Ecosystem Level Carbon and Net Primary Productivity of an Old-Growth and a Regenerating Humid Tropical Forest of North-Eastern India

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (01) ◽  
pp. 85-98
Author(s):  
Saroj Kanta Barik ◽  
Ratul Baishya
Keyword(s):  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Eastern India ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Ground Biomass ◽  
Ecosystem Carbon ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Ecosystem Level ◽  
Below Ground ◽  
Humid Tropical Forest

Ecosystem level carbon and net primary productivity (NPP) estimates for old-growth and regenerating tropical forests of India are lacking. The study was conducted to estimate ecosystem level carbon contents and NPP, based on above and below ground biomass of trees, shrubs and herbs in an old growth and a regenerating humid tropical forest of Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary, Meghalaya in north-eastern India. Soil carbon contents were also estimated in both the forest types to estimate ecosystem level carbon. The tree above ground biomass values in old-growth and regenerating forests were 313.8 and 152.4 Mg ha-1 and the below ground values were 50.8 and 30.3 Mg ha-1, respectively. The corresponding total above ground biomass values including trees, litter, herb and shrub components were 323.7 and 159.3 Mg ha-1, respectively. Of the total ecosystem biomass values of 374.5 Mg ha-1 in the old-growth forest, 86% was in the above ground and 14% was in the below ground compartment. The corresponding proportions in the regenerating forest with total biomass of 189.6 Mg ha-1 were 84% and 16%, respectively. The total ecosystem carbon contents in old-growth and regenerating forests were 265.5 and 147.8 Mg C ha-1, of which soil organic carbon was 83.2 and 55.6 Mg C ha-1, respectively that contributed 31.3% and 37.6% to the total ecosystem carbon in the respective forests. However, ecosystem NPP in the regenerating forest (18.4 Mg ha-1 yr-1) was greater than the old growth forest(13.6 Mg ha-1 yr-1)

scholarly journals Czerwona lista porostów zagrożonych w Puszczy Białowieskiej [Red List of threatened lichens in the Białowieża Old-growth Forest]

2014 ◽  
Vol 91 ◽  
pp. 107-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krystyna Czyżewska ◽  
Stanisław Cieśliński
Keyword(s):  
Red List ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Saprobic Fungi ◽  
Threat Status ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
The Status ◽  
Red List Categories ◽  
Data Deficient ◽  
Near Threatened

The first regional list of threatened lichens and allied fungi is presented. The list is a result of investigation studies in the Białowieża Old-growth Forest, best preserved forests in European lowland, located in North-Eastern Poland. The status of threat to the lichen and allied fungi species listed has been determined according to the Red List Categories by IUCN (2001, version 3.1). The data obtained were compared with historical ones. Changes of the species main frequency were used as an additional indicator of their threat status. The Red List includes 135 taxa of lichens, lichenicolous and saprobic fungi, which constitute 33.7% of the local biota and 8.4% of Polish biota. The status of threatened biota has the folowing categories: Regionally Extinct (RE) - 38 taxa, Critically Endangered (CR) - 29, Endangered (EN) - 19, Vulnerable (VU) - 8, Near Threatened (NT) - 9, Least Concern (LC) -11 and Data Deficient (DD) - 21.

Impacts of logging on soil organic carbon and heterotrophic respiration in tropical forests in Borneo

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvia H. Vetter ◽  
Yit Arn Teh ◽  
Michael Martin ◽  
Dafydd M. O. Elias ◽  
Terhi Riutta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Respiration ◽  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Spatial Modelling ◽  
Selective Logging ◽  
Heterotrophic Respiration ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
Logged Forest

