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Young DM, Baird AJ, Morris PJ, Dargie GC, Mampouya Wenina YE, Mbemba M, Boom A, Cook P, Betts R, Burke E, Bocko YE, Chadburn S, Crabtree DE, Crezee B, Ewango CEN, Garcin Y, Georgiou S, Girkin NT, Gulliver P, Hawthorne D, Ifo SA, Lawson IT, Page SE, Jovani-Sancho AJ, Schefuß E, Sciumbata M, Sjögersten S, Lewis SL. Simulating carbon accumulation and loss in the central Congo peatlands. Glob Chang Biol 2023; 29:6812-6827. [PMID: 37815703 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 09/10/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Peatlands of the central Congo Basin have accumulated carbon over millennia. They currently store some 29 billion tonnes of carbon in peat. However, our understanding of the controls on peat carbon accumulation and loss and the vulnerability of this stored carbon to climate change is in its infancy. Here we present a new model of tropical peatland development, DigiBog_Congo, that we use to simulate peat carbon accumulation and loss in a rain-fed interfluvial peatland that began forming ~20,000 calendar years Before Present (cal. yr BP, where 'present' is 1950 CE). Overall, the simulated age-depth curve is in good agreement with palaeoenvironmental reconstructions derived from a peat core at the same location as our model simulation. We find two key controls on long-term peat accumulation: water at the peat surface (surface wetness) and the very slow anoxic decay of recalcitrant material. Our main simulation shows that between the Late Glacial and early Holocene there were several multidecadal periods where net peat and carbon gain alternated with net loss. Later, a climatic dry phase beginning ~5200 cal. yr BP caused the peatland to become a long-term carbon source from ~3975 to 900 cal. yr BP. Peat as old as ~7000 cal. yr BP was decomposed before the peatland's surface became wetter again, suggesting that changes in rainfall alone were sufficient to cause a catastrophic loss of peat carbon lasting thousands of years. During this time, 6.4 m of the column of peat was lost, resulting in 57% of the simulated carbon stock being released. Our study provides an approach to understanding the future impact of climate change and potential land-use change on this vulnerable store of carbon.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andy J Baird
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | | | | | - Y Emmanuel Mampouya Wenina
- École Normale Supérieure, Departement des sciences et vie de la terre, Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | - Mackline Mbemba
- École Normale Supérieure, Departement des sciences et vie de la terre, Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | - Arnoud Boom
- School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Peter Cook
- Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Richard Betts
- Global Systems Institute, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
- Met Office Hadley Centre, Exeter, UK
| | | | - Yannick E Bocko
- Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | - Sarah Chadburn
- College of Engineering, Mathematics, and Physical Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | | | - Bart Crezee
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Corneille E N Ewango
- Faculté de Gestion des Ressources Naturelles Renouvelables, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Faculté des Sciences, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Yannick Garcin
- CNRS, IRD, INRAE, CEREGE, Aix Marseille University, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Selena Georgiou
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Nicholas T Girkin
- School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Cranfield, UK
| | - Pauline Gulliver
- NEIF Radiocarbon Laboratory, Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Donna Hawthorne
- School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Suspense A Ifo
- École Normale Supérieure, Departement des sciences et vie de la terre, Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | - Ian T Lawson
- School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Susan E Page
- School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - A Jonay Jovani-Sancho
- UK Center of Ecology & Hydrology, Bangor, UK
- School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Enno Schefuß
- MARUM-Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Matteo Sciumbata
- Amsterdam Institute for Life and Environment, Section Systems Ecology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Simon L Lewis
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Department of Geography, University College London, London, UK
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2
