Size‐related scaling of tree form and function in a mixed‐age forest

Anderson‐Teixeira, Kristina J.; McGarvey, Jennifer C.; Muller‐Landau, Helene C.; Park, Janice Y.; Gonzalez‐Akre, Erika; Herrmann, Valentine; Bennett, Amy C.; So, Christopher V.; Bourg, Norman A.; Thompson, Jonathan R.; McMahon, Sean M.; McShea, William J.

doi:10.1111/1365-2435.12470

Cited by 49 publications

(49 citation statements)

References 70 publications

(165 reference statements)

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“…These larger stems, albeit lower in abundance (Anderson‐Teixeira et al. ) and having relatively low m (Fig. A), contributed disproportionately to biomass mortality at the ecosystem level (Figs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…, Anderson‐Teixeira et al. ) and is typically attributed to asymmetric competition for light or other resources (Coomes et al. , Coomes and Allen , West et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…, Anderson‐Teixeira et al. ). We do not present the results for U ‐shaped fits here because the parameter influencing the U ‐shape was not statistically significant (at P = 0.05) and the AICc was higher than that for a model that lacked this parameter (Appendix : Table S4).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2016

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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.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…, Anderson‐Teixeira et al. ) and is typically attributed to asymmetric competition for light or other resources (Coomes et al. , Coomes and Allen , West et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2016

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“…Methods used for sap flow data processing at SCBI are described in Ref. [36], data were processed in a similar way at SERC. For both sites, ensemble SF time series were created for each genus using the median value of records for the genus.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tree Circumference Dynamics in Four Forests Characterized Using Automated Dendrometer Bands

et al. 2016

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Stem diameter is one of the most commonly measured attributes of trees, forming the foundation of forest censuses and monitoring. Changes in tree stem circumference include both irreversible woody stem growth and reversible circumference changes related to water status, yet these fine-scale dynamics are rarely leveraged to understand forest ecophysiology and typically ignored in plot- or stand-scale estimates of tree growth and forest productivity. Here, we deployed automated dendrometer bands on 12–40 trees at four different forested sites—two temperate broadleaf deciduous, one temperate conifer, and one tropical broadleaf semi-deciduous—to understand how tree circumference varies on time scales of hours to months, how these dynamics relate to environmental conditions, and whether the structure of these variations might introduce substantive error into estimates of woody growth. Diurnal stem circumference dynamics measured over the bark commonly—but not consistently—exhibited daytime shrinkage attributable to transpiration-driven changes in stem water storage. The amplitude of this shrinkage was significantly correlated with climatic variables (daily temperature range, vapor pressure deficit, and radiation), sap flow and evapotranspiration. Diurnal variations were typically <0.5 mm circumference in amplitude and unlikely to be of concern to most studies of tree growth. Over time scales of multiple days, the bands captured circumference increases in response to rain events, likely driven by combinations of increased stem water storage and bark hydration. Particularly at the tropical site, these rain responses could be quite substantial, ranging up to 1.5 mm circumference expansion within 48 hours following a rain event. We conclude that over-bark measurements of stem circumference change sometimes correlate with but have limited potential for directly estimating daily transpiration, but that they can be valuable on time scales of days to weeks for characterizing changes in stem growth and hydration.

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“…Despite their greater root mass, larger trees do not necessarily have deeper roots or rely more heavily on deep water than smaller trees 23,24 . Moreover, because increases in root mass with tree size are balanced by increases in transpiring leaf area 25 , it is unlikely that greater root mass conveys a substantive hydraulic advantage to large trees during drought.…”

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Larger trees suffer most during drought in forests worldwide

et al. 2015

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The frequency of severe droughts is increasing in many regions around the world as a result of climate change [1][2][3] . Droughts alter the structure and function of forests 4,5 . Site-and region-specific studies suggest that large trees, which play keystone roles in forests 6 and can be disproportionately important to ecosystem carbon storage 7 and hydrology 8 , exhibit greater sensitivity to drought than small trees 4,5,9,10 . Here, we synthesize data on tree growth and mortality collected during 40 drought events in forests worldwide to see whether this size-dependent sensitivity to drought holds more widely. We find that droughts consistently had a more detrimental impact on the growth and mortality rates of larger trees. Moreover, drought-related mortality increased with tree size in 65% of the droughts examined, especially when community-wide mortality was high or when bark beetles were present. The more pronounced drought sensitivity of larger trees could be underpinned by greater inherent vulnerability to hydraulic stress 11-14 , the higher radiation and evaporative demand experienced by exposed crowns 4,15 , and the tendency for bark beetles to preferentially attack larger trees 16 . We suggest that future droughts will have a more detrimental impact on the growth and mortality of larger trees, potentially exacerbating feedbacks to climate change.Climate change has been linked to water deficits in many parts of the world, and future climate projections suggest that droughts are likely to increase in severity because of changes in the timing and magnitude of precipitation and rising temperature 1,2,14,17 . Across a wide range of biomes, drought leads to changes in forest composition, structure, productivity and climate interactions 5,18,19 . Drought has many important consequences for forest communities, as species composition and dominance are shaped by water availability and can change rapidly in response to drought 19,20 . Drought-induced forest decline results in climate feedbacks including reduced CO 2 uptake, reduced carbon stocks, increased albedo and decreased evapotranspiration 21 . The impact of drought on forest structure and function depends on which trees are most adversely affected; greater mortality of small trees may modify future forest succession whereas mortality of large trees causes disproportionate losses of carbon and ecosystem function 5-7 . It has not been clear whether large or small trees would suffer more under drought stress. Several studies have documented a greater impact of drought on large trees at a single site 4,9,10 , and a synthesis of data from the humid lowland tropics revealed a tendency for greater drought-related mortality increases in large trees 5 , but these patterns have never been systematically reviewed for forests worldwide.Here, we perform a meta-analysis of data from 40 drought events at 38 forest locations worldwide, ranging from semi-arid woodlands to tropical rainforests, to address whether trees of different size (seedlings excluded) respond differe...

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Size‐related scaling of tree form and function in a mixed‐age forest

Cited by 49 publications

References 70 publications

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

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

Tree Circumference Dynamics in Four Forests Characterized Using Automated Dendrometer Bands

Larger trees suffer most during drought in forests worldwide

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