<p>Selective logging is the practice of extracting selected commercial trees from natural production forests. The intensity of logging correlates with a reduction in biodiversity, wood production and biomass stocks. Less is known about the relationship of logging to soil organic carbon (SOC) and how it changes or recovers over time. Empirical measurements in Borneo provided SOC, soil respiration, aboveground and belowground net primary productivity (NPP) from intact old-growth forest (OGF) as well as from moderately to heavily logged (LOG) forest sites. Soil carbon (C) content and heterotrophic respiration (R<sub>h</sub>) was higher in LOG sites than in OGF sites. Moderately logged forest (logged > 10 years ago) contained more SOC than heavily logged forest (logged approx. 7 years ago). NPP was used to estimate the C input to the soil. All these data were used to test the biochemical model ECOSSE (<strong>E</strong>stimating <strong>C</strong>arbon in <strong>O</strong>rganic <strong>S</strong>oils – <strong>S</strong>equestration and <strong>E</strong>missions) to calculate SOC for the study sites. The model performed well in simulating the soil respiration of OGF and generated acceptable results for LOG sites in the validation process. The results for logged forests showed an increase in R<sub>h</sub> over the first 15 years, with some sites showing either a further increase over the next 15 years or stabilizing at a higher level compared to pre-disturbance conditions for other sites. However, for all modelled cases, a break was observed after 30 years, when R<sub>h</sub> decreased to a lower level (but not as low as for OGF) before reaching a new equilibrium. At the same time, SOC begins to increase. Spatial modelling showed the results for Borneo under logged conditions and the potential of storing C if logging was reduced. Only 22% of Borneo is under old-growth forest; the results show moderate to high C losses if this region is subjected to logging. Overall, the results show the disturbance of SOC and Rh through logging over periods longer than 30 years.</p>

scholarly journals Some aspects of ecophysiological and biogeochemical responses of tropical forests to atmospheric change

2004 ◽  
Vol 359 (1443) ◽  
pp. 463-476 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Q. Chambers ◽  
Whendee L. Silver
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Amazon Forest ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Ecosystem Carbon ◽  
Sequestration Rate

Atmospheric changes that may affect physiological and biogeochemical processes in old–growth tropical forests include: (i) rising atmospheric CO 2 concentration; (ii) an increase in land surface temperature; (iii) changes in precipitation and ecosystem moisture status; and (iv) altered disturbance regimes. Elevated CO 2 is likely to directly influence numerous leaf–level physiological processes, but whether these changes are ultimately reflected in altered ecosystem carbon storage is unclear. The net primary productivity (NPP) response of old–growth tropical forests to elevated CO 2 is unknown, but unlikely to exceed the maximum experimentally measured 25% increase in NPP with a doubling of atmospheric CO 2 from pre–industrial levels. In addition, evolutionary constraints exhibited by tropical plants adapted to low CO 2 levels during most of the Late Pleistocene, may result in little response to increased carbon availability. To set a maximum potential response for a Central Amazon forest, using an individual–tree–based carbon cycling model, a modelling experiment was performed constituting a 25% increase in tree growth rate, linked to the known and expected increase in atmospheric CO 2 . Results demonstrated a maximum carbon sequestration rate of ca . 0.2 Mg C per hectare per year (ha −1 yr −1 , where 1 ha = 10 4 m 2 ), and a sequestration rate of only 0.05 Mg C ha −1 yr −1 for an interval centred on calendar years 1980–2020. This low rate results from slow growing trees and the long residence time of carbon in woody tissues. By contrast, changes in disturbance frequency, precipitation patterns and other environmental factors can cause marked and relatively rapid shifts in ecosystem carbon storage. It is our view that observed changes in tropical forest inventory plots over the past few decades is more probably being driven by changes in disturbance or other environmental factors, than by a response to elevated CO 2 . Whether these observed changes in tropical forests are the beginning of long–term permanent shifts or a transient response is uncertain and remains an important research priority.

scholarly journals Comprehensive description of the carbon cycle of an ancient temperate broadleaved woodland

2010 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 3735-3763 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Fenn ◽  
Y. Malhi ◽  
M. Morecroft ◽  
C. Lloyd ◽  
M. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Cycle ◽  
Eddy Covariance ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Ecosystem Respiration ◽  
Stem Respiration ◽  
Ecosystem Carbon ◽  
Deciduous Woodland ◽  
Below Ground ◽  
Eddy Covariance Measurements

