Seasonality of above-ground net primary productivity along an Andean altitudinal transect in Peru

Malhi, Yadvinder; Feeley, Kenneth J.; Rapp, Joshua M.; Silman, Miles R.; Meir, Patrick; Huasco, Walter Huaraca; Salinas, Norma; Mamani, M.; Silva-Espejo, Javier E.; Cabrera, Karina García; Farfán-Ríos, William; Metcalfe, Dan; Doughty, Christopher E.; Aragão, Luiz E. O. C.

doi:10.1017/s0266467414000443

Cited by 26 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 72 publications

(108 reference statements)

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“…3500 m above sea level, asl), through the cloud forest‐submontane transition (1000–1750 m asl) and into the Amazon lowlands (100–220 m asl). Site descriptions are summarized in Table and provided for some sites in more detail in site‐specific papers (del Aguila‐Pasquel et al ., ; Girardin et al ., ,b; Huaraca Huasco et al ., ; Malhi et al ., ). The montane sites are concentrated in the Kosñipata Valley, and the submontane plots either in the adjacent Tono Valley (TON‐01) or in the Pantiacolla front range of the Andes (PAN‐02 and PAN‐03).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The variation of productivity and its allocation along a tropical elevation gradient: a whole carbon budget perspective

et al. 2016

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SummaryWhy do forest productivity and biomass decline with elevation? To address this question, research to date generally has focused on correlative approaches describing changes in woody growth and biomass with elevation.We present a novel, mechanistic approach to this question by quantifying the autotrophic carbon budget in 16 forest plots along a 3300 m elevation transect in Peru.Low growth rates at high elevations appear primarily driven by low gross primary productivity (GPP), with little shift in either carbon use efficiency (CUE) or allocation of net primary productivity (NPP) between wood, fine roots and canopy. The lack of trend in CUE implies that the proportion of photosynthate allocated to autotrophic respiration is not sensitive to temperature. Rather than a gradual linear decline in productivity, there is some limited but nonconclusive evidence of a sharp transition in NPP between submontane and montane forests, which may be caused by cloud immersion effects within the cloud forest zone. Leaf-level photosynthetic parameters do not decline with elevation, implying that nutrient limitation does not restrict photosynthesis at high elevations.Our data demonstrate the potential of whole carbon budget perspectives to provide a deeper understanding of controls on ecosystem functioning and carbon cycling.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The variation of productivity and its allocation along a tropical elevation gradient: a whole carbon budget perspective

et al. 2016

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“…Plots were established between 2003 and 2013 in areas that have relatively homogeneous soil substrates and stand structure, as well as minimal evidence of human disturbance (Girardin et al. ).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicting trait‐environment relationships for venation networks along an Andes‐Amazon elevation gradient

Blonder

Salinas

Bentley

et al. 2017

Ecology

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Understanding functional trait-environment relationships (TERs) may improve predictions of community assembly. However, many empirical TERs have been weak or lacking conceptual foundation. TERs based on leaf venation networks may better link individuals and communities via hydraulic constraints. We report measurements of vein density, vein radius, and leaf thickness for more than 100 dominant species occurring in ten forest communities spanning a 3,300 m Andes-Amazon elevation gradient in Peru. We use these data to measure the strength of TERs at community scale and to determine whether observed TERs are similar to those predicted by physiological theory. We found strong support for TERs between all traits and temperature, as well weaker support for a predicted TER between maximum abundance-weighted leaf transpiration rate and maximum potential evapotranspiration. These results provide one approach for developing a more mechanistic trait-based community assembly theory.

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“…In humid sites, production increased from a negligible amount in July (middry season) to a maximum of 0.04 ± 0.03 Mg C ha −1 mo −1 in November (early wet season) and decreased sharply over the following month. Assuming that the peak in flower litterfall captures a surge in NPP Flower over the previous month [ Girardin et al , ], the peak in NPP Canopy (dominated by leaf NPP ) precedes the synchronized flowering event by two months. In dry sites, flowers were also produced in negligible amounts thought the year, increasing significantly ( p ‐value < 0.0005) at the end of the dry season (September).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seasonal trends of Amazonian rainforest phenology, net primary productivity, and carbon allocation

Girardin

Malhi

Doughty

et al. 2016

Global Biogeochemical Cycles

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The seasonality of solar irradiance and precipitation may regulate seasonal variations in tropical forests carbon cycling. Controversy remains over their importance as drivers of seasonal dynamics of net primary productivity in tropical forests. We use ground data from nine lowland Amazonian forest plots collected over 3 years to quantify the monthly primary productivity (NPP) of leaves, reproductive material, woody material, and fine roots over an annual cycle. We distinguish between forests that do not experience substantial seasonal moisture stress (“humid sites”) and forests that experience a stronger dry season (“dry sites”). We find that forests from both precipitation regimes maximize leaf NPP over the drier season, with a peak in production in August at both humid (mean 0.39 ± 0.03 Mg C ha−1 month−1 in July, n = 4) and dry sites (mean 0.49 ± 0.03 Mg C ha−1 month−1 in September, n = 8). We identify two distinct seasonal carbon allocation patterns (the allocation of NPP to a specific organ such as wood leaves or fine roots divided by total NPP). The forests monitored in the present study show evidence of either (i) constant allocation to roots and a seasonal trade‐off between leaf and woody material or (ii) constant allocation to wood and a seasonal trade‐off between roots and leaves. Finally, we find strong evidence of synchronized flowering at the end of the dry season in both precipitation regimes. Flower production reaches a maximum of 0.047 ± 0.013 and 0.031 ± 0.004 Mg C ha−1 month−1 in November, in humid and dry sites, respectively. Fruitfall production was staggered throughout the year, probably reflecting the high variation in varying times to development and loss of fruit among species.

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Seasonality of above-ground net primary productivity along an Andean altitudinal transect in Peru

Cited by 26 publications

References 72 publications

The variation of productivity and its allocation along a tropical elevation gradient: a whole carbon budget perspective

The variation of productivity and its allocation along a tropical elevation gradient: a whole carbon budget perspective

Predicting trait‐environment relationships for venation networks along an Andes‐Amazon elevation gradient

Seasonal trends of Amazonian rainforest phenology, net primary productivity, and carbon allocation

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