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Ng KKS, Kobayashi MJ, Fawcett JA, Hatakeyama M, Paape T, Ng CH, Ang CC, Tnah LH, Lee CT, Nishiyama T, Sese J, O'Brien MJ, Copetti D, Isa MNM, Ong RC, Putra M, Siregar IZ, Indrioko S, Kosugi Y, Izuno A, Isagi Y, Lee SL, Shimizu KK. The genome of Shorea leprosula (Dipterocarpaceae) highlights the ecological relevance of drought in aseasonal tropical rainforests. Commun Biol 2021; 4:1166. [PMID: 34620991 PMCID: PMC8497594 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-021-02682-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Accepted: 09/17/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Hyperdiverse tropical rainforests, such as the aseasonal forests in Southeast Asia, are supported by high annual rainfall. Its canopy is dominated by the species-rich tree family of Dipterocarpaceae (Asian dipterocarps), which has both ecological (e.g., supports flora and fauna) and economical (e.g., timber production) importance. Recent ecological studies suggested that rare irregular drought events may be an environmental stress and signal for the tropical trees. We assembled the genome of a widespread but near threatened dipterocarp, Shorea leprosula, and analyzed the transcriptome sequences of ten dipterocarp species representing seven genera. Comparative genomic and molecular dating analyses suggested a whole-genome duplication close to the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event followed by the diversification of major dipterocarp lineages (i.e. Dipterocarpoideae). Interestingly, the retained duplicated genes were enriched for genes upregulated by no-irrigation treatment. These findings provide molecular support for the relevance of drought for tropical trees despite the lack of an annual dry season.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Kit Siong Ng
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Genetics Laboratory, Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Kepong, Selangor, Malaysia.
| | - Masaki J Kobayashi
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- URPP Global Change and Biodiversity, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Forestry Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
- Artificial Intelligence Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tokyo, Japan
| | - Jeffrey A Fawcett
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems, SOKENDAI, The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Hayama, Kanagawa, Japan
- RIKEN iTHEMS, Wako, Saitama, Japan
| | - Masaomi Hatakeyama
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- URPP Global Change and Biodiversity, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Functional Genomics Center Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (SIB), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Timothy Paape
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- URPP Global Change and Biodiversity, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Chin Hong Ng
- Genetics Laboratory, Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Kepong, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Choon Cheng Ang
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- URPP Global Change and Biodiversity, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Lee Hong Tnah
- Genetics Laboratory, Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Kepong, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Chai Ting Lee
- Genetics Laboratory, Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Kepong, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Tomoaki Nishiyama
- Division of Integrated Omics research, Research Center for Experimental Modeling of Human Disease, Kanazawa University, Kanazawa, Japan
| | - Jun Sese
- Artificial Intelligence Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tokyo, Japan
- AIST-Tokyo Tech RWBC-OIL, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan
- Humanome Lab Inc., Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Michael J O'Brien
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- URPP Global Change and Biodiversity, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Área de Biodiversidad y Conservación, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, c/Tulipán s/n., E-28933, Móstoles, Spain
| | - Dario Copetti
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Molecular Plant Breeding, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Mahardika Putra
- Faculty of Forestry, Bogor Agricultural University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | | | - Sapto Indrioko
- Faculty of Forestry, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta, Indonesia
| | - Yoshiko Kosugi
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Ayako Izuno
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Yuji Isagi
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Soon Leong Lee
- Genetics Laboratory, Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), Kepong, Selangor, Malaysia.
| | - Kentaro K Shimizu
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- URPP Global Change and Biodiversity, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Kihara Institute for Biological Research, Yokohama City University, Yokohama, Japan.
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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. Glob Chang Biol 2020; 26:5734-5753. [PMID: 32594557 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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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3
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Hu J, Herbohn J, Chazdon RL, Baynes J, Vanclay JK. Above-ground biomass recovery following logging and thinning over 46 years in an Australian tropical forest. Sci Total Environ 2020; 734:139098. [PMID: 32473448 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2020] [Revised: 04/25/2020] [Accepted: 04/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Managed tropical forests are a globally important carbon pool, but the effects of logging and thinning intensities on long-term biomass dynamics are poorly known. We investigated the demographic mechanisms of above-ground biomass recovery over 48 years in an Australian tropical forest following four silvicultural treatments: selective logging only as a control and selective logging followed by low-, medium- and high-intensity thinning. Initial biomass recovery rates following thinning were poor predictors of the long-term changes. Initial biomass recovery from 1969 to 1973 was slow and was largely concentrated on an increase in the biomass of residual stems. From 1973 to 1997, above ground biomass (AGB) increased almost linearly, with a similar slope for all sites. From 1997 to 2015, the rate of biomass accumulation slowed, especially for the L treatment. All thinning treatments stimulated more recruitment and regrowth of non-harvested remaining trees compared to the untreated control. Biomass at both the low and medium intensity treatments has almost fully recovered to 98% and 97% of pre-logging biomass levels respectively. The predicted times of complete above-ground biomass recovery for the logging only and high intensity treatments are 55 and 77 years respectively. The slower biomass recovery at the logging only site was largely due to increased mortality in the last measurement period. The slower recovery of the high intensity site was due to a combination of a higher initial reduction in biomass from thinning and the increased mortality in the last measurement period. The high mortality rates in the most recent measurement period are likely due to the impacts of two cyclones that impacted the study site. Our results suggest that it will take at least around 50 years for this site to recover to its pre-harvest biomass, much longer than many of the cutting cycles currently used in tropical forest management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Hu
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, the University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia.
