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA) and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Manaus, 69067-375, Brazil
| | - José L C Camargo
- Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA) and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Manaus, 69067-375, Brazil
| | - Philip M Fearnside
- Department of Environmental Dynamics, National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), Manaus, 69067-375, Brazil
| | - Thomas E Lovejoy
- Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA) and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Manaus, 69067-375, Brazil.,Department of Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 22030, U.S.A
| | - G Bruce Williamson
- Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA) and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Manaus, 69067-375, Brazil.,Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803, U.S.A
| | - Rita C G Mesquita
- Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA) and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Manaus, 69067-375, Brazil.,Department of Environmental Dynamics, National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), Manaus, 69067-375, Brazil
| | - Christoph F J Meyer
- Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA) and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Manaus, 69067-375, Brazil.,Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, University of Lisbon, 1749-016, Lisbon, Portugal.,School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford, Salford, M5 4WT, U.K
| | - Paulo E D Bobrowiec
- Biodiversity Coordination, National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA), Manaus, 69067-375, Brazil
| | - Susan G W Laurance
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science (TESS) and College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, 4878, Australia.,Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project, National Institute for Amazonian Research (INPA) and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Manaus, 69067-375, Brazil
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24
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Li D, Fang K, Li Y, Chen D, Liu X, Dong Z, Zhou F, Guo G, Shi F, Xu C, Li Y. Climate, intrinsic water-use efficiency and tree growth over the past 150 years in humid subtropical China. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0172045. [PMID: 28182751 PMCID: PMC5300276 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0172045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2016] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Influence of long-term changes in climate and CO2 concentration on intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE), defined as the ratio between net photosynthesis (A) and leaf conductance (g), and tree growth remain not fully revealed in humid subtropical China, which is distinct from other arid subtropical areas with dense coverage of broadleaf forests. This study presented the first tree-ring stable carbon isotope (δ13C) and iWUE series of Pinus massoniana from 1865 to 2013 in Fujian province, humid subtropical China, and the first tree-ring width standard chronology during the period of 1836-2013 for the Niumulin Nature Reserve (NML). Tree-ring width growth was limited by precipitation in July-August (r = 0.40, p < 0.01). The tree-ring carbon isotope discrimination (Δ13C) was mainly controlled by the sunshine hours (r = -0.66, p < 0.001) and relative humidity (r = 0.58, p < 0.001) in September-October, a season with rapid latewood formation in this area. The iWUE increased by 42.6% and the atmospheric CO2 concentration (ca) explained 92.6% of the iWUE variance over the last 150 years. The steady increase in iWUE suggests an active response with a proportional increase in intercellular CO2 concentration (ci) in response to increase in ca. The contribution of iWUE to tree growth in the study region is not conspicuous, which points to influences of other factors such as climate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dawen Li
- Institute of Geography, Key Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Process (Ministry of Education), College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Keyan Fang
- Institute of Geography, Key Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Process (Ministry of Education), College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
- Regional Climate Group, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Yingjun Li
- Institute of Geography, Key Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Process (Ministry of Education), College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Deliang Chen
- Regional Climate Group, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Xiaohong Liu
- Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Zhipeng Dong
- Institute of Geography, Key Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Process (Ministry of Education), College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Feifei Zhou
- Institute of Geography, Key Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Process (Ministry of Education), College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Guoyang Guo
- Institute of Geography, Key Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Process (Ministry of Education), College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
| | - Feng Shi
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chenxi Xu
- Key Laboratory of Cenozoic Geology and Environment, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yanping Li
- Institute of Geography, Key Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Process (Ministry of Education), College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal University, Fuzhou, China
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25
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Estimating Aboveground Biomass and Carbon Stocks in Periurban Andean Secondary Forests Using Very High Resolution Imagery. FORESTS 2016. [DOI: 10.3390/f7070138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
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26
