scholarly journals Predicting tropical tree mortality with leaf spectroscopy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher E. Doughty ◽  
Alexander W. Cheesman ◽  
Terhi Ruitta ◽  
Eleanor Thomson ◽  
Alexander Shenkin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Dark Respiration ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Tropical Trees ◽  
Tropical Tree ◽  
Spectral Signature ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Natural Form ◽  
Leaf Dark Respiration

Do tropical trees close to death have a distinct leaf spectral signature? Tree mortality rates have been increasing in tropical forests globally which is reducing the global carbon sink. Upcoming hyperspectral satellites could be used to predict regions close to experiencing extensive tree mortality during periods of stress like drought. Here we show how imminent tropical tree mortality in Borneo impacts leaf physiological traits and reflectance. We measured leaf reflectance (400-2500 nm), light saturated photosynthesis (Asat), leaf dark respiration (Rdark), and leaf mass area (LMA) across five campaigns in a six-month period during which there were two causes of mortality: a major drought and a co-incident tree stem girdling campaign. We find that prior to mortality, there were significant (P<0.05) leaf spectral changes in the red (650-700 nm), the NIR (1000 -1400 nm) and SWIR bands (2000-2400 nm) and significant reductions in the potential carbon balance of the leaves (increased Rdark and reduced Asat). We show that the partial least squares regression (PLSR) technique can predict mortality in tropical trees across different species and functional groups with medium precision but low accuracy (r2 of 0.65 and RMSE/mean of 0.58). However, most tree death in our study was due to girdling, which is not a natural form of death. More research is needed to determine if this spectroscopy technique can be applied to tropical forests in general.

scholarly journals Resistance of African tropical forests to an extreme climate anomaly

2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (21) ◽  
pp. e2003169118
Author(s):  
Amy C. Bennett ◽  
Greta C. Dargie ◽  
Aida Cuni-Sanchez ◽  
John Tshibamba Mukendi ◽  
Wannes Hubau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forests ◽  
El Niño ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
El Nino ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
El Niño Event ◽  
Dry Conditions ◽  
Carbon Losses

The responses of tropical forests to environmental change are critical uncertainties in predicting the future impacts of climate change. The positive phase of the 2015–2016 El Niño Southern Oscillation resulted in unprecedented heat and low precipitation in the tropics with substantial impacts on the global carbon cycle. The role of African tropical forests is uncertain as their responses to short-term drought and temperature anomalies have yet to be determined using on-the-ground measurements. African tropical forests may be particularly sensitive because they exist in relatively dry conditions compared with Amazonian or Asian forests, or they may be more resistant because of an abundance of drought-adapted species. Here, we report responses of structurally intact old-growth lowland tropical forests inventoried within the African Tropical Rainforest Observatory Network (AfriTRON). We use 100 long-term inventory plots from six countries each measured at least twice prior to and once following the 2015–2016 El Niño event. These plots experienced the highest temperatures and driest conditions on record. The record temperature did not significantly reduce carbon gains from tree growth or significantly increase carbon losses from tree mortality, but the record drought did significantly decrease net carbon uptake. Overall, the long-term biomass increase of these forests was reduced due to the El Niño event, but these plots remained a live biomass carbon sink (0.51 ± 0.40 Mg C ha−1 y−1) despite extreme environmental conditions. Our analyses, while limited to African tropical forests, suggest they may be more resistant to climatic extremes than Amazonian and Asian forests.

scholarly journals Complete or overcompensatory thermal acclimation of leaf dark respiration in African tropical trees

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myriam Mujawamariya ◽  
Maria Wittemann ◽  
Aloysie Manishimwe ◽  
Bonaventure Ntirugulirwa ◽  
Etienne Zibera ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dark Respiration ◽  
Tropical Trees ◽  
Thermal Acclimation ◽  
Leaf Dark Respiration

scholarly journals Tree mode of death and mortality risk factors across Amazon forests

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert ◽  
Oliver L. Phillips ◽  
Roel J. W. Brienen ◽  
Sophie Fauset ◽  
Martin J. P. Sullivan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Species Level ◽  
Tropical Tree ◽  
Risk Of Death ◽  
Species Being ◽  
Amazonian Region