| | - John Herbohn
- School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, the University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia; Tropical Forests and People Research Centre, the University of Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, QLD 4558, Australia
| | - Robin L Chazdon
- Tropical Forests and People Research Centre, the University of Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, QLD 4558, Australia
| | - Jack Baynes
- Tropical Forests and People Research Centre, the University of Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, QLD 4558, Australia
| | - Jerome K Vanclay
- School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, PO Box 157, Lismore, NSW 2480, Australia
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Yuan Z, Ali A, Wang S, Wang X, Lin F, Wang Y, Fang S, Hao Z, Loreau M, Jiang L. Temporal stability of aboveground biomass is governed by species asynchrony in temperate forests. Ecol Indic 2019; 107:105661. [PMID: 31478008 PMCID: PMC6718286 DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.105661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the effects of plant species diversity and trait composition on aboveground biomass is a central focus of ecology and has important implications for biodiversity conservation. However, the simultaneous direct and indirect effects of soil nutrients, species asynchrony, functional trait diversity, and trait composition for explaining the community temporal stability of aboveground biomass remain underrepresented in natural forests. Here, we hypothesized that species asynchrony relative to soil nutrients, functional trait diversity, and trait composition plays a central role in stabilizing the community temporal stability of natural forests. We tested this hypothesis using a structural equation model based on 10-year continuous monitoring data (i.e., three-time repeated forest inventories) in both second-growth and old-growth temperate forests in northeast China. Our results showed that the community temporal stability of aboveground biomass was driven by a strong direct positive effect of species asynchrony in both second-growth and old-growth temperate forests, whereas functional trait diversity and composition (i.e. community-weighted mean of leaf nitrogen content) were of additional importance in an old-growth forest only. Functional trait diversity decreased community-weighted mean of leaf nitrogen content in an old-growth forest, whereas this relationship was non-significant in a second-growth forest. Soil nutrients had non-significant effects on the community temporal stability of both second-growth and old-growth forests. Species asynchrony was the direct determinant of the community temporal stability of aboveground biomass in temperate forests. The direct effect of species asynchrony increased with forest succession, implying that temporal niche differentiation and facilitation increase over time. This study suggests that managing forests with mixtures of both early and late successional species or shade intolerant and tolerant species, not only species diversity, is important for maintaining forest stability in a changing environment. We argue that the species asynchrony effect is crucial to understand the underlying ecological mechanisms for a diversity-biomass relationship in natural forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuoqiang Yuan
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110164, China
| | - Arshad Ali
- Department of Forest Resources Management, College of Forestry, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, Jiangsu, China
| | - Shaopeng Wang
- Department of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science, and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, 100871 Beijing, China
| | - Xugao Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110164, China
| | - Fei Lin
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110164, China
| | - Yunyun Wang
- National Engineering Laboratory for Applied Technology of Forestry & Ecology in South China, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China
| | - Shuai Fang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110164, China
| | - Zhanqing Hao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110164, China
- Research Center for Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Northernwest Polytechnical University, China
| | - Michel Loreau
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, Theoretical and Experimental Ecology Station, CNRS and Paul Sabatier University, 09200 Moulis, France
| | - Lin Jiang
- School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
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Bunyavejchewin S, Sinbumroong A, Turner BL, Davies SJ. Natural disturbance and soils drive diversity and dynamics of seasonal dipterocarp forest in Southern Thailand. J Trop Ecol 2019; 35:95-107. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467419000075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
AbstractIn 2000, we established a 24-ha plot in Peninsular Thailand to investigate how forest composition, structure and dynamics vary with spatial heterogeneity in resource availability. Detailed soil and topographic surveys were used to describe four edaphic habitats in the plot. Disturbance history was inferred from historical records and floristic analysis. The plot included >119 000 trees ≥1 cm dbh in 578 species, and was recensused in 2010. Species distributions, floristic turnover, stand structure, demographic rates and biomass dynamics were strongly influenced by heterogeneity in soils, topography and disturbance history. Over 75% of species were aggregated on specific edaphic habitats leading to strong compositional turnover across the plot. Soil chemistry more strongly affected species turnover than topography. Forest with high biomass and slow dynamics occurred on well-drained, low fertility ridges. The distribution and size structure of pioneer species reflected habitat-specific differences in disturbance history. Overall, above-ground biomass (AGB) increased by 0.64 Mg ha−1 y−1, from 385 to 392 Mg ha−1, an increase that was entirely attributable to recovery after natural disturbance. Forest composition and stand structure, by reflecting local disturbance history, provide insights into the likely drivers of AGB change in forests. Predicting future changes in tropical forests requires improved understanding of how soils and disturbance regulate forest dynamics.
