High resolution analysis of tropical forest fragmentation and its impact on the global carbon cycle

Brinck, Katharina; Fischer, Rico; Groeneveld, Jürgen; Lehmann, Sebastian; Paula, Mateus Dantas de; Pütz, Sandro; Sexton, Joseph O.; Song, Dan-Xia; Huth, Andreas

doi:10.1038/ncomms14855

Cited by 253 publications

(189 citation statements)

References 38 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

159

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Recent estimates suggest 70% of the world's forests are within 1 km of a forest edge (Haddad et al 2015), and that 19% of tropical forests are <100 m from an edge (Brinck et al 2017). The severe convection event that occurred in our study region caused an overall loss of approximately 0.3 Tg C in the study area (0.14 in second-growth forest and 0.16 in oldgrowth forest).…”

Section: Effects Of Fragmentation On Wind Damagementioning

confidence: 75%

Fragmentation increases wind disturbance impacts on forest structure and carbon stocks in a western Amazonian landscape

Schwartz

Uriarte

DeFries

et al. 2017

Ecological Applications

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Tropical second-growth forests could help mitigate climate change, but the degree to which their carbon potential is achieved will depend on exposure to disturbance. Wind disturbance is common in tropical forests, shaping structure, composition, and function, and influencing successional trajectories. However, little is known about the impacts of extreme winds on second-growth forests in fragmented landscapes, though these ecosystems are often located in mosaics of forest, pasture, cropland, and other land cover types. Indirect evidence suggests that fragmentation increases risk of wind damage in tropical forests, but no studies have found such impacts following severe storms. In this study, we ask whether fragmentation and forest type (old vs. second growth) were associated with variation in wind damage after a severe convective storm in a fragmented production landscape in western Amazonia. We applied linear spectral unmixing to Landsat 8 imagery from before and after the storm, and combined it with field observations of damage to map wind effects on forest structure and biomass. We also used Landsat 8 imagery to map land cover with the goals of identifying old- and second-growth forest and characterizing fragmentation. We used these data to assess variation in wind disturbance across 95,596 ha of forest, distributed over 6,110 patches. We find that fragmentation is significantly associated with wind damage, with damage severity higher at forest edges and in edgier, more isolated patches. Damage was also more severe in old-growth than in second-growth forests, but this effect was weaker than that of fragmentation. These results illustrate the importance of considering landscape context in planning tropical forest restoration and natural regeneration projects. Assessments of long-term carbon sequestration potential need to consider spatial variation in disturbance exposure. Where risk of extreme winds is high, minimizing fragmentation and isolation could increase carbon sequestration potential.

show abstract

Section: Effects Of Fragmentation On Wind Damagementioning

confidence: 75%

Fragmentation increases wind disturbance impacts on forest structure and carbon stocks in a western Amazonian landscape

Schwartz

Uriarte

DeFries

et al. 2017

Ecological Applications

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In response to a changing climate, soil warming experiments provide strong empirical support for the hypothesis that increases in global temperatures will stimulate the rate of soil carbon losses, driving a positive carbon‐climate feedback that could accelerate rates of global warming (Crowther et al, ). Furthermore, fragmentation represents a key landscape disturbance and the observations of soil respiration and temperature gradients with proximity to forest edges described in this study add to a growing body of literature pointing to the high capacity of forest fragmentation to alter forest carbon cycling (Bowering et al, ; Briber et al, ; Brinck et al, ; Reinmann & Hutyra 2017).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evidence for Edge Enhancements of Soil Respiration in Temperate Forests

Smith

Hutyra

Reinmann

et al. 2019

Geophysical Research Letters

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Forest fragmentation impacts carbon uptake and storage; however, the magnitude and direction of fragmentation impacts on soil respiration remain poorly characterized. We quantify soil respiration rates along edge‐to‐interior transects in two temperate broadleaf forests in the eastern United States that vary in climate, species composition, and soil type. We observe average soil respiration rates 15–26% higher at the forest edge compared to the interior, corresponding to large gradients in soil temperature. We find no significant difference in the sensitivity of soil respiration to temperature between the forest edge and interior. Fragmentation and resultant shifts in microenvironment alter forest productivity and soil respiration near forest edges. Ecosystem models do not currently represent edge dynamics, but given the prevalence of landscape fragmentation and its effect on carbon cycling along forest edges, this omission likely introduces an important source of uncertainty in our understanding of terrestrial carbon dynamics with a changing landscape and climate.

show abstract

“…Using 30‐m‐resolution, satellite‐derived maps of forest cover, Brinck et al . () reported that increased tree mortality near tropical forest edges caused an additional 0.34 Gt of C emissions annually, representing 31% of the current estimated C releases attributed to tropical deforestation. The key mechanisms responsible for the reductions in C stocks in tropical edges include increased desiccation stress, fire, parasitic liana proliferation, and blow down of large trees due to greater exposure to wind (Laurance et al .…”

Section: The Terrestrial C Cyclementioning

confidence: 99%

Piecing together the fragments: elucidating edge effects on forest carbon dynamics

Smith

Hutyra

Reinmann

et al. 2018

Frontiers in Ecol & Environ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Forest fragmentation is pervasive throughout the world's forests, impacting growing conditions and carbon (C) dynamics through edge effects that produce gradients in microclimate, biogeochemistry, and stand structure. Despite the majority of global forests being <1 km from an edge, our understanding of forest C dynamics is largely derived from intact forest systems. Edge effects on the C cycle vary by biome in their direction and magnitude, but current forest C accounting methods and ecosystem models generally fail to include edge effects. In the mesic northeastern US, large increases in C stocks and productivity are found near the temperate forest edge, with over 23% of the forest area within 30 m of an edge. Changes in the wind, fire, and moisture regimes near tropical forest edges result in decreases in C stocks and productivity. This review explores differences in C dynamics observed across biomes through a trade‐offs framework that considers edge microenvironmental changes and limiting factors to productivity.

show abstract

High resolution analysis of tropical forest fragmentation and its impact on the global carbon cycle

Cited by 253 publications

References 38 publications

Fragmentation increases wind disturbance impacts on forest structure and carbon stocks in a western Amazonian landscape

Fragmentation increases wind disturbance impacts on forest structure and carbon stocks in a western Amazonian landscape

Evidence for Edge Enhancements of Soil Respiration in Temperate Forests

Piecing together the fragments: elucidating edge effects on forest carbon dynamics

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About