Plant Biomass Allocation across a Precipitation Gradient: An Approach to Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest at Yucatán, Mexico

Roa-Fuentes, Lilia L.; Campo, Julio; Parra-Tabla, Vı́ctor

doi:10.1007/s10021-012-9578-3

Cited by 48 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 48 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The estimated C storage per area basis (using bulk density and the depth of sampling; upper 20 cm or until lithic contact) was 52, 108, and 134 Mg C ha −1 for subhumid, intermediate, and semiarid sites, respectively). Combined, our data and data from a previous investigation (Roa‐Fuentes et al ., ) indicate that under a drier climate, relative C storage in stem biomass tends to decrease in favor of C storage in the soil; yet the absolute amount of C stored in aboveground biomass decreases only 28% (see Table ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…The vegetation at the three studied sites is SDTF. Mean canopy height increases from 3.3 m at the semiarid and intermediate sites to 5.4 m at the subhumid site (Roa-Fuentes et al, 2012). The dominant vegetation is low, medium, and tall forms of semi-evergreen forest (selva baja subperennifolia) at the subhumid site, deciduous forest at the intermediate site (selva baja caducifolia) and thorn deciduous forest (selva baja espinosa caducifolia) at the semiarid site (Pennington & Sarukh an, 2005).…”

Section: Field Sites and Climatementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Floristically, Fabaceae are the most important family at all forest sites and dominant tree species are similar across forest sites (Bursera simaruba (L.) Sarg, Gymnopodium floribundum (Rolfe), Lysiloma latisiliquum (L.) Benth, and Piscidia piscipula (L.) Sarg; Roa-Fuentes et al, 2015). Data from four stands at each site indicate that the semiarid and the subhumid sites have less trees (diameter at breast height, dbh ≥ 2.5 cm) per unit of area (mean AE 1 SE = 2600 AE 300 and 3900 AE 305 trees per hectare, respectively) than the intermediate site (7210 AE 391 trees per hectare) (Roa-Fuentes et al, 2012). Total aboveground biomass did not change across sites; however, total and fine root biomasses decreased with increased MAP (Table 1).…”

Section: Field Sites and Climatementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition to the direct influence of climate on organic matter decomposition and C storage, climate can also have indirect effects, impacting SOM content and turnover. For example, due to the adaptations of plants and ecosystems to drought, more biomass is allocated to roots in regions with low water availability (Mokany et al, 2006;Roa-Fuentes et al, 2012). Also, drought-adapted plants roots contain certain biopolymers, such as cutin and suberins, which make cell walls water-and air-tight, and afford protection against microbial attacks (Boom et al, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Variations in soil carbon sequestration and their determinants along a precipitation gradient in seasonally dry tropical forest ecosystems

Campo

Merino

2016

Global Change Biology

Self Cite

107

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The effect of precipitation regime on the C cycle of tropical forests is poorly understood, despite the existence of models that suggest a drier climate may substantially alter the source-sink function of these ecosystems. Along a precipitation regime gradient containing 12 mature seasonally dry tropical forests growing under otherwise similar conditions (similar annual temperature, rainfall seasonality, and geological substrate), we analyzed the influence of variation in annual precipitation (1240 to 642 mm) and duration of seasonal drought on soil C. We investigated litterfall, decomposition in the forest floor, and C storage in the mineral soil, and analyzed the dependence of these processes and pools on precipitation. Litterfall decreased slightly - about 10% - from stands with 1240 mm yr(-1) to those with 642 mm yr(-1), while the decomposition decreased by 56%. Reduced precipitation strongly affected C storage and basal respiration in the mineral soil. Higher soil C storage at the drier sites was also related to the higher chemical recalcitrance of litter (fine roots and forest floor) and the presence of charcoal across sites, suggesting an important indirect influence of climate on C sequestration. Basal respiration was controlled by the amount of recalcitrant organic matter in the mineral soil. We conclude that in these forest ecosystems, the long-term consequences of decreased precipitation would be an increase in organic layer and mineral soil C storage, mainly due to lower decomposition and higher chemical recalcitrance of organic matter, resulting from changes in litter composition and, likely also, wildfire patterns. This could turn these seasonally dry tropical forests into significant soil C sinks under the predicted longer drought periods if primary productivity is maintained.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Field Sites and Climatementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Field Sites and Climatementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Variations in soil carbon sequestration and their determinants along a precipitation gradient in seasonally dry tropical forest ecosystems