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Cushman KC, Kellner JR. Prediction of forest aboveground net primary production from high-resolution vertical leaf-area profiles. Ecol Lett 2019; 22:538-546. [PMID: 30632240 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2018] [Revised: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 11/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Temperature and precipitation explain about half the variation in aboveground net primary production (ANPP) among tropical forest sites, but determinants of remaining variation are poorly understood. Here, we test the hypothesis that the amount of leaf area, and its vertical arrangement, predicts ANPP when other variables are held constant. Using measurements from airborne lidar in a lowland Neotropical rain forest, we quantify vertical leaf-area profiles and develop models of ANPP driven by leaf area and other measurements of forest structure. Vertical leaf-area profiles predict 38% of the variation among plots. This number is 4.5 times greater than models using total leaf area (disregarding vertical arrangement) and 2.1 times greater than models using canopy height alone. Furthermore, ANPP predictions from vertical leaf-area profiles were less biased than alternate metrics. Variation in ANPP not attributable to temperature or precipitation can be predicted by the vertical distribution of leaf area in this system.
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Affiliation(s)
- K C Cushman
- Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, 85 Waterman Street, Providence, RI, 02912, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, 80 Waterman Street, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
| | - James R Kellner
- Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, 85 Waterman Street, Providence, RI, 02912, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University, 80 Waterman Street, Providence, RI, 02912, USA
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7
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Amissah L, Mohren GMJ, Kyereh B, Agyeman VK, Poorter L. Rainfall seasonality and drought performance shape the distribution of tropical tree species in Ghana. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:8582-8597. [PMID: 30250725 PMCID: PMC6144999 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2016] [Revised: 06/04/2018] [Accepted: 06/17/2018] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Tree species distribution in lowland tropical forests is strongly associated with rainfall amount and distribution. Not only plant water availability, but also irradiance, soil fertility, and pest pressure covary along rainfall gradients. To assess the role of water availability in shaping species distribution, we carried out a reciprocal transplanting experiment in gaps in a dry and a wet forest site in Ghana, using 2,670 seedlings of 23 tree species belonging to three contrasting rainfall distributions groups (dry species, ubiquitous species, and wet species). We evaluated seasonal patterns in climatic conditions, seedling physiology and performance (survival and growth) over a 2-year period and related seedling performance to species distribution along Ghana's rainfall gradient. The dry forest site had, compared to the wet forest, higher irradiance, and soil nutrient availability and experienced stronger atmospheric drought (2.0 vs. 0.6 kPa vapor pressure deficit) and reduced soil water potential (-5.0 vs. -0.6 MPa soil water potential) during the dry season. In both forests, dry species showed significantly higher stomatal conductance and lower leaf water potential, than wet species, and in the dry forest, dry species also realized higher drought survival and growth rate than wet species. Dry species are therefore more drought tolerant, and unlike the wet forest species, they achieve a home advantage. Species drought performance in the dry forest relative to the wet forest significantly predicted species position on the rainfall gradient in Ghana, indicating that the ability to grow and survive better in dry forests and during dry seasons may allow species to occur in low rainfall areas. Drought is therefore an important environmental filter that influences forest composition and dynamics. Currently, many tropical forests experience increase in frequency and intensity of droughts, and our results suggest that this may lead to reduction in tree productivity and shifts in species distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy Amissah
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research‐Forestry Research Institute of GhanaKumasiGhana
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management GroupWageningen University & ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Godefridus M. J. Mohren
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management GroupWageningen University & ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Boateng Kyereh
- College of Agriculture and Natural ResourcesKwame Nkrumah University of Science and TechnologyKumasiGhana
| | - Victor K. Agyeman
- Council for Scientific and Industrial Research‐Forestry Research Institute of GhanaKumasiGhana
| | - Lourens Poorter
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management GroupWageningen University & ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
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8
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Vincent JB, Turner BL, Alok C, Novotny V, Weiblen GD, Whitfeld TJS. Tropical forest dynamics in unstable terrain: a case study from New Guinea. J Trop Ecol 2018; 34:157-75. [DOI: 10.1017/s0266467418000123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Abstract:Long-term forest dynamics plots in the tropics tend to be situated on stable terrain. This study investigated forest dynamics on the north coast of New Guinea where active subduction zones are uplifting lowland basins and exposing relatively young sediments to rapid weathering. We examined forest dynamics in relation to disturbance history, topography and soil nutrients based on partial re-census of the 50-ha Wanang Forest Dynamics Plot in Papua New Guinea. The plot is relatively high in cations and phosphorus but low in nitrogen. Soil nutrients and topography accounted for 29% of variation in species composition but only 4% of variation in basal area. There were few areas of high biomass and most of the forest was comprised of small-diameter stems. Approximately 18% of the forest was less than 30 y old and the annual tree mortality rate of nearly 4% was higher than in other tropical forests in South-East Asia and the neotropics. These results support the reputation of New Guinea's forests as highly dynamic, with frequent natural disturbance. Empirical documentation of this hypothesis expands our understanding of tropical forest dynamics and suggests that geomorphology might be incorporated in models of global carbon storage especially in regions of unstable terrain.
