Tree growth, recruitment, and survival in a tropical dry woodland: The importance of soil and functional identity of the neighbourhood

Muledi, Jonathan Ilunga; Bauman, David; Jacobs, Arnaud; Meerts, Pierre Jacques; Shutcha, Mylor Ngoy; Drouet, Thomas

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2020.117894

Cited by 17 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 95 publications

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“…As stand structure can vary between plots, we include its effect on tree growth through total plot basal area. Plot basal area (m² ha −1 ) was calculated at each census, with expectations that increasing basal area would have a general negative effect on tree growth (Muledi et al, 2020; Sánchez‐Salguero et al, 2015).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tropical tree growth sensitivity to climate is driven by species intrinsic growth rate and leaf traits

Bauman

Fortunel

Cernusak

et al. 2021

Global Change Biology

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A better understanding of how climate affects growth in tree species is essential for improved predictions of forest dynamics under climate change. Long‐term climate averages (mean climate) drive spatial variations in species’ baseline growth rates, whereas deviations from these averages over time (anomalies) can create growth variation around the local baseline. However, the rarity of long‐term tree census data spanning climatic gradients has so far limited our understanding of their respective role, especially in tropical systems. Furthermore, tree growth sensitivity to climate is likely to vary widely among species, and the ecological strategies underlying these differences remain poorly understood. Here, we utilize an exceptional dataset of 49 years of growth data for 509 tree species across 23 tropical rainforest plots along a climatic gradient to examine how multiannual tree growth responds to both climate means and anomalies, and how species’ functional traits mediate these growth responses to climate. We show that anomalous increases in atmospheric evaporative demand and solar radiation consistently reduced tree growth. Drier forests and fast‐growing species were more sensitive to water stress anomalies. In addition, species traits related to water use and photosynthesis partly explained differences in growth sensitivity to both climate means and anomalies. Our study demonstrates that both climate means and anomalies shape tree growth in tropical forests and that species traits can provide insights into understanding these demographic responses to climate change, offering a promising way forward to forecast tropical forest dynamics under different climate trajectories.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Tropical tree growth sensitivity to climate is driven by species intrinsic growth rate and leaf traits

Bauman

Fortunel

Cernusak

et al. 2021

Global Change Biology

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As stand structure can vary between plots, we include its effect on tree growth through total plot basal area. Plot basal area (m²/ha) was calculated at each census, with expectations that increasing basal area would have a general negative effect on tree growth (Sánchez-Salguero et al 2015;Muledi et al 2020).…”

Section: Stand Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

Tropical tree growth sensitivity to climate is driven by species intrinsic growth rate and leaf traits

Bauman

Fortunel

Cernusak

et al. 2021

Preprint

Self Cite

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A better understanding of how climate affects growth in tree species is essential for improved predictions of forest dynamics under climate change. Long-term climate averages (mean climate) and short-term deviations from these averages (anomalies) both influence tree growth, but the rarity of long-term data integrating climatic gradients with tree censuses has so far limited our understanding of their respective role, especially in tropical systems. Here, we combined 49 years of growth data for 509 tree species across 23 tropical rainforest plots along a climatic gradient to examine how tree growth responds to both climate means and anomalies, and how species functional traits mediate these tree growth responses to climate. We showed that short-term, anomalous increases in atmospheric evaporative demand and solar radiation consistently reduced tree growth. Drier forests and fast-growing species were more sensitive to water stress anomalies. In addition, species traits related to water use and photosynthesis partly explained differences in growth sensitivity to both long-term and short-term climate variations. Our study demonstrates that both climate means and anomalies shape tree growth in tropical forests, and that species traits can be leveraged to understand these demographic responses to climate change, offering a promising way forward to forecast tropical forest dynamics under different climate trajectories.

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“…Each plot is shown by a single line, colored according to the site. Cyan = DR Congo, protected wet miombo (Muledi et al., 2018, 2020); Pink = Tanzania dry miombo (McNicol et al., 2018); Black = Angolan dry miombo/Baikiaea (Godlee et al., 2020); Green = Mozambican dry miombo and mixed woodland (Ryan et al., 2011); Blue = South African Mimosoid savannas (Scholes et al., 2001); Red = Congolian Beteke savanna (Nieto‐Quintano et al., 2018) . Note that for clarity the figure has been clipped to 1,000 stems and 40 species.…”

Section: Key Challenges To Long‐term Monitoring and The Seosaw Approachmentioning

confidence: 99%

A network to understand the changing socio‐ecology of the southern African woodlands (SEOSAW): Challenges, benefits, and methods

2020

Plants People Planet

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The sustainable management of the southern African woodlands is closely linked to the livelihoods of over 150 M people. Findings from the Socio‐Ecological Observatory for the Southern African Woodlands (SEOSAW) will underpin the sustainability of two of the largest industries on the continent: woodfuels and timber. SEOSAW will also improve our understanding of how human use shapes the biogeography and functioning of these ecosystems.

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Tree growth, recruitment, and survival in a tropical dry woodland: The importance of soil and functional identity of the neighbourhood

Cited by 17 publications

References 95 publications

Tropical tree growth sensitivity to climate is driven by species intrinsic growth rate and leaf traits

Tropical tree growth sensitivity to climate is driven by species intrinsic growth rate and leaf traits

Tropical tree growth sensitivity to climate is driven by species intrinsic growth rate and leaf traits

A network to understand the changing socio‐ecology of the southern African woodlands (SEOSAW): Challenges, benefits, and methods

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