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Lindenmayer DB, Laurance WF. The ecology, distribution, conservation and management of large old trees. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2016; 92:1434-1458. [PMID: 27383287 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 126] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2016] [Revised: 05/30/2016] [Accepted: 06/09/2016] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Large old trees are some of the most iconic biota on earth and are integral parts of many terrestrial ecosystems including those in tropical, temperate and boreal forests, deserts, savannas, agro-ecological areas, and urban environments. In this review, we provide new insights into the ecology, function, evolution and management of large old trees through broad cross-disciplinary perspectives from literatures in plant physiology, growth and development, evolution, habitat value for fauna and flora, and conservation management. Our review reveals that the diameter, height and longevity of large old trees varies greatly on an inter-specific basis, thereby creating serious challenges in defining large old trees and demanding an ecosystem- and species-specific definition that will only rarely be readily transferable to other species or ecosystems. Such variation is also manifested by marked inter-specific differences in the key attributes of large old trees (beyond diameter and height) such as the extent of buttressing, canopy architecture, the extent of bark micro-environments and the prevalence of cavities. We found that large old trees play an extraordinary range of critical ecological roles including in hydrological regimes, nutrient cycles and numerous ecosystem processes. Large old trees strongly influence the spatial and temporal distribution and abundance of individuals of the same species and populations of numerous other plant and animal species. We suggest many key characteristics of large old trees such as extreme height, prolonged lifespans, and the presence of cavities - which confer competitive and evolutionary advantages in undisturbed environments - can render such trees highly susceptible to a range of human influences. Large old trees are vulnerable to threats ranging from droughts, fire, pests and pathogens, to logging, land clearing, landscape fragmentation and climate change. Tackling such diverse threats is challenging because they often interact and manifest in different ways in different ecosystems, demanding targeted species- or ecosystem-specific responses. We argue that novel management actions will often be required to protect existing large old trees and ensure the recruitment of new cohorts of such trees. For example, fine-scale tree-level conservation such as buffering individual stems will be required in many environments such as in agricultural areas and urban environments. Landscape-level approaches like protecting places where large old trees are most likely to occur will be needed. However, this brings challenges associated with likely changes in tree distributions associated with climate change, because long-lived trees may presently exist in places unsuitable for the development of new cohorts of the same species. Appropriate future environmental domains for a species could exist in new locations where it has never previously occurred. The future distribution and persistence of large old trees may require controversial responses including assisted migration via seed or seedling establishment in new locales. However, the effectiveness of such approaches may be limited where key ecological features of large old trees (such as cavity presence) depend on other species such as termites, fungi and bacteria. Unless other species with similar ecological roles are present to fulfil these functions, these taxa might need to be moved concurrently with the target tree species.
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Affiliation(s)
- David B Lindenmayer
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, 2601, Australia
| | - William F Laurance
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science (TESS) & College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Cairns, 4878, Australia
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Lajoie G, Vellend M. Understanding context dependence in the contribution of intraspecific variation to community trait-environment matching. Ecology 2016; 96:2912-22. [PMID: 27070011 DOI: 10.1890/15-0156.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Intraspecific trait variation (ITV) plays a potentially important role in determining functional community composition across environmental gradients. However, the importance of ITV varies greatly among studies, and we lack a coherent understanding of the contexts under which to expect a high vs. low contribution of ITV to trait-environment matching among communities. Here we first elaborate a novel conceptual framework posing specific hypotheses and predictions about the environmental and ecological contexts underlying the contribution of ITV to community trait turnover. We then empirically test these predictions in understory herbaceous plant communities in a montane environment, for three functional traits (flowering phenology, specific leaf area, and height). We found that different components of trait variation mapped onto different environmental axes, specifically reporting a greater contribution of ITV along non-climatic axes (e.g., soil properties, light) than along the main climatic axis (i.e., elevation), as predicted by the hypothesis that phenotypic plasticity (a major source of ITV) is greatest in response to conditions varying at a small spatial scale. Based on a variant of the niche-variation hypothesis, we predicted that the importance of ITV would be greatest in the lowest-diversity portion of the elevational gradient (i.e., at high elevation), but this prediction was not supported. Finally, the generally strong intraspecific responses to the gradient observed across species did not necessarily give rise to a high contribution of ITV (or vice versa) given (1) an especially weak or strong response of a dominant species driving the community-level trend, (2) differences among species in the direction of trait-environment response cancelling out, or (3) relatively narrow portions of the gradient where individual species abundances were high enough to have an important impact on community-level trait means. Our research identifies contexts in which we can predict that local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity will play a relatively large role in mediating community-level trait responses to environmental change.