Abstract. There exist very few comprehensive descriptions of the productivity and carbon cycling of forest ecosystems. Here we present a description of the components of annual Net Primary Productivity (NPP), Gross Primary Productivity (GPP), autotrophic and heterotrophic respiration, and ecosystem respiration (RECO) for a temperate mixed deciduous woodland at Wytham Woods in southern Britain, calculated using "bottom-up" biometric and chamber measurements (leaf and wood production and soil and stem respiration). These are compared with estimates of these parameters from eddy-covariance measurements made at the same site. NPP was estimated as 7.0±0.8 Mg C ha−1 yr−1, and GPP as 20.3+1.0 Mg C ha−1 yr−1, a value which closely matched to eddy covariance-derived GPP value of 21.1 Mg C ha−1 yr−1. Annual RECO was calculated as 18.9±1.7 Mg C ha−1 yr−1, close to the eddy covariance value of 19.8 Mg C ha−1 yr−1; the seasonal cycle of biometric and eddy covariance RECO estimates also closely matched. The consistency between eddy covariance and biometric measurements substantially strengthens the confidence we attach to each as alternative indicators of site carbon dynamics, and permits an integrated perspective of the ecosystem carbon cycle. 37% of NPP was allocated below ground, and the ecosystem carbon use efficiency (CUE, = NPP/GPP) calculated to be 0.35±0.05, lower than reported for many temperate broadleaved sites.

scholarly journals Czerwona lista porostów zagrożonych w Polsce północno-wschodniej [Red List of threatened lichens in North-Eastern Poland]

2014 ◽  
Vol 91 ◽  
pp. 91-106
Author(s):  
Stanisław Cieśliński
Keyword(s):  
Iucn Red List ◽  
Red List ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Critically Endangered Species ◽  
Ne Poland ◽  
Threat Status ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
The Status

The second regional list of threatened lichens and allied fungi is presented. The list is a result of investigation studies in North-Eastern Poland. In physicogeographic regionalization this area comprises 4 macroregions: Staropruska Lowland, Litewskie (Lithuanian) Lakeland, Mazurian Lakeland and South Podlasie Lowland. It is characterized by the presence of large forest complexes, including the Białowieża Old-growth Forest, the Knyszyńska Old-growth Forest, the Augustowska Old-growth Forest, the Romincka Old-growth Forest, the Borecka Old-growth Forest and the Piska Old-growth Forest. The status of threat to the lichen and allied fungi species listed has been determined according to the IUCN Red List Categories in version 3.1 (2001). The data obtained were compared with historical ones. Changes of the species main frequency were used as an additional indicator of their threat status. The Red List includes 310 taxa of lichens, lichenicolous and saprobic fungi, which constitute 52% of the NE Poland total lichen biota and 19.4% of Polish biota. The status of threatened biota has the following categories: Regionally Extinct (RE) -49 taxa, Critically Endangered (CR) - 58, Endangered (EN) - 41, Vulnerable (VU) - 39, Near Threatened (NT) - 24, Least Concern (LC) - 19 and Data Deficient (DD) - 80. Epiphytes constitute 84% of extinct and critically endangered species.

scholarly journals Regionalne czerwone listy porostów zagrożonych [Red lists of threatened lichens at regional levels]

2014 ◽  
Vol 91 ◽  
pp. 51-62
Author(s):  
Krystyna Czyżewska ◽  
Stanisław Cieśliński
Keyword(s):  
Old Growth ◽  
Upper Silesia ◽  
Red Lists ◽  
Southern Poland ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Regional Red Lists

The authors discuss 10 regional red lists of threatened lichens and certain other fungi of the Gdańsk Pomerania (286 species; 53.9% of the local biota), the Tucholskie Forest (151; 39,7%), North-Eastern Poland (310; 52.0%), the Białowieża Old-growth Forest (135; 33,7%), the Pilicka Old-growth Forest (140; 51.8%), the Kozienicka Old-growth Forest (144; 61.8%), the Świętokrzyskie Mts. (313; ca 66.0%), the Gorce Mts. (367; ca 67.0%), Opole Silesia and Upper Silesia (536; ca 72,9%) and the Sudety Mts. (504; ca 60.0%). Biotas of regions located in central and southern Poland are more transformed than those of the northern and north-eastern regions, The Białowieża Old-growth Forest has maintained the highest biodiversity.