AbstractThe carbon sink capacity of tropical forests is substantially affected by tree mortality. However, the main drivers of tropical tree death remain largely unknown. Here we present a pan-Amazonian assessment of how and why trees die, analysing over 120,000 trees representing > 3800 species from 189 long-term RAINFOR forest plots. While tree mortality rates vary greatly Amazon-wide, on average trees are as likely to die standing as they are broken or uprooted—modes of death with different ecological consequences. Species-level growth rate is the single most important predictor of tree death in Amazonia, with faster-growing species being at higher risk. Within species, however, the slowest-growing trees are at greatest risk while the effect of tree size varies across the basin. In the driest Amazonian region species-level bioclimatic distributional patterns also predict the risk of death, suggesting that these forests are experiencing climatic conditions beyond their adaptative limits. These results provide not only a holistic pan-Amazonian picture of tree death but large-scale evidence for the overarching importance of the growth–survival trade-off in driving tropical tree mortality.

scholarly journals Forest carbon sink neutralized by pervasive growth-lifespan trade-offs

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. W. Brienen ◽  
L. Caldwell ◽  
L. Duchesne ◽  
S. Voelker ◽  
J. Barichivich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Growth ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Growth Stimulation ◽  
Forest Carbon ◽  
System Model ◽  
Earth System ◽  
Canopy Tree ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Almost All

Abstract Land vegetation is currently taking up large amounts of atmospheric CO2, possibly due to tree growth stimulation. Extant models predict that this growth stimulation will continue to cause a net carbon uptake this century. However, there are indications that increased growth rates may shorten trees′ lifespan and thus recent increases in forest carbon stocks may be transient due to lagged increases in mortality. Here we show that growth-lifespan trade-offs are indeed near universal, occurring across almost all species and climates. This trade-off is directly linked to faster growth reducing tree lifespan, and not due to covariance with climate or environment. Thus, current tree growth stimulation will, inevitably, result in a lagged increase in canopy tree mortality, as is indeed widely observed, and eventually neutralise carbon gains due to growth stimulation. Results from a strongly data-based forest simulator confirm these expectations. Extant Earth system model projections of global forest carbon sink persistence are likely too optimistic, increasing the need to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

scholarly journals Diurnal and seasonal carbon balance of four tropical tree species differing in successional status

2008 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 781-793 ◽  
Author(s):  
GM. Souza ◽  
RV. Ribeiro ◽  
AM. Sato ◽  
MS. Oliveira
Keyword(s):  
Functional Groups ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Carbon Balance ◽  
Dark Respiration ◽  
Tropical Tree ◽  
Pioneer Species ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Gross Photosynthesis ◽  
Tropical Tree Species ◽  
Successional Species

This study addressed some questions about how a suitable leaf carbon balance can be attained for different functional groups of tropical tree species under contrasting forest light environments. The study was carried out in a fragment of semi-deciduous seasonal forest in Narandiba county, São Paulo Estate, Brazil. 10-month-old seedlings of four tropical tree species, Bauhinia forficata Link (Caesalpinioideae) and Guazuma ulmifolia Lam. (Sterculiaceae) as light-demanding pioneer species, and Hymenaea courbaril L. (Caesalpinioideae) and Esenbeckia leiocarpa Engl. (Rutaceae) as late successional species, were grown under gap and understorey conditions. Diurnal courses of net photosynthesis (Pn) and transpiration were recorded with an open system portable infrared gas analyzer in two different seasons. Dark respiration and photorespiration were also evaluated in the same leaves used for Pn measurements after dark adaptation. Our results showed that diurnal-integrated dark respiration (Rdi) of late successional species were similar to pioneer species. On the other hand, photorespiration rates were often higher in pioneer than in late successional species in the gap. However, the relative contribution of these parameters to leaf carbon balance was similar in all species in both environmental conditions. Considering diurnal-integrated values, gross photosynthesis (Pgi) was dramatically higher in gap than in understorey, regardless of species. In both evaluated months, there were no differences among species of different functional groups under shade conditions. The same was observed in May (dry season) under gap conditions. In such light environment, pioneers were distinguished from late successional species in November (wet season), showing that ecophysiological performance can have a straightforward relation to seasonality.

scholarly journals The carbon sink of tropical seasonal forests in southeastern Brazil can be under threat

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (51) ◽  
pp. eabd4548
Author(s):  
Vinícius Andrade Maia ◽  
Alisson Borges Miranda Santos ◽  
Natália de Aguiar-Campos ◽  
Cléber Rodrigo de Souza ◽  
Matheus Coutinho Freitas de Oliveira ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tropical Forests ◽  
Carbon Sink ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Carbon Sources ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Forest Sites ◽  
Tropical Seasonal Forest ◽  
Terrestrial Carbon Sink ◽  
Seasonal Forests