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Ma Z, Peng C, Zhu Q, Liu J, Xu X, Zhou X. Long-term changes in tree basal area across the boreal zone, Canada. ECOSCIENCE 2015. [DOI: 10.2980/21-(3-4)-3662] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
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Osazuwa-Peters OL, Jiménez I, Oberle B, Chapman CA, Zanne AE. Selective logging: do rates of forest turnover in stems, species composition and functional traits decrease with time since disturbance? - A 45 year perspective. FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT 2015; 357:10-21. [PMID: 26339115 PMCID: PMC4553697 DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2015.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Selective logging, the targeted harvesting of timber trees in a single cutting cycle, is globally rising in extent and intensity. Short-term impacts of selective logging on tropical forests have been widely investigated, but long-term effects on temporal dynamics of forest structure and composition are largely unknown. Understanding these long-term dynamics will help determine whether tropical forests are resilient to selective logging and inform choices between competing demands of anthropogenic use versus conservation of tropical forests. Forest dynamics can be studied within the framework of succession theory, which predicts that temporal turnover rates should decline with time since disturbance. Here, we investigated the temporal dynamics of a tropical forest in Kibale National Park, Uganda over 45 years following selective logging. We estimated turnover rates in stems, species composition, and functional traits (wood density and diameter at breast height), using observations from four censuses in 1989, 1999, 2006, and 2013, of stems ≥ 10 cm diameter within 17 unlogged and 9 logged 200 × 10 m vegetation plots. We used null models to account for interdependencies among turnover rates in stems, species composition, and functional traits. We tested predictions that turnover rates should be higher and decrease with increasing time since the selective logging event in logged forest, but should be less temporally variable in unlogged forest. Overall, we found higher turnover rates in logged forest for all three attributes, but turnover rates did not decline through time in logged forest and was not less temporally variable in unlogged forest. These results indicate that successional models that assume recovery to pre-disturbance conditions are inadequate for predicting the effects of selective logging on the dynamics of the tropical forest in Kibale. Selective logging resulted in persistently higher turnover rates, which may compromise the carbon storage capacity of Kibale's forest. Selective logging effects may also interact with effects from other global trends, potentially causing major long-term shifts in the dynamics of tropical forests. Similar studies in tropical forests elsewhere will help determine the generality of these conclusions. Ultimately, the view that selective logging is a benign approach to the management of tropical forests should be reconsidered in the light of studies of the effects of this practice on long-term forest dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oyomoare L. Osazuwa-Peters
- Department of Biology, One University Boulevard, University of Missouri Saint Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63121, USA
| | - Iván Jiménez
- Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development, Missouri Botanical Garden, P.O. Box 299 St. Louis, MO 63166
| | - Brad Oberle
- Department of Biological Sciences, 2023 G St. NW, The George Washington University, Washington DC, 20052, USA
| | - Colin A. Chapman
- Department of Anthropology and School of Environment, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 2T7, Canada, and Wildlife Conservation Society, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, New York, USA 10460
| | - Amy E. Zanne
- Center for Conservation and Sustainable Development, Missouri Botanical Garden, P.O. Box 299 St. Louis, MO 63166
- Department of Biological Sciences, 2023 G St. NW, The George Washington University, Washington DC, 20052, USA
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Wood SW, Prior LD, Stephens HC, Bowman DMJS. Macroecology of Australian Tall Eucalypt Forests: Baseline Data from a Continental-Scale Permanent Plot Network. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0137811. [PMID: 26368919 PMCID: PMC4569531 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0137811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2015] [Accepted: 08/20/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Tracking the response of forest ecosystems to climate change demands large (≥1 ha) monitoring plots that are repeatedly measured over long time frames and arranged across macro-ecological gradients. Continental scale networks of permanent forest plots have identified links between climate and carbon fluxes by monitoring trends in tree growth, mortality and recruitment. The relationship between tree growth and climate in Australia has been recently articulated through analysis of data from smaller forest plots, but conclusions were limited by (a) absence of data on recruitment and mortality, (b) exclusion of non-eucalypt species, and (c) lack of knowledge of stand age or disturbance histories. To remedy these gaps we established the Ausplots Forest Monitoring Network: a continental scale network of 48 1 ha permanent plots in highly productive tall eucalypt forests in the mature growth stage. These plots are distributed across cool temperate, Mediterranean, subtropical and tropical climates (mean annual precipitation 850 to 1900 mm per year; mean annual temperature 6 to 21°C). Aboveground carbon stocks (AGC) in these forests are dominated by eucalypts (90% of AGC) whilst