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Garcin Y, Schefuß E, Dargie GC, Hawthorne D, Lawson IT, Sebag D, Biddulph GE, Crezee B, Bocko YE, Ifo SA, Mampouya Wenina YE, Mbemba M, Ewango CEN, Emba O, Bola P, Kanyama Tabu J, Tyrrell G, Young DM, Gassier G, Girkin NT, Vane CH, Adatte T, Baird AJ, Boom A, Gulliver P, Morris PJ, Page SE, Sjögersten S, Lewis SL. Publisher Correction: Hydroclimatic vulnerability of peat carbon in the central Congo Basin. Nature 2022; 612:E9. [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05539-7] [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: 11/16/2022]
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3
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Jucker T, Fischer FJ, Chave J, Coomes DA, Caspersen J, Ali A, Loubota Panzou GJ, Feldpausch TR, Falster D, Usoltsev VA, Adu‐Bredu S, Alves LF, Aminpour M, Angoboy IB, Anten NPR, Antin C, Askari Y, Muñoz R, Ayyappan N, Balvanera P, Banin L, Barbier N, Battles JJ, Beeckman H, Bocko YE, Bond‐Lamberty B, Bongers F, Bowers S, Brade T, van Breugel M, Chantrain A, Chaudhary R, Dai J, Dalponte M, Dimobe K, Domec J, Doucet J, Duursma RA, Enríquez M, van Ewijk KY, Farfán‐Rios W, Fayolle A, Forni E, Forrester DI, Gilani H, Godlee JL, Gourlet‐Fleury S, Haeni M, Hall JS, He J, Hemp A, Hernández‐Stefanoni JL, Higgins SI, Holdaway RJ, Hussain K, Hutley LB, Ichie T, Iida Y, Jiang H, Joshi PR, Kaboli H, Larsary MK, Kenzo T, Kloeppel BD, Kohyama T, Kunwar S, Kuyah S, Kvasnica J, Lin S, Lines ER, Liu H, Lorimer C, Loumeto J, Malhi Y, Marshall PL, Mattsson E, Matula R, Meave JA, Mensah S, Mi X, Momo S, Moncrieff GR, Mora F, Nissanka SP, O'Hara KL, Pearce S, Pelissier R, Peri PL, Ploton P, Poorter L, Pour MJ, Pourbabaei H, Dupuy‐Rada JM, Ribeiro SC, Ryan C, Sanaei A, Sanger J, Schlund M, Sellan G, Shenkin A, Sonké B, Sterck FJ, Svátek M, Takagi K, Trugman AT, Ullah F, Vadeboncoeur MA, Valipour A, Vanderwel MC, Vovides AG, Wang W, Wang L, Wirth C, Woods M, Xiang W, Ximenes FDA, Xu Y, Yamada T, Zavala MA. Tallo: A global tree allometry and crown architecture database. Glob Chang Biol 2022; 28:5254-5268. [PMID: 35703577 PMCID: PMC9542605 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Data capturing multiple axes of tree size and shape, such as a tree's stem diameter, height and crown size, underpin a wide range of ecological research-from developing and testing theory on forest structure and dynamics, to estimating forest carbon stocks and their uncertainties, and integrating remote sensing imagery into forest monitoring programmes. However, these data can be surprisingly hard to come by, particularly for certain regions of the world and for specific taxonomic groups, posing a real barrier to progress in these fields. To overcome this challenge, we developed the Tallo database, a collection of 498,838 georeferenced and taxonomically standardized records of individual trees for which stem diameter, height and/or crown radius have been measured. These data were collected at 61,856 globally distributed sites, spanning all major forested and non-forested biomes. The majority of trees in the database are identified to species (88%), and collectively Tallo includes data for 5163 species distributed across 1453 genera and 187 plant families. The database is publicly archived under a CC-BY 4.0 licence and can be access from: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6637599. To demonstrate its value, here we present three case studies that highlight how the Tallo database can be used to address a range of theoretical and applied questions in ecology-from testing the predictions of metabolic scaling theory, to exploring the limits of tree allometric plasticity along environmental gradients and modelling global variation in maximum attainable tree height. In doing so, we provide a key resource for field ecologists, remote sensing researchers and the modelling community working together to better understand the role that trees play in regulating the terrestrial carbon cycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tommaso Jucker
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of BristolBristolUK
| | | | - Jérôme Chave
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique (EDB)UMR 5174 (CNRS/IRD/UPS)Toulouse Cedex 9France
- Université ToulouseToulouse Cedex 9France
| | - David A. Coomes
- Conservation Research InstituteUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - John Caspersen
- Institute of Forestry and ConservationUniversity of TorontoTorontoOntarioCanada
| | - Arshad Ali
- Forest Ecology Research Group, College of Life SciencesHebei UniversityBaodingHebeiChina
| | - Grace Jopaul Loubota Panzou
- Université de Liège, Gembloux Agro‐Bio TechGemblouxBelgium
- Laboratoire de Biodiversité, de Gestion des Ecosystèmes et de l'Environnement (LBGE), Faculté des Sciences et TechniquesUniversité Marien NgouabiBrazzavilleRepublic of Congo
| | - Ted R. Feldpausch
- College of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterExeterUK
| | - Daniel Falster
- Evolution & Ecology Research CentreUniversity of New South Wales SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Vladimir A. Usoltsev
- Department of ForestryUral State Forest Engineering UniversityYekaterinburgRussia
- Department of Forest DynamicsBotanical Garden of the Ural Branch of Russian Academy of SciencesYekaterinburgRussia