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Fisher RA, Koven CD, Anderegg WRL, Christoffersen BO, Dietze MC, Farrior CE, Holm JA, Hurtt GC, Knox RG, Lawrence PJ, Lichstein JW, Longo M, Matheny AM, Medvigy D, Muller-Landau HC, Powell TL, Serbin SP, Sato H, Shuman JK, Smith B, Trugman AT, Viskari T, Verbeeck H, Weng E, Xu C, Xu X, Zhang T, Moorcroft PR. Vegetation demographics in Earth System Models: A review of progress and priorities. Glob Chang Biol 2018; 24:35-54. [PMID: 28921829 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13910] [Citation(s) in RCA: 183] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2017] [Revised: 08/12/2017] [Accepted: 08/17/2017] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Numerous current efforts seek to improve the representation of ecosystem ecology and vegetation demographic processes within Earth System Models (ESMs). These developments are widely viewed as an important step in developing greater realism in predictions of future ecosystem states and fluxes. Increased realism, however, leads to increased model complexity, with new features raising a suite of ecological questions that require empirical constraints. Here, we review the developments that permit the representation of plant demographics in ESMs, and identify issues raised by these developments that highlight important gaps in ecological understanding. These issues inevitably translate into uncertainty in model projections but also allow models to be applied to new processes and questions concerning the dynamics of real-world ecosystems. We argue that stronger and more innovative connections to data, across the range of scales considered, are required to address these gaps in understanding. The development of first-generation land surface models as a unifying framework for ecophysiological understanding stimulated much research into plant physiological traits and gas exchange. Constraining predictions at ecologically relevant spatial and temporal scales will require a similar investment of effort and intensified inter-disciplinary communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosie A Fisher
- National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, USA
| | | | | | | | - Michael C Dietze
- Department of Earth and Environment, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Caroline E Farrior
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | | | - George C Hurtt
- Department of Geographical Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA
| | - Ryan G Knox
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Marcos Longo
- Embrapa Agricultural Informatics, Campinas, Brazil
| | - Ashley M Matheny
- Department of Geological Sciences, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - David Medvigy
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | | | | | - Shawn P Serbin
- Environmental and Climate Sciences Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY, USA
| | - Hisashi Sato
- Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), Yokohama, Japan
| | | | - Benjamin Smith
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Anna T Trugman
- Program in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Toni Viskari
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá, Panamá
| | - Hans Verbeeck
- Department of Applied Ecology and Environmental Biology, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Ensheng Weng
- Center for Climate Systems Research, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Chonggang Xu
- Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, USA
| | - Xiangtao Xu
- Department of Geosciences, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Tao Zhang
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Paul R Moorcroft
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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10
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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: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [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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11
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Yuan Z, Gazol A, Wang X, Lin F, Ye J, Zhang Z, Suo Y, Kuang X, Wang Y, Jia S, Hao Z. Pattern and dynamics of biomass stock in old growth forests: The role of habitat and tree size. Acta Oecologica 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.actao.2016.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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12
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Rozendaal DMA, Chazdon RL. Demographic drivers of tree biomass change during secondary succession in northeastern Costa Rica. Ecol Appl 2015; 25:506-516. [PMID: 26263671 DOI: 10.1890/14-0054.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Second-growth tropical forests are an important global carbon sink. As current knowledge on biomass accumulation during secondary succession is heavily based on chronosequence studies, direct estimates of annual rates of biomass accumulation in monitored stands are largely unavailable. We evaluated the contributions of tree diameter increment, recruitment, and mortality to annual tree biomass change during succession for three groups of tree species: second-growth (SG) specialists, generalists, and old-growth (OG) specialists. We monitored six second-growth tropical forests that varied in stand age and two old-growth forests in northeastern Costa Rica. We monitored these over a period of 8 to 16 years. To assess rates of biomass change during secondary succession, we compared standing biomass and biomass dynamics between second-growth forest stages and old-growth forest, and evaluated the effect of stand age on standing biomass and biomass dynamics in second-growth forests. Standing tree biomass increased with stand age during succession, whereas the rate of biomass change decreased. Biomass change was largely driven by tree diameter increment and mortality, with a minor contribution from recruitment. The relative importance of these demographic drivers shifted over succession. Biomass gain due to tree diameter increment decreased with stand age, whereas biomass loss due to mortality increased. In the age range of our second-growth forests, 10-41 years, SG specialists dominated tree biomass in second-growth forests. SG specialists, and to a lesser extent generalists, also dominated stand-level biomass increase due to tree diameter increment, whereas SG specialists largely accounted for decreases in biomass due to mortality. Our results indicate that tree growth is largely driving biomass dynamics early in succession, whereas both growth and mortality are important later in succession. Biomass dynamics are largely accounted for by a few SG specialists and one generalist species, Pentaclethra macroloba. To assess the generality of our results, similar long-term studies should be compared across tropical forest landscapes.