non-eucalypts in the understorey dominated species diversity and tree abundance (84% of species; 60% of stems). Aboveground carbon stocks were negatively related to mean annual temperature, with forests at the warm end of the temperature range storing approximately half the amount of carbon as forests at the cool end of the temperature range. This may reflect thermal constraints on tree growth detected through other plot networks and physiological studies. Through common protocols and careful sampling design, the Ausplots Forest Monitoring Network will facilitate the integration of tall eucalypt forests into established global forest monitoring initiatives. In the context of projections of rapidly warming and drying climates in Australia, this plot network will enable detection of links between climate and growth, mortality and carbon dynamics of eucalypt forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam W. Wood
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
- Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - Lynda D. Prior
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Helen C. Stephens
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
- Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - David M. J. S. Bowman
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
- Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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Effects of climate change on plant population growth rate and community composition change. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0126228. [PMID: 26039073 PMCID: PMC4454569 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0126228] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2015] [Accepted: 03/31/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The impacts of climate change on forest community composition are still not well known. Although directional trends in climate change and community composition change were reported in recent years, further quantitative analyses are urgently needed. Previous studies focused on measuring population growth rates in a single time period, neglecting the development of the populations. Here we aimed to compose a method for calculating the community composition change, and to testify the impacts of climate change on community composition change within a relatively short period (several decades) based on long-term monitoring data from two plots—Dinghushan Biosphere Reserve, China (DBR) and Barro Colorado Island, Panama (BCI)—that are located in tropical and subtropical regions. We proposed a relatively more concise index, Slnλ, which refers to an overall population growth rate based on the dominant species in a community. The results indicated that the population growth rate of a majority of populations has decreased over the past few decades. This decrease was mainly caused by population development. The increasing temperature had a positive effect on population growth rates and community change rates. Our results promote understanding and explaining variations in population growth rates and community composition rates, and are helpful to predict population dynamics and population responses to climate change.
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Malhi Y, Doughty CE, Goldsmith GR, Metcalfe DB, Girardin CAJ, Marthews TR, Del Aguila-Pasquel J, Aragão LEOC, Araujo-Murakami A, Brando P, da Costa ACL, Silva-Espejo JE, Farfán Amézquita F, Galbraith DR, Quesada CA, Rocha W, Salinas-Revilla N, Silvério D, Meir P, Phillips OL. The linkages between photosynthesis, productivity, growth and biomass in lowland Amazonian forests. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2015; 21:2283-95. [PMID: 25640987 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 73] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2014] [Revised: 11/06/2014] [Accepted: 12/23/2014] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the relationship between photosynthesis, net primary productivity and growth in forest ecosystems is key to understanding how these ecosystems will respond to global anthropogenic change, yet the linkages among these components are rarely explored in detail. We provide the first comprehensive description of the productivity, respiration and carbon allocation of contrasting lowland Amazonian forests spanning gradients in seasonal water deficit and soil fertility. Using the largest data set assembled to date, ten sites in three countries all studied with a standardized methodology, we find that (i) gross primary productivity (GPP) has a simple relationship with seasonal water deficit, but that (ii) site-to-site variations in GPP have little power in explaining site-to-site spatial variations in net primary productivity (NPP) or growth because of concomitant changes in carbon use efficiency (CUE), and conversely, the woody growth rate of a tropical forest is a very poor proxy for its productivity. Moreover, (iii) spatial patterns of biomass are much more driven by patterns of residence times (i.e. tree mortality rates) than by spatial variation in productivity or tree growth. Current theory and models of tropical forest carbon cycling under projected scenarios of global atmospheric change can benefit from advancing beyond a focus on GPP. By improving our understanding of poorly understood processes such as CUE, NPP allocation and biomass turnover times, we can provide more complete and mechanistic approaches to linking climate and tropical forest carbon cycling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
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Báez S, Malizia A, Carilla J, Blundo C, Aguilar M, Aguirre N, Aquirre Z, Álvarez E, Cuesta F, Duque Á, Farfán-Ríos W, García-Cabrera K, Grau R, Homeier J, Linares-Palomino R, Malizia LR, Cruz OM, Osinaga O, Phillips OL, Reynel C, Silman MR, Feeley KJ. Large-scale patterns of turnover and Basal area change in Andean forests. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0126594. [PMID: 25973977 PMCID: PMC4431807 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0126594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2014] [Accepted: 04/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
