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Paul KI, Roxburgh SH, Chave J, England JR, Zerihun A, Specht A, Lewis T, Bennett LT, Baker TG, Adams MA, Huxtable D, Montagu KD, Falster DS, Feller M, Sochacki S, Ritson P, Bastin G, Bartle J, Wildy D, Hobbs T, Larmour J, Waterworth R, Stewart HTL, Jonson J, Forrester DI, Applegate G, Mendham D, Bradford M, O'Grady A, Green D, Sudmeyer R, Rance SJ, Turner J, Barton C, Wenk EH, Grove T, Attiwill PM, Pinkard E, Butler D, Brooksbank K, Spencer B, Snowdon P, O'Brien N, Battaglia M, Cameron DM, Hamilton S, McAuthur G, Sinclair J. Testing the generality of above-ground biomass allometry across plant functional types at the continent scale. Glob Chang Biol 2016; 22:2106-24. [PMID: 26683241 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [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: 09/25/2015] [Accepted: 11/16/2015] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Accurate ground-based estimation of the carbon stored in terrestrial ecosystems is critical to quantifying the global carbon budget. Allometric models provide cost-effective methods for biomass prediction. But do such models vary with ecoregion or plant functional type? We compiled 15 054 measurements of individual tree or shrub biomass from across Australia to examine the generality of allometric models for above-ground biomass prediction. This provided a robust case study because Australia includes ecoregions ranging from arid shrublands to tropical rainforests, and has a rich history of biomass research, particularly in planted forests. Regardless of ecoregion, for five broad categories of plant functional type (shrubs; multistemmed trees; trees of the genus Eucalyptus and closely related genera; other trees of high wood density; and other trees of low wood density), relationships between biomass and stem diameter were generic. Simple power-law models explained 84-95% of the variation in biomass, with little improvement in model performance when other plant variables (height, bole wood density), or site characteristics (climate, age, management) were included. Predictions of stand-based biomass from allometric models of varying levels of generalization (species-specific, plant functional type) were validated using whole-plot harvest data from 17 contrasting stands (range: 9-356 Mg ha(-1) ). Losses in efficiency of prediction were <1% if generalized models were used in place of species-specific models. Furthermore, application of generalized multispecies models did not introduce significant bias in biomass prediction in 92% of the 53 species tested. Further, overall efficiency of stand-level biomass prediction was 99%, with a mean absolute prediction error of only 13%. Hence, for cost-effective prediction of biomass across a wide range of stands, we recommend use of generic allometric models based on plant functional types. Development of new species-specific models is only warranted when gains in accuracy of stand-based predictions are relatively high (e.g. high-value monocultures).
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Affiliation(s)
- Keryn I Paul
- CSIRO Agriculture and CSIRO Land and Water, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Stephen H Roxburgh
- CSIRO Agriculture and CSIRO Land and Water, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Jerome Chave
- UMR 5174 Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique, CNRS & Université Paul Sabatier, Toulouse, 31062, France
| | - Jacqueline R England
- CSIRO Agriculture and CSIRO Land and Water, Private Bag 10, Clayton South, Vic, 3169, Australia
| | - Ayalsew Zerihun
- Centre for Crop and Disease Management, Department of Environment and Agriculture, Curtin University, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia
| | - Alison Specht
- School of Geography Planning and Environmental Management, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Qld, 4072, Australia
- CESAB, Fondation pour la Recherche sur la Biodiversité, Immeuble Henri Poincaré, 2ème étage Domaine du Petit Arbois, Avenue Louis Philibert, 13100, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Tom Lewis
- Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, Qld, 4556, Australia
| | - Lauren T Bennett
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, 4 Water Street, Creswick, Vic, 3363, Australia
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, 500 Yarra Boulevard, Richmond, Vic, 3121, Australia