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13
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Anderson-Teixeira KJ, Davies SJ, Bennett AC, Gonzalez-Akre EB, Muller-Landau HC, Wright SJ, Abu Salim K, Almeyda Zambrano AM, Alonso A, Baltzer JL, Basset Y, Bourg NA, Broadbent EN, Brockelman WY, Bunyavejchewin S, Burslem DFRP, Butt N, Cao M, Cardenas D, Chuyong GB, Clay K, Cordell S, Dattaraja HS, Deng X, Detto M, Du X, Duque A, Erikson DL, Ewango CEN, Fischer GA, Fletcher C, Foster RB, Giardina CP, Gilbert GS, Gunatilleke N, Gunatilleke S, Hao Z, Hargrove WW, Hart TB, Hau BCH, He F, Hoffman FM, Howe RW, Hubbell SP, Inman-Narahari FM, Jansen PA, Jiang M, Johnson DJ, Kanzaki M, Kassim AR, Kenfack D, Kibet S, Kinnaird MF, Korte L, Kral K, Kumar J, Larson AJ, Li Y, Li X, Liu S, Lum SKY, Lutz JA, Ma K, Maddalena DM, Makana JR, Malhi Y, Marthews T, Mat Serudin R, McMahon SM, McShea WJ, Memiaghe HR, Mi X, Mizuno T, Morecroft M, Myers JA, Novotny V, de Oliveira AA, Ong PS, Orwig DA, Ostertag R, den Ouden J, Parker GG, Phillips RP, Sack L, Sainge MN, Sang W, Sri-Ngernyuang K, Sukumar R, Sun IF, Sungpalee W, Suresh HS, Tan S, Thomas SC, Thomas DW, Thompson J, Turner BL, Uriarte M, Valencia R, Vallejo MI, Vicentini A, Vrška T, Wang X, Wang X, Weiblen G, Wolf A, Xu H, Yap S, Zimmerman J. CTFS-ForestGEO: a worldwide network monitoring forests in an era of global change. Glob Chang Biol 2015; 21:528-49. [PMID: 25258024 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 267] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2014] [Accepted: 07/06/2014] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Global change is impacting forests worldwide, threatening biodiversity and ecosystem services including climate regulation. Understanding how forests respond is critical to forest conservation and climate protection. This review describes an international network of 59 long-term forest dynamics research sites (CTFS-ForestGEO) useful for characterizing forest responses to global change. Within very large plots (median size 25 ha), all stems ≥ 1 cm diameter are identified to species, mapped, and regularly recensused according to standardized protocols. CTFS-ForestGEO spans 25 °S-61 °N latitude, is generally representative of the range of bioclimatic, edaphic, and topographic conditions experienced by forests worldwide, and is the only forest monitoring network that applies a standardized protocol to each of the world's major forest biomes. Supplementary standardized measurements at subsets of the sites provide additional information on plants, animals, and ecosystem and environmental variables. CTFS-ForestGEO sites are experiencing multifaceted anthropogenic global change pressures including warming (average 0.61 °C), changes in precipitation (up to ± 30% change), atmospheric deposition of nitrogen and sulfur compounds (up to 3.8 g N m(-2) yr(-1) and 3.1 g S m(-2) yr(-1)), and forest fragmentation in the surrounding landscape (up to 88% reduced tree cover within 5 km). The broad suite of measurements made at CTFS-ForestGEO sites makes it possible to investigate the complex ways in which global change is impacting forest dynamics. Ongoing research across the CTFS-ForestGEO network is yielding insights into how and why the forests are changing, and continued monitoring will provide vital contributions to understanding worldwide forest diversity and dynamics in an era of global change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina J Anderson-Teixeira
- Center for Tropical Forest Science-Forest Global Earth Observatory, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, Republic of Panama; Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, VA, USA
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14
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Wagner F, Rossi V, Aubry-Kientz M, Bonal D, Dalitz H, Gliniars R, Stahl C, Trabucco A, Hérault B. Pan-tropical analysis of climate effects on seasonal tree growth. PLoS One 2014; 9:e92337. [PMID: 24670981 PMCID: PMC3966775 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0092337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2013] [Accepted: 02/21/2014] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Climate models predict a range of changes in tropical forest regions, including increased average temperatures, decreased total precipitation, reduced soil moisture and alterations in seasonal climate variations. These changes are directly related to the increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations, primarily CO2. Assessing seasonal forest growth responses to climate is of utmost importance because woody tissues, produced by photosynthesis from atmospheric CO2, water and light, constitute the main component of carbon sequestration in the forest ecosystem. In this paper, we