General patterns of forest dynamics and productivity in the Andes Mountains are poorly characterized. Here we present the first large-scale study of Andean forest dynamics using a set of 63 permanent forest plots assembled over the past two decades. In the North-Central Andes tree turnover (mortality and recruitment) and tree growth declined with increasing elevation and decreasing temperature. In addition, basal area increased in Lower Montane Moist Forests but did not change in Higher Montane Humid Forests. However, at higher elevations the lack of net basal area change and excess of mortality over recruitment suggests negative environmental impacts. In North-Western Argentina, forest dynamics appear to be influenced by land use history in addition to environmental variation. Taken together, our results indicate that combinations of abiotic and biotic factors that vary across elevation gradients are important determinants of tree turnover and productivity in the Andes. More extensive and longer-term monitoring and analyses of forest dynamics in permanent plots will be necessary to understand how demographic processes and woody biomass are responding to changing environmental conditions along elevation gradients through this century.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selene Báez
- Consorcio para el Desarrollo Sostenible de la Ecoregión Andina (CONDESAN), Quito, Ecuador
- Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja, Loja, Ecuador
- * E-mail:
| | - Agustina Malizia
- Consejo Nacional de Ciencias de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Ecología Regional (IER), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Julieta Carilla
- Consejo Nacional de Ciencias de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Ecología Regional (IER), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Cecilia Blundo
- Consejo Nacional de Ciencias de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Ecología Regional (IER), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
| | - Manuel Aguilar
- Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Lima, Perú
| | | | | | - Esteban Álvarez
- Laboratorio de Servicios Ecosistémicos y Cambio Climático, Jardín Botánico de Medellín, Medellín, Colombia
| | - Francisco Cuesta
- Consorcio para el Desarrollo Sostenible de la Ecoregión Andina (CONDESAN), Quito, Ecuador
| | - Álvaro Duque
- Departamento de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Medellín, Colombia
| | - William Farfán-Ríos
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Karina García-Cabrera
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Ricardo Grau
- Consejo Nacional de Ciencias de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Jürgen Homeier
- Plant Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Lucio R. Malizia
- Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias, Universidad Nacional de Jujuy, Jujuy, Argentina
- Fundación ProYungas, Jujuy, Argentina
| | - Omar Melo Cruz
- Grupo de investigación en Biodiversidad y Dinámica de Ecosistemas Tropicales, Universidad del Tolima, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Oriana Osinaga
- Instituto de Ecología Regional (IER), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
| | | | - Carlos Reynel
- Facultad de Ciencias Forestales, Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina, Lima, Perú
| | - Miles R. Silman
- Department of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, United States of America
| | - Kenneth J. Feeley
- International Center for Tropical Botany, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, United States of America
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Feeley K. Are we filling the data void? An assessment of the amount and extent of plant collection records and census data available for tropical South America. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0125629. [PMID: 25927831 PMCID: PMC4416035 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0125629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2014] [Accepted: 03/18/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Large-scale studies are needed to increase our understanding of how large-scale conservation threats, such as climate change and deforestation, are impacting diverse tropical ecosystems. These types of studies rely fundamentally on access to extensive and representative datasets (i.e., "big data"). In this study, I asses the availability of plant species occurrence records through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and the distribution of networked vegetation census plots in tropical South America. I analyze how the amount of available data has changed through time and the consequent changes in taxonomic, spatial, habitat, and climatic representativeness. I show that there are large and growing amounts of data available for tropical South America. Specifically, there are almost 2,000,000 unique geo-referenced collection records representing more than 50,000 species of plants in tropical South America and over 1,500 census plots. However, there is still a gaping "data void" such that many species and many habitats remain so poorly represented in either of the databases as to be functionally invisible for most studies. It is important that we support efforts to increase the availability of data, and the representativeness of these data, so that we can better predict and mitigate the impacts of anthropogenic disturbances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth Feeley
