Climate and soils determine aboveground biomass indirectly via species diversity and stand structural complexity in tropical forests

Ali, Arshad; Lin, Siliang; Kong, Fan-Mao; Yu, Jingfang; Jiang, Haisheng

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2018.10.024

Cited by 117 publications

(112 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…However, a recent global study has shown that tropical big-sized trees are more resilience to climate change probably due to the highest absolute large-diameter tree richness and stand structural complexity (Lutz et al, 2018). In addition, we found the negative or nonsignificant effects of soil nutrients on species richness and aboveground biomass, suggesting the nutrient imbalance and adaptation of certain species to the surrounding environments (Ali et al, 2019a;Poorter et al, 2017;Prado-Junior et al, 2016). The observed negligible or negative relationships might be further attributable to the species longevity, aboveground biomass retention, and the buildup of a larger biomass pool at the stand level (Baker et al, 2009;Poorter et al, 2015).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 48%

“…Across studied plots, mean annual precipitation ranged from 1,008 to 2,038 mm, mean annual temperature from 17 to 25°C, mean annual potential evapotranspiration from 1,125 to 1,451 mm, elevation from 1 to 1,819 m a.s.l., and the soil total exchangeable bases (TEBs) from 2.2 to 28.5 cmol/kg. The average plot size was 0.16 ha, that is, 1,600 m 2 (a total sampling area of 115.68 ha across 712 plots; Ali et al, 2019aAli et al, , 2019b. As recommended by previous studies (Cornelissen et al, 2003;Pakeman & Quested, 2007), we covered and identified 75%-95% of the most of the abundant and dominant species of the total community (i.e., plot) coverage across 712 forest plots, based on both the species' relative frequency and relative basal area within each plot.…”

Section: Available Datasetsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Big‐sized trees overrule remaining trees' attributes and species richness as determinants of aboveground biomass in tropical forests

Ali

Lin

Kong³

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

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103

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Large‐diameter, tall‐stature, and big‐crown trees are the main stand structures of forests, generally contributing a large fraction of aboveground biomass, and hence play an important role in climate change mitigation strategies. Here, we hypothesized that the effects of large‐diameter, tall‐stature, and big‐crown trees overrule the effects of species richness and remaining trees attributes on aboveground biomass in tropical forests (i.e., we term the “big‐sized trees hypothesis”). Specifically, we assessed the importance of: (a) the “top 1% big‐sized trees effect” relative to species richness; (b) the “99% remaining trees effect” relative to species richness; and (c) the “top 1% big‐sized trees effect” relative to the “99% remaining trees effect” and species richness on aboveground biomass. Using environmental factor and forest inventory datasets from 712 tropical forest plots in Hainan Island of southern China, we tested several structural equation models for disentangling the relative effects of big‐sized trees, remaining trees attributes, and species richness on aboveground biomass, while considering for the full (indirect effects only) and partial (direct and indirect effects) mediation effects of climatic and soil conditions, as well as interactions between species richness and trees attributes. We found that top 1% big‐sized trees attributes strongly increased aboveground biomass (i.e., explained 55%–70% of the accounted variation) compared to species richness (2%–18%) and 99% remaining trees attributes (6%–10%). In addition, species richness increased aboveground biomass indirectly via increasing big‐sized trees but via decreasing remaining trees. Hence, we show that the “big‐sized trees effect” overrides the effects of remaining trees attributes and species richness on aboveground biomass in tropical forests. This study also indicates that big‐sized trees may be more susceptible to atmospheric drought. We argue that the effects of big‐sized trees on species richness and aboveground biomass should be tested for better understanding of the ecological mechanisms underlying forest functioning.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 48%

Section: Available Datasetsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Big‐sized trees overrule remaining trees' attributes and species richness as determinants of aboveground biomass in tropical forests