combine intra-annual tree growth measurements from published tree growth data and the corresponding monthly climate data for 25 pan-tropical forest sites. This meta-analysis is designed to find the shared climate drivers of tree growth and their relative importance across pan-tropical forests in order to improve carbon uptake models in a global change context. Tree growth reveals significant intra-annual seasonality at seasonally dry sites or in wet tropical forests. Of the overall variation in tree growth, 28.7% was explained by the site effect, i.e. the tree growth average per site. The best predictive model included four climate variables: precipitation, solar radiation (estimated with extrasolar radiation reaching the atmosphere), temperature amplitude and relative soil water content. This model explained more than 50% of the tree growth variations across tropical forests. Precipitation and solar radiation are the main seasonal drivers of tree growth, causing 19.8% and 16.3% of the tree growth variations. Both have a significant positive association with tree growth. These findings suggest that forest productivity due to tropical tree growth will be reduced in the future if climate extremes, such as droughts, become more frequent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabien Wagner
- Remote Sensing Division, National Institute for Space Research - INPE, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
- Cirad, UMR 93 “Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane,” Kourou, France
| | - Vivien Rossi
- Cirad, UR 105 “Biens et services des écosystèmes forestiers tropicaux,” Montpellier, France
- Université de Yaoundé 1, UMI 209 “Modélisation Mathématique et Informatique de Systèmes Complexes,” Yaoundé, Cameroun
| | - Mélaine Aubry-Kientz
- Université des Antilles et de la Guyane, UMR 93 “Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane,” Kourou, France
| | | | - Helmut Dalitz
- Institute of Botany, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Robert Gliniars
- Institute of Botany, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Clément Stahl
- Cirad, UMR 93 “Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane,” Kourou, France
- CIRAD, UMR “Systèmes d'Elevage en Milieux Méditerranéens et Tropicaux,” Kourou, France
| | - Antonio Trabucco
- Euro-Mediterranean Centre for Climate Change, Sassari, Italy
- Division of Forest, Nature, and Landscape, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bruno Hérault
- Cirad, UMR 93 “Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane,” Kourou, France
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15
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Abstract
Landscape-scale gap-size frequency distributions in tropical forests are a poorly studied but key ecological variable. Currently, a scale gap currently exists between local-scale field-based studies and those employing regional-scale medium-resolution satellite data. Data at landscape scales but of fine resolution would, however, facilitate investigation into a range of ecological questions relating to gap dynamics. These include whether canopy disturbances captured in permanent sample plots (PSPs) are representative of those in their surrounding landscape, and whether disturbance regimes vary with forest type. Here, therefore, we employ airborne LiDAR data captured over 142.5 km2 of mature, swamp, and regenerating forests in southeast Peru to assess the landscape-scale disturbance at a sampling resolution of up to 2 m. We find that this landscape is characterized by large numbers of small gaps; large disturbance events are insignificant and infrequent. Of the total number of gaps that are 2 m2 or larger in area, just 0.45% were larger than 100 m2, with a power-law exponent (alpha) value of the gap-size frequency distribution of 2.22. However, differences in disturbance regimes are seen among different forest types, with a significant difference in the alpha value of the gap-size frequency distribution observed for the swamp/regenerating forests compared with the mature forests at higher elevations. Although a relatively small area of the total forest of this region was investigated here, this study presents an unprecedented assessment of this landscape with respect to its gap dynamics. This is particularly pertinent given the range of forest types present in the landscape and the differences observed. The coupling of detailed insights into forest properties and growth provided by PSPs with the broader statistics of disturbance events using remote sensing is recommended as a strong basis for scaling-up estimates of landscape and regional-scale carbon balance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doreen S Boyd
- School of Geography, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG72RD, UK.
