Patterns of tree mortality in a temperate deciduous forest derived from a large forest dynamics plot

Abstract

Teixeira. 2016. Patterns of tree mortality in a temperate deciduous forest derived from a large forest dynamics plot.Ecosphere 7(12):e01595. 10. 1002/ecs2.1595 Abstract. Tree mortality is one of the most influential drivers of forest dynamics, and characterizing patterns of tree mortality is critical to understanding forest dynamics and ecosystem function in the present era of global change. Here, we use a unique data set of mortality in a temperate deciduous forest to characterize rates and drivers of mortality. At the 25.6-ha Center for Tropical Forest Science-Forest Global Earth Observatory forest dynamics plot at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (Virginia, USA), we conducted two full tree censuses in 2008 and 2013 and then tracked mortality over the next 2 years (2014 and 2015). Overall, the mortality rate, m, of stems ≥10 cm diameter was 1.3-2.1%/yr. Biomass mortality, M, was 1.9-3.4 MgÁha at the stand level (0.6-1.1%/yr of biomass), less than biomass gains from growth and recruitment, resulting in net live biomass accumulation. Small stems died at the highest rate; however, contributions to M increased toward larger size classes. Most species had m < 2%/yr and M < 0.25 MgÁha À1 Áyr À1 (<3%/yr of biomass), whereas two to four species had anomalously high mortality rates during each census period, accounting for 15-24% of m (n = 2, Cercis canadensis, Ulmus species) and 39-75% of M (n = 4 Quercus species). Stems that died, whether or not in association with mechanical damage, tended to grow more slowly in preceding years than surviving stems and, for certain shade-intolerant species, tended to be in neighborhoods with higher basal area. These findings show how relatively fine-scale mortality processes contribute to stand-level compositional change and carbon cycling. The mortality patterns reported here will provide a valuable basis for understanding future disturbance events within eastern deciduous forests and for comparing across forest types.

Crown damage and the mortality of tropical trees

“…Our results support the general observation that once the specieslevel growth-survival trade-off is accounted for, individual growth is positively correlated with survival (Clark & Clark, 1996;Wyckoff & Clark, 2000;R€ uger et al, 2011;Gonzalez-Akre et al, 2016). In a recent global meta-analysis, Cailleret et al (2017) found that trees that die typically grew less than conspecific survivors during the preceding 5-30 yr. A negative correlation between SA-RGR and mortality may result from: (a) a correlation between SA-RGR and the growth-survival trade-off (RGR, WD, mortality), or (b) a true causal relationship between SA-RGR (or an unmeasured factor correlated with SA-RGR, most likely carbon starvation) and mortality.…”

“…Our results support the general observation that once the species‐level growth–survival trade‐off is accounted for, individual growth is positively correlated with survival (Clark & Clark, ; Wyckoff & Clark, ; Rüger et al ., ; Gonzalez‐Akre et al ., ). In a recent global meta‐analysis, Cailleret et al .…”

“…Trees with access to resources, in the absence of disturbance or disease, grow well and have low chances of dying in the short term, resulting in a positive correlation between growth and survival of individual trees. As a result, a drop in growth rate is a useful general predictor of poor health or performance that often precedes individual death (Clark & Clark, ; Wyckoff & Clark, ; Rüger et al ., ; Gonzalez‐Akre et al ., ). Although we expect this hypothesis to hold generally, the opposite pattern may be true: increased productivity may accelerate tree life cycles so individuals die younger (Brienen et al ., ).…”

Drought‐induced mortality patterns and rapid biomass recovery in a terra firme forest in the Colombian Amazon

“…This is consistent with our expectation that trees in valleys are less adapted to moisture stress, because valleys are generally wetter (Harms et al 2001, Itoh et al 2012, and suffer disproportionately during drought. These results suggest that tree dieback is largely associated with local fine-scale processes that differentiate water availability among habitats, which, in turn, may determine the aboveground biomass dynamics at the landscape scale (Valencia et al 2009, Gonzalez-Akre et al 2016, Levine et al 2016. One clear implication of these results is that data on tree Values are presented in Appendix S1: Table S1.…”

Temporal population variability in local forest communities has mixed effects on tree species richness across a latitudinal gradient

“…A future research priority is to determine specific environmental variables that drive fluctuations of tree species abundances in specific forests. Over the time period studied, the forest plots we examined were buffeted by a range of environmental factors, such as drought (Condit et al 1996), groundfires (Baker et al 2008), hurricanes/typhoons (Yap et al 2016;Hogan et al 2018) and insect herbivory (Gonzalez-Akre et al 2016). Although many such factors can be identified, they are often idiosyncratic in nature and often act on population abundances via nonlinear causal pathways.…”