Tropical forests have played an important role as a carbon sink over time. However, the carbon dynamics of Brazilian non-Amazon tropical forests are still not well understood. Here, we used data from 32 tropical seasonal forest sites, monitored from 1987 to 2020 (mean site monitoring length, ~15 years) to investigate their long-term trends in carbon stocks and sinks. Our results highlight a long-term decline in the net carbon sink (0.13 Mg C ha−1 year−1) caused by decreasing carbon gains (2.6% by year) and increasing carbon losses (3.4% by year). The driest and warmest sites are experiencing the most severe carbon sink decline and have already moved from carbon sinks to carbon sources. Because of the importance of the terrestrial carbon sink for the global climate, policies are needed to mitigate the emission of greenhouse gases and to restore and protect tropical seasonal forests.

The temperature response of leaf dark respiration in 15 provenances of Eucalyptus grandis grown in ambient and elevated CO2

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (11) ◽  
pp. 1075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Aspinwall ◽  
Vinod K. Jacob ◽  
Chris J. Blackman ◽  
Renee A. Smith ◽  
Mark G. Tjoelker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Elevated Co2 ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Unit Area ◽  
Dark Respiration ◽  
Eucalyptus Grandis ◽  
Temperature Response ◽  
Respiratory Physiology ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Leaf Dark Respiration

The effects of elevated CO2 on the short-term temperature response of leaf dark respiration (R) remain uncertain for many forest tree species. Likewise, variation in leaf R among populations within tree species and potential interactive effects of elevated CO2 are poorly understood. We addressed these uncertainties by measuring the short-term temperature response of leaf R in 15 provenances of Eucalyptus grandis W. Hill ex Maiden from contrasting thermal environments grown under ambient [CO2] (aCO2; 400 µmol mol–1) and elevated [CO2] (640 µmol mol–1; eCO2). Leaf R per unit area (Rarea) measured across a range of temperatures was higher in trees grown in eCO2 and varied up to 104% among provenances. However, eCO2 increased leaf dry mass per unit area (LMA) by 21%, and when R was expressed on a mass basis (i.e. Rmass), it did not differ between CO2 treatments. Likewise, accounting for differences in LMA among provenances, Rmass did not differ among provenances. The temperature sensitivity of R (i.e. Q10) did not differ between CO2 treatments or among provenances. We conclude that eCO2 had no direct effect on the temperature response of R in E. grandis, and respiratory physiology was similar among provenances of E. grandis regardless of home-climate temperature conditions.

Acclimation of leaf dark respiration to nocturnal and diurnal warming in a semiarid temperate steppe

2013 ◽  
Vol 40 (11) ◽  
pp. 1159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonggang Chi ◽  
Ming Xu ◽  
Ruichang Shen ◽  
Shiqiang Wan
Keyword(s):  
Dark Respiration ◽  
Temperature Response ◽  
Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽  
Northern China ◽  
Thermal Acclimation ◽  
Nonstructural Carbohydrates ◽  
Temperate Steppe ◽  
Response Curves ◽  
Diurnal Warming ◽  
Leaf Dark Respiration

A better understanding of thermal acclimation of leaf dark respiration in response to nocturnal and diurnal warming could help accurately predict the changes in carbon exchange of terrestrial ecosystems under global warming, especially under the asymmetric warming. A field manipulative experiment was established with control, nocturnal warming (1800–0600 hours), diurnal warming (0600–1800 hours), and diel warming (24 h) under naturally fluctuating conditions in a semiarid temperate steppe in northern China in April 2006. Temperature response curves of in situ leaf dark respiration for Stipa krylovii Roshev. were measured at night (Rn) and after 30 min of darkness imposed in the daytime (Rd). Leaf nonstructural carbohydrates were determined before sunrise and at sunset. Results showed that Rn could acclimate to nocturnal warming and diurnal warming, but Rd could not. The decreases in Q10 (temperature sensitivity) of Rn under nocturnal-warming and diurnal warming regimes might be attributed to greater depletion of total nonstructural carbohydrates (TNC). The real-time and intertwined metabolic interactions between chloroplastic and mitochondrial metabolism in the daytime could affect the impacts of warming on metabolite pools and the distinct response of Rn and Rd to warming. Projection on climate change–carbon feedback under climate warming must account for thermal acclimation of leaf dark respiration separately by Rn and Rd.

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