TY - JOUR

T1 - Large trees drive forest aboveground biomass variation in moist lowland forests across the tropics

AU - Slik, J.W.Ferry

AU - Paoli, Gary

AU - McGuire, Krista

AU - Amaral, Ieda

AU - Barroso, Jorcely

AU - Bastian, Meredith

AU - Blanc, Lilian

AU - Bongers, Frans

AU - Boundja, Patrick

AU - Clark, Connie

AU - Collins, Murray

AU - Dauby, Gilles

AU - Ding, Yi

AU - Doucet, Jean-Louis

AU - Eler, Eduardo

AU - Ferreira, Leandro

AU - Forshed, Olle

AU - Fredriksson, Gabriella

AU - Gillet, Jean-Francois

AU - Harris, Davis

AU - Leal, Miguel

AU - Laumonier, Yved

AU - Malhi, Yadvinder

AU - Mansor, Asyraf

AU - Martin, Emanuel

AU - Miyamoto, Kazuki

AU - Araujo-Murakami, Alejandro

AU - Nagamasu, Hidetoshi

AU - Nilus, Reuben

AU - Nurtjahya, Eddy

AU - Oliveira, Átila

AU - Onrizal, Onrizal

AU - Parada-Gutierrez, Alexander

AU - Permana, Andrea

AU - Poorter, Lourens

AU - Poulsen, John

AU - Ramirez-Angulo, Hirma

AU - Reitsma, Jan

AU - Rovero, Francesco

AU - Rozak, Andes

AU - Sheil, Douglas

AU - Silva-Espejo, Javier

AU - Silveira, Marcos

AU - Spironelo, Wilson

AU - ter Steege, Hans

AU - Stevart, Tariq

AU - Navarro-Aguilar, Gilberto Enrique

AU - Sunderland, Terry

AU - Suzuki, Eizi

AU - Tang, Jianwei

AU - Theilade, Ida

AU - van der Heijden, Geertje

AU - van Valkenburg, Johan

AU - Van Do, Tran

AU - Vilanova, Emilio

AU - Vos, Vincent

AU - Wich, Serge

AU - Wöll, Hansjoerg

AU - Yoneda, Tsuyoshi

AU - Zang, Runguo

AU - Zhang, Ming-Gang

AU - Zweifel, Nicole

PY - 2013

Y1 - 2013

N2 - AimLarge trees (d.b.h. ≥ 70 cm) store large amounts of biomass. Several studies suggest that large trees may be vulnerable to changing climate, potentially leading to declining forest biomass storage. Here we determine the importance of large trees for tropical forest biomass storage and explore which intrinsic (species trait) and extrinsic (environment) variables are associated with the density of large trees and forest biomass at continental and pan-tropical scales.LocationPan-tropical.MethodsAboveground biomass (AGB) was calculated for 120 intact lowland moist forest locations. Linear regression was used to calculate variation in AGB explained by the density of large trees. Akaike information criterion weights (AICc-wi) were used to calculate averaged correlation coefficients for all possible multiple regression models between AGB/density of large trees and environmental and species trait variables correcting for spatial autocorrelation.ResultsDensity of large trees explained c. 70% of the variation in pan-tropical AGB and was also responsible for significantly lower AGB in Neotropical [287.8 (mean) ± 105.0 (SD) Mg ha−1] versus Palaeotropical forests (Africa 418.3 ± 91.8 Mg ha−1; Asia 393.3 ± 109.3 Mg ha−1). Pan-tropical variation in density of large trees and AGB was associated with soil coarseness (negative), soil fertility (positive), community wood density (positive) and dominance of wind dispersed species (positive), temperature in the coldest month (negative), temperature in the warmest month (negative) and rainfall in the wettest month (positive), but results were not always consistent among continents.Main conclusionsDensity of large trees and AGB were significantly associated with climatic variables, indicating that climate change will affect tropical forest biomass storage. Species trait composition will interact with these future biomass changes as they are also affected by a warmer climate. Given the importance of large trees for variation in AGB across the tropics, and their sensitivity to climate change, we emphasize the need for in-depth analyses of the community dynamics of large trees.

AB - AimLarge trees (d.b.h. ≥ 70 cm) store large amounts of biomass. Several studies suggest that large trees may be vulnerable to changing climate, potentially leading to declining forest biomass storage. Here we determine the importance of large trees for tropical forest biomass storage and explore which intrinsic (species trait) and extrinsic (environment) variables are associated with the density of large trees and forest biomass at continental and pan-tropical scales.LocationPan-tropical.MethodsAboveground biomass (AGB) was calculated for 120 intact lowland moist forest locations. Linear regression was used to calculate variation in AGB explained by the density of large trees. Akaike information criterion weights (AICc-wi) were used to calculate averaged correlation coefficients for all possible multiple regression models between AGB/density of large trees and environmental and species trait variables correcting for spatial autocorrelation.ResultsDensity of large trees explained c. 70% of the variation in pan-tropical AGB and was also responsible for significantly lower AGB in Neotropical [287.8 (mean) ± 105.0 (SD) Mg ha−1] versus Palaeotropical forests (Africa 418.3 ± 91.8 Mg ha−1; Asia 393.3 ± 109.3 Mg ha−1). Pan-tropical variation in density of large trees and AGB was associated with soil coarseness (negative), soil fertility (positive), community wood density (positive) and dominance of wind dispersed species (positive), temperature in the coldest month (negative), temperature in the warmest month (negative) and rainfall in the wettest month (positive), but results were not always consistent among continents.Main conclusionsDensity of large trees and AGB were significantly associated with climatic variables, indicating that climate change will affect tropical forest biomass storage. Species trait composition will interact with these future biomass changes as they are also affected by a warmer climate. Given the importance of large trees for variation in AGB across the tropics, and their sensitivity to climate change, we emphasize the need for in-depth analyses of the community dynamics of large trees.

U2 - 10.1111/geb.12092

DO - 10.1111/geb.12092

M3 - Journal article

VL - 22

SP - 1261

EP - 1271

JO - Global Ecology and Biogeography

JF - Global Ecology and Biogeography

SN - 1466-822X

IS - 12

ER -