| | - Stephen Adu‐Bredu
- Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, Council for Scientific and Industrial ResearchUniversityKumasiGhana
| | - Luciana F. Alves
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment and SustainabilityUniversity of California Los AngelesLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Mohammad Aminpour
- Natural Recourses and Watershed Management Office, West Azerbaijan ProvinceUrmiaIran
| | - Ilondea B. Angoboy
- Institut National pour l'Etude et la Recherche AgronimiquesDemocratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Niels P. R. Anten
- Center for Crop Systems AnalysisWageningen UniversityWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Cécile Antin
- AMAP LabMontpellier University, IRD, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAEMontpellierFrance
| | - Yousef Askari
- Research Division of Natural Resources, Kohgiluyeh and Boyerahmad Agriculture and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEOYasoujIran
| | - Rodrigo Muñoz
- Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de CienciasUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CoyoacánCiudad de MéxicoMexico
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management GroupWageningen UniversityWageningenThe Netherlands
| | | | - Patricia Balvanera
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoMoreliaMichoacánMexico
| | | | - Nicolas Barbier
- AMAP LabMontpellier University, IRD, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAEMontpellierFrance
| | | | - Hans Beeckman
- Service of Wood BiologyRoyal Museum for Central AfricaTervurenBelgium
| | - Yannick E. Bocko
- Laboratoire de Biodiversité, de Gestion des Ecosystèmes et de l'Environnement (LBGE), Faculté des Sciences et TechniquesUniversité Marien NgouabiBrazzavilleRepublic of Congo
| | - Ben Bond‐Lamberty
- Pacific Northwest National LaboratoryJoint Global Change Research InstituteCollege ParkMarylandUSA
| | - Frans Bongers
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management GroupWageningen UniversityWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Samuel Bowers
- School of GeoSciencesUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Thomas Brade
- School of GeoSciencesUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Michiel van Breugel
- Yale‐NUS CollegeSingapore
- ForestGEOSmithsonian Tropical Research InstituteApartadoPanamaRepublic of Panama
- Department of GeographyNational University of SingaporeSingapore
| | | | - Rajeev Chaudhary
- Division Forest OfficeMinistry of ForestDhangadhiSudurpashchim ProvinceNepal
| | - Jingyu Dai
- College of Urban and Environmental Sciences and MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface ProcessesPeking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Michele Dalponte
- Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund MachSan Michele all'AdigeItaly
| | - Kangbéni Dimobe
- Institut des Sciences de l'Environnement et du Développement Rural (ISEDR)Université de DédougouDédougouBurkina Faso
| | - Jean‐Christophe Domec
- Bordeaux Sciences Agro‐UMR ISPA, INRAEBordeauxFrance
- Nicholas School of the EnvironmentDuke UniversityDurhamNCUSA
| | | | | | - Moisés Enríquez
- Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de CienciasUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CoyoacánCiudad de MéxicoMexico
| | - Karin Y. van Ewijk
- Department of Geography and Planning, Queen's UniversityKingstonOntarioCanada
| | | | | | - Eric Forni
- CIRAD, UPR Forêts et SociétésMontpellierFrance
| | | | - Hammad Gilani
- Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad HighwayIslamabadPakistan
| | | | | | - Matthias Haeni
- Swiss Federal Research Institute WSLBirmensdorfSwitzerland
| | - Jefferson S. Hall
- ForestGEOSmithsonian Tropical Research InstituteApartadoPanamaRepublic of Panama
| | - Jie‐Kun He
- Spatial Ecology Lab, School of Life SciencesSouth China Normal UniversityGuangzhouGuangdongChina
| | - Andreas Hemp
- Department of Plant SystematicsUniversity of BayreuthBayreuthGermany
| | | | | | | | - Kiramat Hussain
- Gilgit‐Baltistan Forest Wildlife and Environment DepartmentGilgitPakistan
| | - Lindsay B. Hutley
- Research Institute for the Environment & LivelihoodsCharles Darwin UniversityCasuarinaNorthern TerritoryAustralia
| | - Tomoaki Ichie
- Faculty of Agriculture and Marine ScienceKochi UniversityNankokuKochiJapan
| | - Yoshiko Iida
- Forestry and Forest Products Research InstituteTsukubaIbarakiJapan
| | - Hai‐sheng Jiang
- Spatial Ecology Lab, School of Life SciencesSouth China Normal UniversityGuangzhouGuangdongChina
| | | | - Hasan Kaboli
- Faculty of Desert Studies Semnan UniversitySemnanIran
| | | | - Tanaka Kenzo
- Japan International Research Center for Agricultural SciencesTsukubaIbarakiJapan
| | - Brian D. Kloeppel
- Department of Geosciences and Natural ResourcesWestern Carolina UniversityCullowheeNorth CarolinaUSA
- Graduate School and ResearchWestern Carolina UnversityCullowheeNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Takashi Kohyama
