Biomass allometry for alder, dwarf birch, and willow in boreal forest and tundra ecosystems of far northeastern Siberia and north-central Alaska

Berner, L. T.; Alexander, Heather D.; Loranty, M. M.; Ganzlin, P.; Mack, Michelle C.; Davydov, S. P.; Goetz, Scott J.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2014.10.027

Cited by 58 publications

(69 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Similarly, shrub canopy height and AGB scale allometrically among individual willow, alder, and birch from northern Alaska and Siberia ( figure S6; Berner et al 2015). Regional warming contributed to modeled increases in shrub height and cover over the past half century in our study region, particularly within riparian areas (Tape et al 2006, Naito and Cairns 2011, Tape et al 2016a where repeat aerial photographs show conspicuous shrub expansion since the late 1940s (Tape et al 2006).…”

Section: Shrub Biomassmentioning

confidence: 60%

Tundra plant above-ground biomass and shrub dominance mapped across the North Slope of Alaska

Berner

Jantz

Tape

et al. 2018

Environ. Res. Lett.

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Section: Shrub Biomassmentioning

confidence: 60%

Tundra plant above-ground biomass and shrub dominance mapped across the North Slope of Alaska

Berner

Jantz

Tape

et al. 2018

Environ. Res. Lett.

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“…Although others (e.g. Buech & Rugg, ; Chojnacky & Milton, ; Paul et al ., ,b; Berner et al ., ) also found D to be the strongest predictor of AGB Indiv in such multistemmed individuals, there are differences between studies in the way in which the D of multistemmed individuals is estimated. Some workers (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Testing the generality of above‐ground biomass allometry across plant functional types at the continent scale

Paul

Roxburgh

Chave

et al. 2016

Global Change Biology

150

129

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Accurate ground-based estimation of the carbon stored in terrestrial ecosystems is critical to quantifying the global carbon budget. Allometric models provide cost-effective methods for biomass prediction. But do such models vary with ecoregion or plant functional type? We compiled 15 054 measurements of individual tree or shrub biomass from across Australia to examine the generality of allometric models for above-ground biomass prediction. This provided a robust case study because Australia includes ecoregions ranging from arid shrublands to tropical rainforests, and has a rich history of biomass research, particularly in planted forests. Regardless of ecoregion, for five broad categories of plant functional type (shrubs; multistemmed trees; trees of the genus Eucalyptus and closely related genera; other trees of high wood density; and other trees of low wood density), relationships between biomass and stem diameter were generic. Simple power-law models explained 84-95% of the variation in biomass, with little improvement in model performance when other plant variables (height, bole wood density), or site characteristics (climate, age, management) were included. Predictions of stand-based biomass from allometric models of varying levels of generalization (species-specific, plant functional type) were validated using whole-plot harvest data from 17 contrasting stands (range: 9-356 Mg ha(-1) ). Losses in efficiency of prediction were <1% if generalized models were used in place of species-specific models. Furthermore, application of generalized multispecies models did not introduce significant bias in biomass prediction in 92% of the 53 species tested. Further, overall efficiency of stand-level biomass prediction was 99%, with a mean absolute prediction error of only 13%. Hence, for cost-effective prediction of biomass across a wide range of stands, we recommend use of generic allometric models based on plant functional types. Development of new species-specific models is only warranted when gains in accuracy of stand-based predictions are relatively high (e.g. high-value monocultures).

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“…Variable estimates were randomly selected from these distributions 1,000 times and used in the allometric equation modified from Berner et al. (; Equation ) to estimate total aboveground biomass per square meter. This simulation was repeated three times using low, medium, and high parameter estimates (Berner et al., ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Arctic shrub growth trajectories differ across soil moisture levels

Ackerman

Griffin

Hobbie

et al. 2017

Global Change Biology

106

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The circumpolar expansion of woody deciduous shrubs in arctic tundra alters key ecosystem properties including carbon balance and hydrology. However, landscape-scale patterns and drivers of shrub expansion remain poorly understood, inhibiting accurate incorporation of shrub effects into climate models. Here, we use dendroecology to elucidate the role of soil moisture in modifying the relationship between climate and growth for a dominant deciduous shrub, Salix pulchra, on the North Slope of Alaska, USA. We improve upon previous modeling approaches by using ecological theory to guide model selection for the relationship between climate and shrub growth. Finally, we present novel dendroecology-based estimates of shrub biomass change under a future climate regime, made possible by recently developed shrub allometry models. We find that S. pulchra growth has responded positively to mean June temperature over the past 2.5 decades at both a dry upland tundra site and an adjacent mesic riparian site. For the upland site, including a negative second-order term in the climate-growth model significantly improved explanatory power, matching theoretical predictions of diminishing growth returns to increasing temperature. A first-order linear model fit best at the riparian site, indicating consistent growth increases in response to sustained warming, possibly due to lack of temperature-induced moisture limitation in mesic habitats. These contrasting results indicate that S. pulchra in mesic habitats may respond positively to a wider range of temperature increase than S. pulchra in dry habitats. Lastly, we estimate that a 2°C increase in current mean June temperature will yield a 19% increase in aboveground S. pulchra biomass at the upland site and a 36% increase at the riparian site. Our method of biomass estimation provides an important link toward incorporating dendroecology data into coupled vegetation and climate models.

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Biomass allometry for alder, dwarf birch, and willow in boreal forest and tundra ecosystems of far northeastern Siberia and north-central Alaska

Cited by 58 publications

References 47 publications

Tundra plant above-ground biomass and shrub dominance mapped across the North Slope of Alaska

Tundra plant above-ground biomass and shrub dominance mapped across the North Slope of Alaska

Testing the generality of above‐ground biomass allometry across plant functional types at the continent scale

Arctic shrub growth trajectories differ across soil moisture levels

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