Dissecting biomass dynamics in a large Amazonian forest plot

Above-ground biomass (AGB) is increasing in most of the Amazon forests. We examined AGB flux in different habitats and across diameter classes. The forest lost small stems (4.6%), gained large trees (2.6%), and gained biomass (0.7%). The change in AGB stock was due entirely to this upward shift in size leading to more canopy trees and fewer saplings after just 6 y. Across habitats, the biggest increment in biomass was in the secondary-forest patch (3.4% y−1) which we know was cleared about 27 y ago, whereas mature forest on ridges and valleys had small increases (0.10% and 0.09% y−1, respectively). In both censuses, AGB stocks were >50% higher on the ridge than in the valley while relative growth and mortality were higher in the valley. Mean wood specific gravity (WSG) decreased with increasing diameter class; WSG did not change much between censuses in mature forests and did not contribute to the change in AGB stocks. We find no evidence to support the notion that this forest is recovering from long-past human intervention. Instead of a long-term recovery, we believe the forest changed in response to natural fluctuations of the environment (e.g. changes in precipitation, higher CO2), windstorms or other more recent events. The significant differences in AGB stocks between valley and ridge suggest that the terra firme forests are a mosaic of natural habitats, and that this mosaic is in part responsible for the variation in biomass stocks detected in Amazonian terra firme forests.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	126839 Valencia, Renato Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador, 58564 Condit, Richard (autor/a) Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá, 97319 Muller Landau, Helene C. (autor/a) Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá, 77149 Hernandez, Consuelo (autor/a) Pontificia Universidad Cat61fca delEcuador, Quito, Ecuador, 98671 Navarrete, Hugo (autor/a) Pontificia Universidad Cat61fca delEcuador, Quito, Ecuador
Format:	Texto biblioteca
Language:	eng
Published:	Reino Unido Cambridge University Press 2009
Subjects:	BIOMASA, ARBOLES, CRECIMIENTO, ALOMETRIA, MODELOS, MEDICION, DIAMETRO, ALTURA, ECUACIONES ALOMETRICAS, BIOMASA AEREA, PARQUE NACIONAL YASUNÍ, AGRICULTURA, CAMBIO CLIMÁTICO, BIOMASS, TREES, GROWTH, MODELS, MEASUREMENT, DIAMETER, HEIGHT, FORESTS, CLIMATE CHANGE,
Online Access:	https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-tropical-ecology/article/dissecting-biomass-dynamics-in-a-large-amazonian-forest-plot/1DEA10204B2B2DC7109798F4CCF161B7
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