- Faculty of Environmental Earth ScienceHokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
| | - Suwash Kunwar
- Division Forest OfficeMinistry of ForestDhangadhiSudurpashchim ProvinceNepal
- Department of Forest Resources Management, College of ForestryNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingJiangsuChina
| | - Shem Kuyah
- Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT)NairobiKenya
| | - Jakub Kvasnica
- Department of Forest Botany, Dendrology and Geobiocoenology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood TechnologyMendel University in BrnoBrnoCzech Republic
| | - Siliang Lin
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of High Technology for Plant Protection, Plant Protection Research InstituteGuangdong Academy of Agricultural SciencesGuangzhouGuangdongChina
| | - Emily R. Lines
- Department of GeographyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
| | - Hongyan Liu
- College of Urban and Environmental Sciences and MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface ProcessesPeking UniversityBeijingChina
| | - Craig Lorimer
- Department of Forest and Wildlife EcologyUniversity of Wisconsin‐MadisonMadisonWisconsinUSA
| | - Jean‐Joël Loumeto
- Laboratoire de Biodiversité, de Gestion des Ecosystèmes et de l'Environnement (LBGE), Faculté des Sciences et TechniquesUniversité Marien NgouabiBrazzavilleRepublic of Congo
| | - Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the EnvironmentUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Peter L. Marshall
- Faculty of ForestryUniversity of British ColumbiaVancouverBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Eskil Mattsson
- IVL Swedish Environmental Research InstituteGöteborgSweden
- Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre (GGBC), GothenburgSweden
| | - Radim Matula
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood SciencesCzech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague 6SuchdolCzech Republic
| | - Jorge A. Meave
- Departamento de Ecología y Recursos Naturales, Facultad de CienciasUniversidad Nacional Autónoma de México, CoyoacánCiudad de MéxicoMexico
| | - Sylvanus Mensah
- Laboratoire de Biomathématiques et d'Estimations Forestières, Faculté des Sciences AgronomiquesUniversité d'Abomey CalaviCotonouBenin
| | - Xiangcheng Mi
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of BotanyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Stéphane Momo
- AMAP LabMontpellier University, IRD, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAEMontpellierFrance
- Laboratoire de Botanique systématique et d'Ecologie, Département des Sciences Biologiques, Ecole Normale SupérieureUniversité de Yaoundé IYaoundéCameroon
| | - Glenn R. Moncrieff
- Fynbos Node, South African Environmental Observation NetworkClaremontSouth Africa
- Centre for Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, Department of Statistical SciencesUniversity of Cape TownRondeboschSouth Africa
| | - Francisco Mora
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de MéxicoMoreliaMichoacánMexico
| | - Sarath P. Nissanka
- Department of Crop Science, Faculty of AgricultureUniversity of PeradeniyaPeradeniyaSri Lanka
| | | | | | - Raphaël Pelissier
- AMAP LabMontpellier University, IRD, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAEMontpellierFrance
| | - Pablo L. Peri
- Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral (UNPA) ‐ Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA) ‐ CONICETRío GallegosSanta CruzArgentina
| | - Pierre Ploton
- AMAP LabMontpellier University, IRD, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAEMontpellierFrance
| | - Lourens Poorter
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management GroupWageningen UniversityWageningenThe Netherlands
| | | | - Hassan Pourbabaei
- Department of Forestry, Faculty of Natural ResourcesUniversity of GuilanSomehsaraIran
| | - Juan Manuel Dupuy‐Rada
- Centro de Investigación Científica de Yucatán A.C., Unidad de Recursos NaturalesMéridaYucatánMexico
| | - Sabina C. Ribeiro
- Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da NaturezaUniversidade Federal do Acre, Campus UniversitárioRio BrancoBrazil
| | - Casey Ryan
- School of GeoSciencesUniversity of EdinburghEdinburghUK
| | - Anvar Sanaei
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute of BiologyLeipzig UniversityLeipzigGermany
| | | | - Michael Schlund
- Department of Natural Resources, Faculty of Geo‐information Science and Earth Observation (ITC)University of TwenteEnschedeThe Netherlands
| | - Giacomo Sellan
- UMR EcoFoG, CNRSKourouFrench Guiana
- Department of Natural SciencesManchester Metropolitan UniversityManchesterUK
| | - Alexander Shenkin
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the EnvironmentUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Bonaventure Sonké
- Laboratoire de Botanique systématique et d'Ecologie, Département des Sciences Biologiques, Ecole Normale SupérieureUniversité de Yaoundé IYaoundéCameroon
| | - Frank J. Sterck