- International Center for Tropical Botany, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, Florida, United States of America, and The Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables, Florida, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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35
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Ensslin A, Rutten G, Pommer U, Zimmermann R, Hemp A, Fischer M. Effects of elevation and land use on the biomass of trees, shrubs and herbs at Mount Kilimanjaro. Ecosphere 2015. [DOI: 10.1890/es14-00492.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Costa FV, Costa FR, Magnusson WE, Franklin E, Zuanon J, Cintra R, Luizão F, Camargo JLC, Andrade A, Laurance WF, Baccaro F, Souza JLP, Espírito-Santo H. Synthesis of the first 10 years of long-term ecological research in Amazonian Forest ecosystem – implications for conservation and management. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ncon.2015.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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37
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Laurance WF, Andrade AS, Magrach A, Camargo JLC, Campbell M, Fearnside PM, Edwards W, Valsko JJ, Lovejoy TE, Laurance SG. Apparent environmental synergism drives the dynamics of Amazonian forest fragments. Ecology 2014. [DOI: 10.1890/14-0330.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Doughty CE, Malhi Y, Araujo-Murakami A, Metcalfe DB, Silva-Espejo JE, Arroyo L, Heredia JP, Pardo-Toledo E, Mendizabal LM, Rojas-Landivar VD, Vega-Martinez M, Flores-Valencia M, Sibler-Rivero R, Moreno-Vare L, Viscarra LJ, Chuviru-Castro T, Osinaga-Becerra M, Ledezma R. Allocation trade-offs dominate the response of tropical forest growth to seasonal and interannual drought. Ecology 2014; 95:2192-201. [PMID: 25230470 DOI: 10.1890/13-1507.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
What determines the seasonal and interannual variation of growth rates in trees in a tropical forest? We explore this question with a novel four-year high-temporal-resolution data set of carbon allocation from two forest plots in the Bolivian Amazon. The forests show strong seasonal variation in tree wood growth rates, which are largely explained by shifts in carbon allocation, and not by shifts in total productivity. At the deeper soil plot, there was a clear seasonal trade-off between wood and canopy NPP, while the shallower soils plot showed a contrasting seasonal trade-off between wood and fine roots. Although a strong 2010 drought reduced photosynthesis, NPP remained constant and increased in the six-month period following the drought, which indicates usage of significant nonstructural carbohydrate stores. Following the drought, carbon allocation increased initially towards the canopy, and then in the following year, allocation increased towards fine-root production. Had we only measured woody growth at these sites and inferred total NPP, we would have misinterpreted both the seasonal and interannual responses. In many tropical forest ecosystems, we propose that changing tree growth rates are more likely to reflect shifts in allocation rather than changes in overall productivity. Only a whole NPP allocation perspective can correctly interpret the relationship between changes in growth and changes in productivity.
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Laurance WF, Andrade AS, Magrach A, Camargo JLC, Valsko JJ, Campbell M, Fearnside PM, Edwards W, Lovejoy TE, Laurance SG. Long-term changes in liana abundance and forest dynamics in undisturbed Amazonian forests. Ecology 2014; 95:1604-11. [DOI: 10.1890/13-1571.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Zhu K, Woodall CW, Ghosh S, Gelfand AE, Clark JS. Dual impacts of climate change: forest migration and turnover through life history. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2014; 20:251-264. [PMID: 24014498 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2013] [Accepted: 08/23/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Tree species are predicted to track future climate by shifting their geographic distributions, but climate-mediated migrations are not apparent in a recent continental-scale analysis. To better understand the mechanisms of a possible migration lag, we analyzed relative recruitment patterns by comparing juvenile and adult tree abundances in climate space. One would expect relative recruitment to be higher in cold and dry climates as a result of tree migration with juveniles located further poleward than adults. Alternatively, relative recruitment could be higher in warm and wet climates as a result of higher tree population turnover with increased temperature and precipitation. Using the USDA Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis data at regional scales, we jointly modeled juvenile and adult abundance distributions for 65 tree species in climate space of the eastern United States. We directly compared the optimal climate conditions for juveniles and adults, identified the climates where each species has high relative recruitment, and synthesized relative recruitment patterns across species. Results suggest that for 77% and 83% of the tree species, juveniles have higher optimal temperature and optimal precipitation, respectively, than adults. Across species, the relative recruitment pattern is dominated by relatively more abundant juveniles than adults in warm and wet climates. These different abundance-climate responses through life history are consistent with faster population turnover and inconsistent with the geographic trend of large-scale tree migration. Taken together, this juvenile-adult analysis suggests that tree species might respond to climate change by having faster turnover as dynamics accelerate with longer growing seasons and higher temperatures, before there is evidence of poleward migration at biogeographic scales.
