Tropical montane forests are a larger than expected global carbon store

Spracklen, D. V.; Righelato, R. C.

doi:10.5194/bg-11-2741-2014

Cited by 113 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 69 publications

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“…Very few studies have recorded AGB on very steep slopes, even though most tropical montane forests are on steep terrain (Spracklen & Righelato, 2014). We gained novel insight into the disproportionate effects of natural disturbances on AGB using rappeling equipment to sample very steep terrain.…”

Section: Climate and The Density Of Large Stemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal climate for large trees at high elevations drives patterns of biomass in remote forests of Papua New Guinea

et al. 2017

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Our ability to model global carbon fluxes depends on understanding how terrestrial carbon stocks respond to varying environmental conditions. Tropical forests contain the bulk of the biosphere's carbon. However, there is a lack of consensus as to how gradients in environmental conditions affect tropical forest carbon. Papua New Guinea (PNG) lies within one of the largest areas of contiguous tropical forest and is characterized by environmental gradients driven by altitude; yet, the region has been grossly understudied. Here, we present the first field assessment of aboveground biomass (AGB) across three main forest types of PNG using 193 plots stratified across 3,100-m elevation gradient. Unexpectedly, AGB had no direct relationship to rainfall, temperature, soil, or topography. Instead, natural disturbances explained most variation in AGB. While large trees (diameter at breast height > 50 cm) drove altitudinal patterns of AGB, resulting in a major peak in AGB (2,200-3,100 m) and some of the most carbon-rich forests at these altitudes anywhere. Large trees were correlated to a set of climatic variables following a hump-shaped curve. The set of "optimal" climatic conditions found in montane cloud forests is similar to that of maritime temperate areas that harbor the largest trees in the world: high ratio of precipitation to evapotranspiration (2.8), moderate mean annual temperature (13.7°C), and low intra-annual temperature range (7.5°C). At extreme altitudes (2,800-3,100 m), where tree diversity elsewhere is usually low and large trees are generally rare or absent, specimens from 18 families had girths>70 cm diameter and maximum heights 20-41 m. These findings indicate that simple AGB-climate-edaphic models may not be suitable for estimating carbon storage in forests where optimal climate niches exist. Our study, conducted in a very remote area, suggests that tropical montane forests may contain greater AGB than previously thought and the importance of securing their future under a changing climate is therefore enhanced.

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Section: Climate and The Density Of Large Stemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal climate for large trees at high elevations drives patterns of biomass in remote forests of Papua New Guinea

et al. 2017

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“…Tropical mountain regions are known for their rich species diversity and high endemism (Myers, Mittermeier, Mittermeier, da Fonseca, & Kent, 2000). These regions provide many ecosystem services, such as the maintenance of water quality and water supply, protection against soil erosion, and carbon storage (Bruijnzeel, Mulligan, & Scatena, 2011;Dias, Grosjean, & Graumlich, 2003;Nogués-Bravo, Araújo, Errea, & Martínez-Rica, 2007;Spracklen & Righelato, 2014). Their influence is not limited to their geographical boundaries but extends to the surrounding lowlands, shaping watershed scale hydrologic, and climatic regimes (Dias et al, 2003;Nogués-Bravo et al, 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecohydrological drivers of Neotropical vegetation in montane ecosystems

et al. 2018

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Montane ecosystems are known for their high numbers of endemic species, unique climate conditions, and wide variety of ecosystem services such as water supply and carbon storage. Although many ecohydrological and climatic studies of montane environments have been carried out in temperate and boreal regions, few have been done in Neotropical regions. Hence, the objective of this review is to synthesize the existing literature on the main factors (biotic and abiotic) that influence vegetation distribution, functional traits, and ecohydrological processes and feedbacks in tropical montane ecosystems and to identify key knowledge gaps. Most of the literature used includes work conducted in Neotropical montane rainforests, cloud forests, and grass/scrublands (e.g., páramos, punas, and campos de altitude/rupestres). Fog is a major climatic attribute in tropical montane habitats. We found that fog regimes (frequency and intensity of fog events) influence both water inputs (i.e., canopy interception and foliar water uptake) and outputs (evapotranspiration) and represent an important driver of local species composition, dominance of plant functional types, and ecological functioning. The stability and conservation of tropical montane ecosystems depends on such ecohydrological fluxes, which are sensitive to increases in air temperature and changing precipitation and fog regimes. Furthermore, to better inform effective conservation and restoration strategies, more work is needed to elucidate how key ecohydrological processes are affected by land use conversion to agriculture and pasture lands, as human activities influence the water budgets in Neotropical montane watersheds not only at regional‐scales but also globally.

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“…Montane tropical forests and adjacent lowlands (hereafter MTFs) provide a variety of ecosystem services, including hosting high levels of plant biodiversity (Brummitt and Lughadha, 2003;Murray-Smith et al, 2009), storing carbon (Spracklen and Righelato, 2014), and capturing and storing rain and fog water (Bruijnzeel, 2001). All of these functions are threatened by the rapid destruction of these forests, which has implications for local, regional and global climate (Oliveira et al, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tree height and aboveground biomass (AGB) tend to decrease with elevation in MTFs (Weaver and Murphy, 1990;Kitayama and Aiba, 2002;Leuschner et al, 2007;Moser et al, 2011;Scaranello et al, 2012;Spracklen and Righelato, 2014), although this pattern is not universal (Raich et al, 1997;Unger et al, 2012;Culmsee et al, 2010;Alves et al, 2010). Soil characteristics also commonly vary with elevation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%