Campo

Merino

2016

Global Change Biology

Self Cite

107

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Long-term climate data from weather stations across the Yucatan region show that all three sites are characterized by a distinct period of low precipitation [5-7 months with precipitation below 100 mm (Roa-Fuentes et al 2012)]. The three sites strongly differ in the ratio of precipitation to potential evapotranspiration and in mean monthly precipitation during the dry season, which modulates plant water use throughout the year (Eamus et al 2001).…”

Section: Study Sitesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of precipitation regime and soil nitrogen on leaf traits in seasonally dry tropical forests of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

2015

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Leaf traits are closely associated with nutrient use by plants and can be utilized as a proxy for nutrient cycling processes. However, open questions remain, in particular regarding the variability of leaf traits within and across seasonally dry tropical forests. To address this, we considered six leaf traits (specific area, thickness, dry matter content, N content, P content and natural abundance (15)N) of four co-occurring tree species (two that are not associated with N2-fixing bacteria and two that are associated with N2-fixing bacteria) and net N mineralization rates and inorganic N concentrations along a precipitation gradient (537-1036 mm per year) in the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Specifically we sought to test the hypothesis that leaf traits of dominant plant species shift along a precipitation gradient, but are affected by soil N cycling. Although variation among different species within each site explains some leaf trait variation, there is also a high level of variability across sites, suggesting that factors other than precipitation regime more strongly influence leaf traits. Principal component analyses indicated that across sites and tree species, covariation in leaf traits is an indicator of soil N availability. Patterns of natural abundance (15)N in foliage and foliage minus soil suggest that variation in precipitation regime drives a shift in plant N acquisition and the openness of the N cycle. Overall, our study shows that both plant species and site are important determinants of leaf traits, and that the leaf trait spectrum is correlated with soil N cycling.

show abstract

Responses of biomass allocation across two vegetation types to climate fluctuations in the northern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Dai

Guo

et al. 2019

Ecology and Evolution

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP) is particularly sensitive to global climate change, especially to elevated temperatures, when compared with other ecosystems. However, few studies use long‐term field measurements to explore the interannual variations in plant biomass under climate fluctuations. Here, we examine the interannual variations of plant biomass within two vegetation types (alpine meadow and alpine shrub) during 2008–2017 and their relationships with climate variables. The following results were obtained. The aboveground biomass (AGB) and belowground biomass (BGB) response differently to climate fluctuations, the AGB in KPM was dominated by mean annual precipitation (MAP), whereas the AGB in PFS was controlled by mean annual air temperature (MAT). However, the BGB of both KPM and PFS was only weakly affected by climate variables, suggesting that the BGB in alpine ecosystems may remain as a stable carbon stock even under future global climate change. Furthermore, the AGB in PFS was significantly higher than KPM, while the BGB and R/S in KPM were significantly higher than PFS, reflecting the KPM be more likely to allocate more photosynthates to roots. Interestingly, the proportion of 0–10 cm root biomass increased in KPM and PFS, whereas the other proportions both decreased, reflecting a shift in biomass toward the surface layer. Our results could provide a new sight for the prediction how alpine ecosystem response to future climate change.

show abstract

Plant Biomass Allocation across a Precipitation Gradient: An Approach to Seasonally Dry Tropical Forest at Yucatán, Mexico

Cited by 48 publications

References 48 publications

Variations in soil carbon sequestration and their determinants along a precipitation gradient in seasonally dry tropical forest ecosystems

Variations in soil carbon sequestration and their determinants along a precipitation gradient in seasonally dry tropical forest ecosystems

Effects of precipitation regime and soil nitrogen on leaf traits in seasonally dry tropical forests of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Responses of biomass allocation across two vegetation types to climate fluctuations in the northern Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About