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Malizia A, Easdale TA, Grau HR. Rapid structural and compositional change in an old-growth subtropical forest: using plant traits to identify probable drivers. PLoS One 2013; 8:e73546. [PMID: 24069204 PMCID: PMC3775741 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0073546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2013] [Accepted: 07/21/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have shown directional changes in old-growth tropical forests, but changes are complex and diverse, and their drivers unclear. Here, we report rapid net structural and compositional changes in an old-growth subtropical forest and we assess the functional nature of these changes to test hypothetical drivers including recovery from past disturbances, reduction in ungulate browsing, CO2 fertilization, and increases in rainfall and temperature. The study relies on 15 years of demographic monitoring within 8 ha of subtropical montane forest in Argentina. Between 1992 and 2007, stem density markedly increased by 50% (12 stems ha(-1) y(-1)) and basal area by 6% (0.13 m(2) ha(-1) y(-1)). Increased stem density resulted from enhanced recruitment of understory treelets (Piper tucumanum, Eugenia uniflora, Allophylus edulis) into small size classes. Among 27 common tree species, net population growth was negatively correlated with maximum tree size and longevity, and positively correlated with leaf size and leaf nutrient content, especially so when initial population size was controlled for. Changes were inconsistent with predictions derived from past disturbances (no increase in shade-tolerant or long-lived late-succesional species), rainfall or temperature increase (no increase in evergreen or deciduous species, respectively). However, the increase in nutrient-rich soft-leaved species was consistent with exclusion of large herbivores two decades before monitoring started; and CO2 fertilization could help explain the disproportionate increase in small stems. Reductions in populations of large vertebrates have been observed in many otherwise undisturbed tropical forests, and our results suggest they can have important structural and functional repercussions in these forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agustina Malizia
- CONICET-Instituto de Ecología Regional (IER), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
| | | | - H. Ricardo Grau
- CONICET-Instituto de Ecología Regional (IER), Universidad Nacional de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina
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Polansky L, Robbins MM. Generalized additive mixed models for disentangling long-term trends, local anomalies, and seasonality in fruit tree phenology. Ecol Evol 2013; 3:3141-51. [PMID: 24102000 PMCID: PMC3790557 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2013] [Revised: 06/28/2013] [Accepted: 07/01/2013] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Quantifying temporal patterns of ephemeral plant structures such as leaves, flowers, and fruits gives insight into both plant and animal ecology. Different scales of temporal changes in fruits, for example within- versus across-year variability, are driven by different processes, but are not always easy to disentangle. We apply generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs) to study a long-term fruit presence-absence data set of individual trees collected from a high-altitude Afromontane tropical rain forest site within Bwindi Impenetrable National Park (BINP), Uganda. Our primary aim was to highlight and evaluate GAMM methodology, and quantify both intra- and interannual changes in fruit production. First, we conduct several simulation experiments to study the practical utility of model selection and smooth term estimation relevant for disentangling intra- and interannual variability. These simulations indicate that estimation of nonlinearity and seasonality is generally accurately identified using asymptotic theory. Applied to the empirical data set, we found that the forest-level fruiting variability arises from both regular seasonality and significant interannual variability, with the years 2009-2010 in particular showing a significant increase in the presence of fruits-driven by increased productivity of most species, and a regular annual peak associated occurring at the end of one of the two dry seasons. Our analyses illustrate a statistical framework for disentangling short-term increases/decreases in fruiting effort while pinpointing specific times in which fruiting is atypical, providing a first step for assessing the impacts of regular and irregular (e.g., climate change) abiotic covariates on fruiting phenology. Some consequences of the rich diversity of fruiting patterns observed here for the population biology of frugivores in BINP are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leo Polansky
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Deutscher Platz 6, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
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Malhi Y, Adu-Bredu S, Asare RA, Lewis SL, Mayaux P. African rainforests: past, present and future. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2013; 368:20120312. [PMID: 23878339 PMCID: PMC3720030 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2012.0312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The rainforests are the great green heart of Africa, and present a unique combination of ecological, climatic and human interactions. In this synthesis paper, we review the past and present state processes of change in African rainforests, and explore the challenges and opportunities for maintaining a viable future for these biomes. We draw in particular on the insights and new analyses emerging from the Theme Issue on 'African rainforests: past, present and future' of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. A combination of features characterize the African rainforest biome, including a history of climate variation; forest expansion and retreat; a long history of human interaction with the biome; a relatively low plant species diversity but large tree biomass; a historically exceptionally high animal biomass that is now being severely hunted down; the dominance of selective logging; small-scale farming and bushmeat hunting as the major forms of direct human pressure; and, in Central Africa, the particular context of mineral- and oil-driven economies that have resulted in unusually low rates of deforestation and agricultural activity. We conclude by discussing how this combination of factors influences the prospects for African forests in the twenty-first century.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, UK.