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management GroupWageningen UniversityWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Martin Svátek
- Department of Forest Botany, Dendrology and Geobiocoenology, Faculty of Forestry and Wood TechnologyMendel University in BrnoBrnoCzech Republic
| | - Kentaro Takagi
- Field Science Center for Northern BiosphereHokkaido UniversityHoronobeJapan
| | - Anna T. Trugman
- Department of GeographyUniversity of California Santa BarbaraSanta BarbaraCaliforniaUSA
| | - Farman Ullah
- Forest Ecology Research Group, College of Life SciencesHebei UniversityBaodingHebeiChina
- Department of Forest Resources Management, College of ForestryNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingJiangsuChina
| | | | - Ahmad Valipour
- Department of Forestry and The Center for Research and Development of Northern Zagros ForestryUniversity of KurdistanErbilIran
| | | | - Alejandra G. Vovides
- School of Geographical and Earth SciencesUniversity of Glasgow, East QuadrangleGlasgowUK
| | - Weiwei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Vegetation and Environmental Change, Institute of BotanyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Li‐Qiu Wang
- Department of Forest Resources Management, College of ForestryNanjing Forestry UniversityNanjingJiangsuChina
| | - Christian Wirth
- Systematic Botany and Functional Biodiversity, Institute of BiologyUniversity of LeipzigLeipzigGermany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle‐Jena‐LeipzigLeipzigGermany
| | - Murray Woods
- Ontario Ministry of Natural ResourcesNorth BayOntarioCanada
| | - Wenhua Xiang
- Faculty of Life Science and TechnologyCentral South University of Forestry and TechnologyChangshaHunanChina
| | | | - Yaozhan Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed EcologyWuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of SciencesWuhanChina
- Center of Conservation Biology, Core Botanical GardensChinese Academy of SciencesWuhanChina
| | - Toshihiro Yamada
- Graduate School of Integrated Sciences of LifeHiroshima UniversityHiroshimaJapan
| | - Miguel A. Zavala
- Forest Ecology and Restoration Group (FORECO), Departamento de Ciencias de la VidaUniversidad de AlcaláMadridSpain
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4
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Garcin Y, Schefuß E, Dargie GC, Hawthorne D, Lawson IT, Sebag D, Biddulph GE, Crezee B, Bocko YE, Ifo SA, Mampouya Wenina YE, Mbemba M, Ewango CEN, Emba O, Bola P, Kanyama Tabu J, Tyrrell G, Young DM, Gassier G, Girkin NT, Vane CH, Adatte T, Baird AJ, Boom A, Gulliver P, Morris PJ, Page SE, Sjögersten S, Lewis SL. Hydroclimatic vulnerability of peat carbon in the central Congo Basin. Nature 2022; 612:277-282. [PMID: 36323786 PMCID: PMC9729114 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05389-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
The forested swamps of the central Congo Basin store approximately 30 billion metric tonnes of carbon in peat1,2. Little is known about the vulnerability of these carbon stocks. Here we investigate this vulnerability using peat cores from a large interfluvial basin in the Republic of the Congo and palaeoenvironmental methods. We find that peat accumulation began at least at 17,500 calibrated years before present (cal. yr BP; taken as AD 1950). Our data show that the peat that accumulated between around 7,500 to around 2,000 cal. yr BP is much more decomposed compared with older and younger peat. Hydrogen isotopes of plant waxes indicate a drying trend, starting at approximately 5,000 cal. yr BP and culminating at approximately 2,000 cal. yr BP, coeval with a decline in dominant swamp forest taxa. The data imply that the drying climate probably resulted in a regional drop in the water table, which triggered peat decomposition, including the loss of peat carbon accumulated prior to the onset of the drier conditions. After approximately 2,000 cal. yr BP, our data show that the drying trend ceased, hydrologic conditions stabilized and peat accumulation resumed. This reversible accumulation-loss-accumulation pattern is consistent with other peat cores across the region, indicating that the carbon stocks of the central Congo peatlands may lie close to a climatically driven drought threshold. Further research should quantify the combination of peatland threshold behaviour and droughts driven by anthropogenic carbon emissions that may trigger this positive carbon cycle feedback in the Earth system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yannick Garcin
- grid.498067.40000 0001 0845 4216Aix Marseille University, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, CEREGE, Aix-en-Provence, France ,grid.11348.3f0000 0001 0942 1117Institute of Geosciences, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Enno Schefuß
- grid.7704.40000 0001 2297 4381MARUM—Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany
| | - Greta C. Dargie
- grid.9909.90000 0004 1936 8403School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Donna Hawthorne