| | - Thomas G Baker
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, 4 Water Street, Creswick, Vic, 3363, Australia
- School of Ecosystem and Forest Sciences, The University of Melbourne, 500 Yarra Boulevard, Richmond, Vic, 3121, Australia
| | - Mark A Adams
- Centre for Carbon Water and Food, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, University of Sydney, Werombi Road, Camden, NSW, Australia
| | - Dan Huxtable
- Equinox Environmental Pty Ltd., 6 Craigie Cres, Manning, WA, 6152, Australia
| | | | - Daniel S Falster
- Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Mike Feller
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, 3041-2424 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada, V6T 1Z4
| | - Stan Sochacki
- School of Environmental Science, Murdoch University, 90 South St, Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia
| | - Peter Ritson
- FarmWoods, 3/104 South Street, Fremantle, WA, 6160, Australia
| | - Gary Bastin
- Department of Land Resource Management, PO Box 1120, Alice Springs, NT, 0871, Australia
| | - John Bartle
- Science Division, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Bentley Delivery Centre, Locked Bag 104, Perth, WA, 6983, Australia
| | - Dan Wildy
- Fares Rural Pty Ltd, PO Box 526, Wembley, WA, 6913, Australia
| | - Trevor Hobbs
- Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, GPO Box 1047, Adeliade, SA, 5001, Australia
| | - John Larmour
- CSIRO Agriculture and CSIRO Land and Water, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Rob Waterworth
- Mullion Group, 2a Fitzroy Rd, Forrest, ACT, 2603, Australia
| | - Hugh T L Stewart
- Hugh Stewart Consulting, 8 Upland Road, Strathmore, Vic., 3041, Australia
| | - Justin Jonson
- Threshold Environmental Pty Ltd, PO Box 1124, Albany, WA, 6331, Australia
- Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management, The University of Western Australia, 1 Foreshore House, Albany, WA, 6330, Australia
| | - David I Forrester
- Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, Freiburg University, Tennenbacherstr. 4, 79108, Freiburg, Germany
| | | | - Daniel Mendham
- CSIRO Agriculture CSIRO Land and Water, Private Bag 12, Hobart, Tas, 7001, Australia
| | - Matt Bradford
- CSIRO Land and Water, PO Box 780, Atherton, Qld, 4883, Australia
| | - Anthony O'Grady
- CSIRO Agriculture CSIRO Land and Water, Private Bag 12, Hobart, Tas, 7001, Australia
| | | | - Rob Sudmeyer
- Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia, Private Mail Bag 50, Esperance, WA, 6450, Australia
| | - Stan J Rance
- CSIRO Land and Water, 4Private Bag 5, Wembley, WA, 6913, Australia
| | - John Turner
- Forsci Pty Ltd., Ste 4.05/ 32 Delhi Rd, North Ryde, NSW, 2113, Australia
| | - Craig Barton
- Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Locked Bag 1797, Penrith, 2751, NSW, Australia
| | - Elizabeth H Wenk
- Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Tim Grove
- CSIRO Land and Water, 4Private Bag 5, Wembley, WA, 6913, Australia
| | - Peter M Attiwill
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic., 3010, Australia
| | - Elizabeth Pinkard
- CSIRO Agriculture CSIRO Land and Water, Private Bag 12, Hobart, Tas, 7001, Australia
| | - Don Butler
- Queensland Herbarium, Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, Qld, 4066, Australia
| | - Kim Brooksbank
- Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia (DAFWA), 444 Albany Hwy, Albany, WA, 6330, Australia
| | - Beren Spencer
- Science Division, Department of Parks and Wildlife, Bentley Delivery Centre, Locked Bag 104, Perth, WA, 6983, Australia
| | - Peter Snowdon
- CSIRO Agriculture and CSIRO Land and Water, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT, 2601, Australia
| | - Nick O'Brien
- New Forests Asset Management Pty Ltd., PO Box 434, North Sydney, NSW, 2059, Australia
| | - Michael Battaglia
- CSIRO Agriculture CSIRO Land and Water, Private Bag 12, Hobart, Tas, 7001, Australia
| | - David M Cameron
- School of Environment, Science and Engineering, Southern Cross University, PO Box 157, Lismore, NSW, 2480, Australia
| | - Steve Hamilton
- Hamilton Environmental Services, 2345 Benalla-Tatong Road, Tatong, Vic., 3673, Australia
| | - Geoff McAuthur
- AusCarbon Pty Ltd., PO Box 395, Nedlands, WA, 6909, Australia
| | - Jenny Sinclair
- Green Collar Group, Level 1, 37 George St, Sydney, NSW, 2000, Australia
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