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16
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Middendorp RS, Vlam M, Rebel KT, Baker PJ, Bunyavejchewin S, Zuidema PA. Disturbance History of a Seasonal Tropical Forest in Western Thailand: A Spatial Dendroecological Analysis. Biotropica 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Romaike S. Middendorp
- Georges Lemaître Centre for Earth and Climate Research; Earth and Life Institute; University of Louvain; B-1348; Louvain-la-Neuve; Belgium
| | - Mart Vlam
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management group; Centre for Ecosystem Studies; Wageningen University; PO Box 47; 6700 AA; Wageningen; The Netherlands
| | - Karin T. Rebel
- Department Environmental Sciences; Faculty of Geosciences; Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development; Utrecht University; PO Box 80115; 3508 TC; Utrecht; The Netherlands
| | | | - Sarayudh Bunyavejchewin
- Wildlife and Plant Conservation Department; Research Office; National Parks; Chatuchak; Bangkok; 10900; Thailand
| | - Pieter A. Zuidema
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management group; Centre for Ecosystem Studies; Wageningen University; PO Box 47; 6700 AA; Wageningen; The Netherlands
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17
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Anderson-Teixeira KJ, Miller AD, Mohan JE, Hudiburg TW, Duval BD, Delucia EH. Altered dynamics of forest recovery under a changing climate. Glob Chang Biol 2013; 19:2001-21. [PMID: 23529980 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.12194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2012] [Accepted: 01/29/2013] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Forest regeneration following disturbance is a key ecological process, influencing forest structure and function, species assemblages, and ecosystem-climate interactions. Climate change may alter forest recovery dynamics or even prevent recovery, triggering feedbacks to the climate system, altering regional biodiversity, and affecting the ecosystem services provided by forests. Multiple lines of evidence - including global-scale patterns in forest recovery dynamics; forest responses to experimental manipulation of CO2 , temperature, and precipitation; forest responses to the climate change that has already occurred; ecological theory; and ecosystem and earth system models - all indicate that the dynamics of forest recovery are sensitive to climate. However, synthetic understanding of how atmospheric CO2 and climate shape trajectories of forest recovery is lacking. Here, we review these separate lines of evidence, which together demonstrate that the dynamics of forest recovery are being impacted by increasing atmospheric CO2 and changing climate. Rates of forest recovery generally increase with CO2 , temperature, and water availability. Drought reduces growth and live biomass in forests of all ages, having a particularly strong effect on seedling recruitment and survival. Responses of individual trees and whole-forest ecosystems to CO2 and climate manipulations often vary by age, implying that forests of different ages will respond differently to climate change. Furthermore, species within a community typically exhibit differential responses to CO2 and climate, and altered community dynamics can have important consequences for ecosystem function. Age- and species-dependent responses provide a mechanism by which climate change may push some forests past critical thresholds such that they fail to recover to their previous state following disturbance. Altered dynamics of forest recovery will result in positive and negative feedbacks to climate change. Future research on this topic and corresponding improvements to earth system models will be a key to understanding the future of forests and their feedbacks to the climate system.
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18
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Fox JC, Vieilledent G, Yosi CK, Pokana JN, Keenan RJ. Aboveground Forest Carbon Dynamics in Papua New Guinea: Isolating the Influence of Selective-Harvesting and El Niño. Ecosystems 2011; 14:1276-88. [DOI: 10.1007/s10021-011-9480-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
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19
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Abstract
Long-term studies have revealed that the structure and dynamics of many tropical forests are changing, but the causes and consequences of these changes remain debated. To learn more about the forces driving changes within tropical forests, we investigated shifts in tree species composition over the past 25 years within the 50-ha Forest Dynamics Plot on Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama, and examined how observed patterns relate to predictions of (1) random population fluctuations, (2) carbon fertilization, (3) succession from past disturbance, (4) recovery from an extreme El Niño drought at the start of the study period, and (5) long-term climate change. We found that there have been consistent and directional changes in the tree species composition. These shifts have led to increased relative representations of drought-tolerant species as determined by the species' occurrence both across a gradient of soil moisture within BCI and across a wider precipitation gradient from a dry forest near the Pacific coast of Panama to a wet forest near its Caribbean coast. These nonrandom changes cannot be explained by stochastic fluctuations or carbon fertilization. They may be the legacy of the El Niño drought, or alternatively, potentially reflect increased aridity due to long-term climate change. By investigating compositional changes, we increased not only our understanding of the ecology of tropical forests and their responses to large-scale disturbances, but also our ability to predict how future global change will impact some of the critical services provided by these important ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenneth J Feeley
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, Florida 33199, USA.
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20
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21
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22
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Abstract
Major shifts in many ecosystem-level properties of tropical forests have been observed, but the processes driving these changes are poorly understood. The forest on Barro Colorado Island (BCI) exhibited a 20% decrease in the number of trees and a 10% increase in average diameter. Using a metabolism-based zero-sum framework, we show that increases in per capita resource use at BCI, caused by increased tree size and increased temperature, compensated for the observed declines in abundance. This trade-off between abundance and average resource use resulted in no net change in the rate resources are fluxed by the forest. Observed changes in the forest are not consistent with other hypotheses, including changes in overall resource availability and existing self-thinning models. The framework successfully predicts interrelated changes in size, abundance and temperature, indicating its utility for understanding changes in the structure and dynamics of ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- S K Morgan Ernest
- Department of Biology and the Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA.