- grid.11914.3c0000 0001 0721 1626School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Ian T. Lawson
- grid.11914.3c0000 0001 0721 1626School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - David Sebag
- grid.13464.340000 0001 2159 7561IFP Energies Nouvelles, Earth Sciences and Environmental Technologies Division, Rueil-Malmaison, France ,grid.9851.50000 0001 2165 4204Institute of Earth Surface Dynamics, Geopolis, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - George E. Biddulph
- grid.11914.3c0000 0001 0721 1626School of Geography and Sustainable Development, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Bart Crezee
- grid.9909.90000 0004 1936 8403School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Yannick E. Bocko
- grid.442828.00000 0001 0943 7362Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | - Suspense A. Ifo
- grid.442828.00000 0001 0943 7362École Normale Supérieure, Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | - Y. Emmanuel Mampouya Wenina
- grid.442828.00000 0001 0943 7362Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | - Mackline Mbemba
- grid.442828.00000 0001 0943 7362École Normale Supérieure d’Agronomie et de Foresterie, Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo
| | - Corneille E. N. Ewango
- grid.440806.e0000 0004 6013 2603Faculté de Gestion des Ressources Naturelles Renouvelables, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo ,grid.440806.e0000 0004 6013 2603Faculté des Sciences, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Ovide Emba
- Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de Mbandaka, Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Pierre Bola
- Institut Supérieur Pédagogique de Mbandaka, Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Joseph Kanyama Tabu
- grid.440806.e0000 0004 6013 2603Faculté de Gestion des Ressources Naturelles Renouvelables, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Genevieve Tyrrell
- grid.9918.90000 0004 1936 8411School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Dylan M. Young
- grid.9909.90000 0004 1936 8403School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Ghislain Gassier
- grid.498067.40000 0001 0845 4216Aix Marseille University, CNRS, IRD, INRAE, CEREGE, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Nicholas T. Girkin
- grid.12026.370000 0001 0679 2190School of Water, Energy and Environment, Cranfield University, Bedford, UK
| | - Christopher H. Vane
- grid.474329.f0000 0001 1956 5915British Geological Survey, Centre for Environmental Geochemistry, Keyworth, UK
| | - Thierry Adatte
- grid.9851.50000 0001 2165 4204Institute of Earth Sciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Andy J. Baird
- grid.9909.90000 0004 1936 8403School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Arnoud Boom
- grid.9918.90000 0004 1936 8411School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Pauline Gulliver
- grid.224137.10000 0000 9762 0345NEIF Radiocarbon Laboratory, Scottish Universities Environmental Research Centre (SUERC), Glasgow, UK
| | - Paul J. Morris
- grid.9909.90000 0004 1936 8403School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Susan E. Page
- grid.9918.90000 0004 1936 8411School of Geography, Geology and the Environment, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK
| | - Sofie Sjögersten
- grid.4563.40000 0004 1936 8868School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK
| | - Simon L. Lewis
- grid.9909.90000 0004 1936 8403School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK ,grid.83440.3b0000000121901201Department of Geography, University College London, London, UK
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Bennett AC, Dargie GC, Cuni-Sanchez A, Tshibamba Mukendi J, Hubau W, Mukinzi JM, Phillips OL, Malhi Y, Sullivan MJP, Cooper DLM, Adu-Bredu S, Affum-Baffoe K, Amani CA, Banin LF, Beeckman H, Begne SK, Bocko YE, Boeckx P, Bogaert J, Brncic T, Chezeaux E, Clark CJ, Daniels AK, de Haulleville T, Djuikouo Kamdem MN, Doucet JL, Evouna Ondo F, Ewango CEN, Feldpausch TR, Foli EG, Gonmadje C, Hall JS, Hardy OJ, Harris DJ, Ifo SA, Jeffery KJ, Kearsley E, Leal M, Levesley A, Makana JR, Mbayu Lukasu F, Medjibe VP, Mihindu V, Moore S, Nssi Begone N, Pickavance GC, Poulsen JR, Reitsma J, Sonké B, Sunderland TCH, Taedoumg H, Talbot J, Tuagben DS, Umunay PM, Verbeeck H, Vleminckx J, White LJT, Woell H, Woods JT, Zemagho L, Lewis SL. Resistance of African tropical forests to an extreme climate anomaly. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2003169118. [PMID: 34001597 PMCID: PMC8166131 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2003169118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The responses of tropical forests to environmental change are critical uncertainties in predicting the future impacts of climate change. The positive phase of the 2015-2016 El Niño Southern Oscillation resulted in unprecedented heat and low precipitation in the tropics with substantial impacts on the global carbon cycle. The role of African tropical forests is uncertain as their responses to short-term drought and temperature anomalies have yet to be determined using on-the-ground measurements. African tropical forests may be particularly sensitive because they exist in relatively dry conditions compared with Amazonian or Asian forests, or they may be more resistant because of an abundance of drought-adapted species. Here, we report responses of structurally intact old-growth lowland tropical forests inventoried within the African Tropical Rainforest Observatory Network (AfriTRON). We use 100 long-term inventory plots from six countries each measured at least twice prior to and once following the 2015-2016 El Niño event. These plots experienced the highest temperatures and driest conditions on record. The record temperature did not significantly reduce carbon gains from tree growth or significantly increase carbon losses from tree mortality, but the record drought did significantly decrease net carbon uptake. Overall, the long-term biomass increase of these forests was reduced due to the El Niño event, but these plots remained a live biomass carbon sink (0.51 ± 0.40 Mg C ha-1 y-1) despite extreme environmental conditions. Our analyses, while limited to African tropical forests, suggest they may be more resistant to climatic extremes than Amazonian and Asian forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy C Bennett
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom;
| | - Greta C Dargie
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Aida Cuni-Sanchez
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York, YO10 5NG, United Kingdom
- Department of Geography, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - John Tshibamba Mukendi
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, 3080 Belgium
- Faculté de Gestion de Ressources Naturelles Renouvelables, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, R408, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Faculté des Sciences Appliquées, Université de Mbujimayi, Mbujimayi, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - Wannes Hubau
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, 3080 Belgium
- Department of Environment, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jacques M Mukinzi
- Democratic Republic of Congo Programme, Wildlife Conservation Society, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Salonga National Park, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
- World Wide Fund for Nature, 1196 Gland, Switzerland
| | - Oliver L Phillips
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, Oxford University, Oxford, OX1 3QY, United Kingdom
| | - Martin J P Sullivan
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, M15 6BH, United Kingdom
| | - Declan L M Cooper
- Department of Geography, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Christian A Amani
- Université Officielle de Bukavu, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor 16115, Indonesia
| | - Lindsay F Banin
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Penicuik, EH26 0QB, United Kingdom
| | - Hans Beeckman
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, 3080 Belgium
| | - Serge K Begne
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Yannick E Bocko
- Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Laboratoire de Botanique et Ecologie, Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Pascal Boeckx
- Isotope Bioscience Laboratory (ISOFYS), Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jan Bogaert
- Biodiversity and Landscape Unit, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Université de Liège, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Terry Brncic
- Congo Programme, Wildlife Conservation Society, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | | | - Connie J Clark
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710
| | - Armandu K Daniels
- Forestry Development Authority of the Government of Liberia (FDA), Monrovia, Liberia
| | | | - Marie-Noël Djuikouo Kamdem
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
- Faculty of Science, Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Jean-Louis Doucet
- TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Forest Is Life, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | | | - Corneille E N Ewango
- Faculté de Gestion de Ressources Naturelles Renouvelables, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, R408, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Democratic Republic of Congo Programme, Wildlife Conservation Society, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Centre de Formation et de Recherche en Conservation Forestiere (CEFRECOF), Epulu, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - Ted R Feldpausch
- Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QE, United Kingdom
| | - Ernest G Foli
- Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), Kumasi, Ghana
| | | | - Jefferson S Hall
- Forest Global Earth Observatory, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Washington, DC 20560
