Trailblazing the Carbon Cycle of Tropical Forests from Puerto Rico

Abstract

Abstract:We review the literature that led to clarifying the role of tropical forests in the global carbon cycle from a time when they were considered sources of atmospheric carbon to the time when they were found to be atmospheric carbon sinks. This literature originates from work conducted by US Forest Service scientists in Puerto Rico and their collaborators. It involves the classification of forests by life zones, estimation of carbon density by forest type, assessing carbon storage changes with ecological succession and land use/land cover type, describing the details of the carbon cycle of forests at stand and landscape levels, assessing global land cover by forest type and the complexity of land use change in tropical regions, and assessing the ecological fluxes and storages that contribute to net carbon accumulation in tropical forests. We also review recent work that couples field inventory data, remote sensing technology such as LIDAR, and GIS analysis in order to more accurately determine the role of tropical forests in the global carbon cycle and point out new avenues of carbon research that address the responses of tropical forests to environmental change.

Changes in Sensitivity of Tree-Ring Widths to Climate in a Tropical Moist Forest Tree in Bangladesh

“…Terrestrial vegetation stores approximately 610 petagrams of carbon, most of which is contained in tropical forests [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Tropical forests are thus a crucial component of the global carbon cycle because of their high sequestration and storage of carbon.…”

Introduction to the Special Issue on Tropical Forests: Management and Ecology in the Anthropocene

“…A long-term focus Brown and Lugo [9], González and Lodge [10], Heartsill-Scalley [11] Attention to all lands and all species Gould et al [12], Jacobs [13] Science at many scales Fonseca da Silva et al [14], Medina et al [15] Experimentation as a way of seeking causality…”

Concluding Remarks: Moving Forward on Scientific Knowledge and Management Approaches to Tropical Forests in the Anthropocene Epoch

“…Moreover, the environment under which tropical forests function has dramatically changed over the past 25 years with the advent of the Anthropocene Epoch-the age of significant human impact on Earth's geology and ecosystems. The manuscripts contained in this special issue present advancements in our approach to the development of policies for effective governance and stewardship [5][6][7][8]; long-term focus for the understanding of ecosystem processes and functions [9][10][11][12][13], novelties given attention to cross-boundary collaborative approaches to science [14][15][16][17], and proposed alternative institutional visions [18] considering the Anthropocene Epoch.…”

“…Novel ecosystems are expected to adapt to Anthropocene conditions and continue to function as carbon sinks in a new world order where the speed of ecological processes is accelerated [10].…”