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23
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Saleska S, da Rocha H, Kruijt B, Nobre A. Ecosystem carbon fluxes and Amazonian forest metabolism. In: Keller M, Bustamante M, Gash J, Silva Dias P, editors. Amazonia and Global Change. Washington: American Geophysical Union; 2009. pp. 389-407. [DOI: 10.1029/2008gm000728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/21/2023]
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24
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Pyle EH, Santoni GW, Nascimento HEM, Hutyra LR, Vieira S, Curran DJ, van Haren J, Saleska SR, Chow VY, Carmago PB, Laurance WF, Wofsy SC. Dynamics of carbon, biomass, and structure in two Amazonian forests. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2008. [DOI: 10.1029/2007jg000592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth Hammond Pyle
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Harvard University; Cambridge Massachusetts USA
| | - Gregory W. Santoni
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Harvard University; Cambridge Massachusetts USA
| | - Henrique E. M. Nascimento
- Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project; National Institute for Amazonian Research; Manaus Brazil
| | - Lucy R. Hutyra
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Harvard University; Cambridge Massachusetts USA
| | | | - Daniel J. Curran
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Harvard University; Cambridge Massachusetts USA
| | - Joost van Haren
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Arizona; Tuscon Arizona USA
| | - Scott R. Saleska
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of Arizona; Tuscon Arizona USA
| | - V. Y. Chow
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Harvard University; Cambridge Massachusetts USA
| | | | - William F. Laurance
- Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragments Project; National Institute for Amazonian Research; Manaus Brazil
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; Balboa Panama
| | - Steven C. Wofsy
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences; Harvard University; Cambridge Massachusetts USA
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Chave J, Condit R, Muller-Landau HC, Thomas SC, Ashton PS, Bunyavejchewin S, Co LL, Dattaraja HS, Davies SJ, Esufali S, Ewango CEN, Feeley KJ, Foster RB, Gunatilleke N, Gunatilleke S, Hall P, Hart TB, Hernández C, Hubbell SP, Itoh A, Kiratiprayoon S, Lafrankie JV, Loo de Lao S, Makana JR, Noor MNS, Kassim AR, Samper C, Sukumar R, Suresh HS, Tan S, Thompson J, Tongco MDC, Valencia R, Vallejo M, Villa G, Yamakura T, Zimmerman JK, Losos EC. Assessing evidence for a pervasive alteration in tropical tree communities. PLoS Biol 2008; 6:e45. [PMID: 18318600 PMCID: PMC2270308 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0060045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2007] [Accepted: 01/14/2008] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In Amazonian tropical forests, recent studies have reported increases in aboveground biomass and in primary productivity, as well as shifts in plant species composition favouring fast-growing species over slow-growing ones. This pervasive alteration of mature tropical forests was attributed to global environmental change, such as an increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration, nutrient deposition, temperature, drought frequency, and/or irradiance. We used standardized, repeated measurements of over 2 million trees in ten large (16-52 ha each) forest plots on three continents to evaluate the generality of these findings across tropical forests. Aboveground biomass increased at seven of our ten plots, significantly so at four plots, and showed a large decrease at a single plot. Carbon accumulation pooled across sites was significant (+0.24 MgC ha(-1) y(-1), 95% confidence intervals [0.07, 0.39] MgC ha(-1) y(-1)), but lower than reported previously for Amazonia. At three sites for which we had data for multiple census intervals, we found no concerted increase in biomass gain, in conflict with the increased productivity hypothesis. Over all ten plots, the fastest-growing quartile of species gained biomass (+0.33 [0.09, 0.55] % y(-1)) compared with the tree community as a whole (+0.15 % y(-1)); however, this significant trend was due to a single plot. Biomass of slow-growing species increased significantly when calculated over all plots (+0.21 [0.02, 0.37] % y(-1)), and in half of our plots when calculated individually. Our results do not support the hypothesis that fast-growing species are consistently increasing in dominance in tropical tree communities. Instead, they suggest that our plots may be simultaneously recovering from past disturbances and affected by changes in resource availability. More long-term studies are necessary to clarify the contribution of global change to the functioning of tropical forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jérôme Chave
- Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique CNRS/Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, France.
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Abstract
Assessments from field plots steer much of our current understanding of global change impacts on forest ecosystem structure and function. Recent widespread observations of net carbon accumulation in field plots have suggested that terrestrial ecosystems may be a carbon sink, possibly resulting from climate change and/or CO(2) fertilization. We hypothesize that field plots may inadequately sample inherently rare mortality events, leading to bias when plot level measurements are scaled up to larger domains. In this study, we constructed a simple computer simulation model of forest dynamics to investigate the effects of disturbance patterns on landscape-scale carbon balance estimates. The model was constructed to be a balanced biosphere at the landscape-scale with a uniform spatial pattern of forest growth rates. Disturbance gap-size distributions across the landscape were modelled with a power-law distribution. Small and frequent disturbances result in a well-mixed heterogeneous forest where even small sample plots represented domain-wide behaviour. However, with disturbances dominated by large and rare events, sample plots as large as 50 ha displayed significant bias towards growth. We suggest that the accuracy of domain level estimates of carbon balance from sample plots are highly sensitive to the distribution of disturbance events across the landscape, and to the number, size and distribution of field plots that comprise the estimate. Assumptions that small clusters of field plots may be representative of domain-wide conditions should only be made very cautiously, and warrant further investigation for verification.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeremy I Fisher
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, 400 Lindy Boggs, New Orleans, LA 70118, USA.
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