| | - Olivier J Hardy
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Faculté des Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - David J Harris
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH3 5NZ, United Kingdom
| | - Suspense A Ifo
- École Normale Supérieure, Département des Sciences et Vie de la Terre, Laboratoire de Géomatique et d'Ecologie Tropicale Appliquée, Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Kathryn J Jeffery
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, United Kingdom
| | - Elizabeth Kearsley
- Department of Environment, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Environment, Computational & Applied Vegetation Ecology (Cavelab), Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Miguel Leal
- Uganda Programme, Wildlife Conservation Society, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Aurora Levesley
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Jean-Remy Makana
- Faculté des Sciences, Laboratoire d'écologie et aménagement forestier, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - Faustin Mbayu Lukasu
- Faculté de Gestion de Ressources Naturelles Renouvelables, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, R408, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | | | - Vianet Mihindu
- Commission of Central African Forests (COMIFAC), Yaounde, Cameroon
- Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux, Libreville, Gabon
| | - Sam Moore
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, Oxford University, Oxford, OX1 3QY, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Jan Reitsma
- Bureau Waardenburg, 4101 CK Culemborg, The Netherlands
| | - Bonaventure Sonké
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Terry C H Sunderland
- Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor 16115, Indonesia
- Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Hermann Taedoumg
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
- Biodiversity International, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Joey Talbot
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Darlington S Tuagben
- Forestry Development Authority of the Government of Liberia (FDA), Monrovia, Liberia
| | - Peter M Umunay
- Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511
- Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, NY 11224
| | - Hans Verbeeck
- Department of Environment, Computational & Applied Vegetation Ecology (Cavelab), Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jason Vleminckx
- International Center for Tropical Botany, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, University Park, FL 33199
- Faculté des Sciences, Service d'Évolution Biologique et écologie, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - Lee J T White
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, United Kingdom
- Ministry of Forests, Seas, Environment and Climate, Libreville, Gabon
- Institut de Recherche en Ecologie Tropicale, Libreville, Gabon
| | | | - John T Woods
- William R. Tolbert, Jr. College of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia
| | - Lise Zemagho
- Université Officielle de Bukavu, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - Simon L Lewis
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- Department of Geography, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
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6
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Hubau W, Lewis SL, Phillips OL, Affum-Baffoe K, Beeckman H, Cuní-Sanchez A, Daniels AK, Ewango CEN, Fauset S, Mukinzi JM, Sheil D, Sonké B, Sullivan MJP, Sunderland TCH, Taedoumg H, Thomas SC, White LJT, Abernethy KA, Adu-Bredu S, Amani CA, Baker TR, Banin LF, Baya F, Begne SK, Bennett AC, Benedet F, Bitariho R, Bocko YE, Boeckx P, Boundja P, Brienen RJW, Brncic T, Chezeaux E, Chuyong GB, Clark CJ, Collins M, Comiskey JA, Coomes DA, Dargie GC, de Haulleville T, Kamdem MND, Doucet JL, Esquivel-Muelbert A, Feldpausch TR, Fofanah A, Foli EG, Gilpin M, Gloor E, Gonmadje C, Gourlet-Fleury S, Hall JS, Hamilton AC, Harris DJ, Hart TB, Hockemba MBN, Hladik A, Ifo SA, Jeffery KJ, Jucker T, Yakusu EK, Kearsley E, Kenfack D, Koch A, Leal ME, Levesley A, Lindsell JA, Lisingo J, Lopez-Gonzalez G, Lovett JC, Makana JR, Malhi Y, Marshall AR, Martin J, Martin EH, Mbayu FM, Medjibe VP, Mihindou V, Mitchard ETA, Moore S, Munishi PKT, Bengone NN, Ojo L, Ondo FE, Peh KSH, Pickavance GC, Poulsen AD, Poulsen JR, Qie L, Reitsma J, Rovero F, Swaine MD, Talbot J, Taplin J, Taylor DM, Thomas DW, Toirambe B, Mukendi JT, Tuagben D, Umunay PM, van der Heijden GMF, Verbeeck H, Vleminckx J, Willcock S, Wöll H, Woods JT, Zemagho L. Asynchronous carbon sink saturation in African and Amazonian tropical forests. Nature 2020; 579:80-87. [DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2035-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 253] [Impact Index Per Article: 63.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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