Ali

Lin

Kong³

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

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103

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“…Biotic factors are more than merely species richness or diversity (Poorter et al, ), as we show that functional dominance and individual tree size inequality had strong positive relationships with aboveground biomass, indicating that biotic factors strongly shape ecosystem functioning (Yuan, Wang, et al, ). For example, our studied forest plots with high variations in tree sizes (without interference from space effect but on high fertile soils) also tend to have a high aboveground biomass, indicating that areas with a high carbon storage capability also have a potential for high biodiversity conservation, land development, and ecosystem services (Ali et al, ; Poorter et al, ; Villa et al, ). We also show that functional dominance on high elevational forest is the strongest main biotic driver of aboveground biomass, indicating that enhancing carbon stock requires big‐sized or large biomass trees (Cavanaugh et al, ; Lutz et al, ), so to speed up forest recovery in degraded forest lands, fast‐growing tall stature species might be planted and encouraged (Lohbeck, Poorter, Martinez‐Ramos, & Bongers, ; Villa et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…This study spanned a geographical area from 18°10′–20°10′N in latitude and 108°37′–111°03′E in longitude with elevation ranging between 1 and 1,819 m a.s.l. on the Hainan Island, in Southern China (Figure ; Ali et al, ; Ali et al, ). The study area has distinct dry and wet seasons including typhoons.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Climatic and edaphic factors can also influence aboveground biomass directly and indirectly via multiple biotic factors (Figure 1; Ali et al, 2019;Chu et al, 2016;Michaletz, Kerkhoff, & Enquist, 2018;Paquette & Messier, 2011;Poorter et al, 2017). For example, primary productivity increases with temperature and water availability along latitudinal gradients, probably due to the effect of greater energy (i.e., either solar radiation or temperature) availability, which may in turn promote more individuals and species (Currie et al, 2004;O'Brien, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Elucidating space, climate, edaphic, and biodiversity effects on aboveground biomass in tropical forests

Ali

Lin

Kong³

et al. 2019

Land Degrad Dev

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Aim and hypothesis This study aims to disentangle the direct and indirect roles of space, climate, edaphic, and biodiversity effects on aboveground biomass in natural tropical forests, thereby evaluating the relative effects and contribution of abiotic and biotic factors on aboveground biomass. We hypothesized that the space effect drives the longitudinal, latitudinal, and elevational patterns in climatic and edaphic factors, thereby directly and indirectly determining the relationships between biodiversity and aboveground biomass in natural tropical forests. Methods We used structural equation modelling for linking spatial, climatic, edaphic, and biotic factors of aboveground biomass, using data from 247,691 trees across 907 tropical forest plots (total sampling area of 145.23 ha) of Hainan Island in Southern China. Results Aboveground biomass increased directly with functional dominance, individual tree size inequality, and climatic water availability but decreased directly with space and edaphic effects. However, space effect increased aboveground biomass indirectly via simultaneously differential direct changes (positive, negative, and non‐significant) in climatic, edaphic, and biotic factors. As such, indirect effects of mean annual temperature and climatic water availability decreased aboveground biomass through differential direct changes in biotic factors, but opposite was true for soil fertility. Conclusions We argue that, despite the high relative contribution of biodiversity to aboveground biomass, the direct and indirect roles of space, climatic, and edaphic effects are also important for explaining biotic factors and aboveground biomass under the predictions of several abiotic‐based hypotheses. Hence, conserving biodiversity across space is important for forest management and land development under climate change.

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Assessing biotic and abiotic effects on forest productivity in three temperate forests

Yue

Zhang

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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It is well understood that biotic and abiotic variables influence forest productivity. However, in regard to temperate forests, the relative contributions of the aforementioned drivers to biomass demographic processes (i.e., the growth rates of the survivors and recruits) have not received a great deal of attention. Thus, this study focused on the identification of the relative influencing effects of biotic and abiotic variables in the demographic biomass processes of temperate forests. This study was conducted in the Changbai Mountain Nature Reserve, in northeastern China. Based on the observational data collected from three 5.2‐hectare forest plots, the annual above‐ground biomass (AGB) increment (productivity) of the surviving trees, recruits, and the total tree community (survivors + recruits) were estimated. Then, the changes in the forest productivity in response to biotic variables (including species diversity, structural diversity, and density variables) along with abiotic variables (including topographic and soil variables) were evaluated using linear mixed‐effect models. This study determined that the biotic variables regulated the variabilities in productivity. Density variables were the most critical drivers of the annual AGB increments of the surviving trees and total tree community. Structural diversity enhanced the annual AGB increments of the recruits, but diminished the annual AGB increments of the surviving trees and the total tree community. Species diversity and abiotic variables did not have impacts on the productivity in the examined forest plots. The results highlighted the important roles of forest density and structural diversity in the biomass demographic processes of temperate forests. The surviving and recruit trees were found to respond differently to the biotic variables, which suggested that the asymmetric competition had shaped the productivity dynamics in forests. Therefore, the findings emphasized the need to consider the demographic processes of forest productivity to better understand the functions of forests.

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Climate and soils determine aboveground biomass indirectly via species diversity and stand structural complexity in tropical forests

Cited by 117 publications

References 51 publications

Big‐sized trees overrule remaining trees' attributes and species richness as determinants of aboveground biomass in tropical forests

Big‐sized trees overrule remaining trees' attributes and species richness as determinants of aboveground biomass in tropical forests

Elucidating space, climate, edaphic, and biodiversity effects on aboveground biomass in tropical forests

Assessing biotic and abiotic effects on forest productivity in three temperate forests

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