scholarly journals Differential responses of amphibians and reptiles to land-use change in the biodiversity hotspot of north-eastern Madagascar

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thio Rosin Fulgence ◽  
Dominic Andreas Martin ◽  
Romual Randriamanantena ◽  
Ronick Botra ◽  
Erosiniot Befidimanana ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Agricultural Landscapes ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Forest Dependency ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
Land Use Types ◽  
Reptile Species ◽  
North Eastern

Large expanses of tropical rainforest have been converted into agricultural landscapes cultivated by smallholder farmers. This is also the case in north-eastern Madagascar; a region that retains a significant proportions of forest cover despite shifting hill rice cultivation and vanilla agroforestry. The region is also a global hotspot for herpetofauna diversity, but how this diversity is affected by land-use change remains largely unknown. Using a space-for-time study design to uncover land-use effects, we compared species diversity and community composition in seven prevalent land uses: unburned (old-growth forest, forest fragment, and forest-derived vanilla agroforest) and burned (fallow-derived vanilla agroforest, woody fallow, herbaceous fallow) land-use types, and rice paddy. We conducted six comprehensives, time-standardized searches across at least ten replicates of each land-use type and applied genetic barcoding to confirm species identification. We documented an outstanding diversity of endemic herpetofauna (119 species): amphibian species richness at the plot level was highest in old-growth forest and significantly lower in all other land-use types. Plot-level reptile species richness was significantly higher in the unburned land-use types than burned land-use types. For both amphibians and reptiles, the less-disturbed land-use types showed more uneven communities and particularly in old-growth forest, the species composition differed significantly from all other land-use types. Amphibians showed a higher level of forest dependency compared to reptiles (38% versus 28% of species exclusively occurred in old-growth forest). Our analyses thus revealed that the two groups respond differently to land-use change: we found less pronounced losses of reptile species richness especially in unburned agricultural habitats, suggesting that reptiles are less susceptible to land-use change than amphibians. Overall, old-growth forest harboured a unique diversity, but some species also thrived in agroforestry systems, especially if these were forest-derived. This highlights the importance of conserving old-growth forests and non-burned land-use types within the agricultural landscape.

scholarly journals Tropical land use drives endemic versus exotic ant communities in a global biodiversity hotspot

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anjaharinony A. N. A. Rakotomalala ◽  
Annemarie Wurz ◽  
Ingo Grass ◽  
Dominic A. Martin ◽  
Kristina Osen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Species Richness ◽  
Rice Paddy ◽  
Forest Fragment ◽  
Old Growth ◽  
Ant Communities ◽  
Agricultural Matrix ◽  
Old Growth Forest ◽  
Land Use Types ◽  
North Eastern

AbstractUnderstanding how land-use change affects biodiversity is a fundamental step to develop effective conservation strategies in human-modified tropical landscapes. Here, we analyzed how land-use change through tropical small-scale agriculture affects endemic, exotic, and non-endemic native ant communities, focusing on vanilla landscapes in north-eastern Madagascar, a global biodiversity hotspot. First, we compared ant species richness and species composition across seven land-use types: old-growth forest, forest fragment, forest-derived vanilla agroforest, fallow-derived vanilla agroforest, woody fallow, herbaceous fallow, and rice paddy. Second, we assessed how environmental factors drive ant species richness in the agricultural matrix to identify management options that promote endemic and non-endemic native while controlling exotic ant species. We found that old-growth forest, forest fragment, and forest-derived vanilla agroforest supported the highest endemic ant species richness. Exotic ant species richness, by contrast, was lowest in old-growth forest but highest in herbaceous fallows, woody fallows, and rice paddy. Rice paddy had the lowest non-endemic native ant species richness. Ant species composition differed among land-use types, highlighting the uniqueness of old-growth forest in harboring endemic ant species which are more sensitive to disturbance. In the agricultural matrix, higher canopy closure and landscape forest cover were associated with an increase of endemic ant species richness but a decrease of exotic ant species richness. We conclude that preserving remnant forest fragments and promoting vanilla agroforests with a greater canopy closure in the agricultural matrix are important management strategies to complement the role of old-growth forests for endemic ant conservation in north-eastern Madagascar.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document