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van Mantgem PJ, Nesmith JCB, Keifer M, Knapp EE, Flint A, Flint L. Climatic stress increases forest fire severity across the western United States. Ecol Lett 2013; 16:1151-6. [PMID: 23869626 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2012] [Revised: 12/30/2012] [Accepted: 06/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Pervasive warming can lead to chronic stress on forest trees, which may contribute to mortality resulting from fire-caused injuries. Longitudinal analyses of forest plots from across the western US show that high pre-fire climatic water deficit was related to increased post-fire tree mortality probabilities. This relationship between climate and fire was present after accounting for fire defences and injuries, and appeared to influence the effects of crown and stem injuries. Climate and fire interactions did not vary substantially across geographical regions, major genera and tree sizes. Our findings support recent physiological evidence showing that both drought and heating from fire can impair xylem conductivity. Warming trends have been linked to increasing probabilities of severe fire weather and fire spread; our results suggest that warming may also increase forest fire severity (the number of trees killed) independent of fire intensity (the amount of heat released during a fire).
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip J van Mantgem
- US Geological Survey, Redwood Field Station, 1655, Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521, USA.
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Fisher JB, Sikka M, Sitch S, Ciais P, Poulter B, Galbraith D, Lee JE, Huntingford C, Viovy N, Zeng N, Ahlström A, Lomas MR, Levy PE, Frankenberg C, Saatchi S, Malhi Y. African tropical rainforest net carbon dioxide fluxes in the twentieth century. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2013; 368:20120376. [PMID: 23878340 PMCID: PMC3720031 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2012.0376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The African humid tropical biome constitutes the second largest rainforest region, significantly impacts global carbon cycling and climate, and has undergone major changes in functioning owing to climate and land-use change over the past century. We assess changes and trends in CO2 fluxes from 1901 to 2010 using nine land surface models forced with common driving data, and depict the inter-model variability as the uncertainty in fluxes. The biome is estimated to be a natural (no disturbance) net carbon sink (−0.02 kg C m−2 yr−1 or −0.04 Pg C yr−1, p < 0.05) with increasing strength fourfold in the second half of the century. The models were in close agreement on net CO2 flux at the beginning of the century (σ1901 = 0.02 kg C m−2 yr−1), but diverged exponentially throughout the century (σ2010 = 0.03 kg C m−2 yr−1). The increasing uncertainty is due to differences in sensitivity to increasing atmospheric CO2, but not increasing water stress, despite a decrease in precipitation and increase in air temperature. However, the largest uncertainties were associated with the most extreme drought events of the century. These results highlight the need to constrain modelled CO2 fluxes with increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations and extreme climatic events, as the uncertainties will only amplify in the next century.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua B Fisher
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA.
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Multiple dimensions of resource limitation in tropical forests. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:4864-5. [PMID: 23476063 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1301606110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Polansky L, Boesch C. Long-term Changes in Fruit Phenology in a West African Lowland Tropical Rain Forest are Not Explained by Rainfall. Biotropica 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Leo Polansky
- Department of Primatology; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Deutscher Platz 6; 04103; Leipzig; Germany
| | - Christophe Boesch
- Department of Primatology; Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Deutscher Platz 6; 04103; Leipzig; Germany
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Effects of Nutrient Addition on the Productivity of Montane Forests and Implications for the Carbon Cycle. ECOSYSTEM SERVICES, BIODIVERSITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE IN A TROPICAL MOUNTAIN ECOSYSTEM OF SOUTH ECUADOR 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-38137-9_23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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Bowman DMJS, Brienen RJW, Gloor E, Phillips OL, Prior LD. Detecting trends in tree growth: not so simple. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2013; 18:11-7. [PMID: 22960000 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2012.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2011] [Revised: 08/05/2012] [Accepted: 08/13/2012] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Tree biomass influences biogeochemical cycles, climate, and biodiversity across local to global scales. Understanding the environmental control of tree biomass demands consideration of the drivers of individual tree growth over their lifespan. This can be achieved by studies of tree growth in permanent sample plots (prospective studies) and tree ring analyses (retrospective studies). However, identification of growth trends and attribution of their drivers demands statistical control of the axiomatic co-variation of tree size and age, and avoiding sampling biases at the stand, forest, and regional scales. Tracking and predicting the effects of environmental change on tree biomass requires well-designed studies that address the issues that we have reviewed.
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Affiliation(s)
- David M J S Bowman
- School of Plant Science, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 55, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia.
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