Scale dependency of the effects of landscape structure and stand age on species richness and aboveground biomass of tropical dry forests

Abstract

The structure and diversity of plant communities respond to changes in landscape structure and vary with spatial scale, stand age and plant size. Therefore, it is important to identify the scale (grain size and extent) at which secondary forest attributes of large and/or small plants and landscape structure are more closely associated. We performed multi-scale analyses in which different grain sizes and extents were assessed to determine the most appropriate spatial scale for assessing the association of large/small tree aboveground biomass and species richness with successional age and landscape structure using regression analysis. AGB and species richness were more strongly associated with landscape structure when large grain sizes (500 m 2 ) were used, with R 2 values between 0.31 and 0.43. Variation in AGB and species richness was explained primarily by successional age and landscape structure, respectively. At large extents, successional age was related to the AGB of large trees ( R 2 = 0.43); at intermediate extents, landscape structure was related to the species richness of large trees (R 2 = 0.31). The approach and results of this study may facilitate the identification of appropriate areas and scales for the maintenance or restoration of tree diversity, carbon storage, and the provision of ecosystem services in tropical dry forests.