Dataset Information

ENSO Drives interannual variation of forest woody growth across the tropics.

ABSTRACT: Meteorological extreme events such as El Niño events are expected to affect tropical forest net primary production (NPP) and woody growth, but there has been no large-scale empirical validation of this expectation. We collected a large high-temporal resolution dataset (for 1-13 years depending upon location) of more than 172 000 stem growth measurements using dendrometer bands from across 14 regions spanning Amazonia, Africa and Borneo in order to test how much month-to-month variation in stand-level woody growth of adult tree stems (NPPstem) can be explained by seasonal variation and interannual meteorological anomalies. A key finding is that woody growth responds differently to meteorological variation between tropical forests with a dry season (where monthly rainfall is less than 100 mm), and aseasonal wet forests lacking a consistent dry season. In seasonal tropical forests, a high degree of variation in woody growth can be predicted from seasonal variation in temperature, vapour pressure deficit, in addition to anomalies of soil water deficit and shortwave radiation. The variation of aseasonal wet forest woody growth is best predicted by the anomalies of vapour pressure deficit, water deficit and shortwave radiation. In total, we predict the total live woody production of the global tropical forest biome to be 2.16 Pg C yr-1, with an interannual range 1.96-2.26 Pg C yr-1 between 1996-2016, and with the sharpest declines during the strong El Niño events of 1997/8 and 2015/6. There is high geographical variation in hotspots of El Niño-associated impacts, with weak impacts in Africa, and strongly negative impacts in parts of Southeast Asia and extensive regions across central and eastern Amazonia. Overall, there is high correlation (r = -0.75) between the annual anomaly of tropical forest woody growth and the annual mean of the El Niño 3.4 index, driven mainly by strong correlations with anomalies of soil water deficit, vapour pressure deficit and shortwave radiation.This article is part of the discussion meeting issue 'The impact of the 2015/2016 El Niño on the terrestrial tropical carbon cycle: patterns, mechanisms and implications'.

SUBMITTER: Rifai SW

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6178425 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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ENSO Drives interannual variation of forest woody growth across the tropics.

Rifai Sami W SW Girardin Cécile A J CAJ Berenguer Erika E Del Aguila-Pasquel Jhon J Dahlsjö Cecilia A L CAL Doughty Christopher E CE Jeffery Kathryn J KJ Moore Sam S Oliveras Imma I Riutta Terhi T Rowland Lucy M LM Murakami Alejandro Araujo AA Addo-Danso Shalom D SD Brando Paulo P Burton Chad C Ondo Fidèle Evouna FE Duah-Gyamfi Akwasi A Amézquita Filio Farfán FF Freitag Renata R Pacha Fernando Hancco FH Huasco Walter Huaraca WH Ibrahim Forzia F Mbou Armel T AT Mihindou Vianet Mihindou VM Peixoto Karine S KS Rocha Wanderley W Rossi Liana C LC Seixas Marina M Silva-Espejo Javier E JE Abernethy Katharine A KA Adu-Bredu Stephen S Barlow Jos J da Costa Antonio C L ACL Marimon Beatriz S BS Marimon-Junior Ben H BH Meir Patrick P Metcalfe Daniel B DB Phillips Oliver L OL White Lee J T LJT Malhi Yadvinder Y

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences 20181008 1760

Meteorological extreme events such as El Niño events are expected to affect tropical forest net primary production (NPP) and woody growth, but there has been no large-scale empirical validation of this expectation. We collected a large high-temporal resolution dataset (for 1-13 years depending upon location) of more than 172 000 stem growth measurements using dendrometer bands from across 14 regions spanning Amazonia, Africa and Borneo in order to test how much month-to-month variation in stand- ...[more]

PMID: 30297475

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Project description:In fragmented forests, edge effects can drive intraspecific variation in seedling performance that influences forest regeneration and plant composition. However, few studies have attempted to disentangle the relative biotic and abiotic drivers of intraspecific variation in seedling performance. In this study, we carried out a seedling transplant experiment with a factorial experimental design on three land-bridge islands in the Thousand Island Lake, China, using four common native woody plant species. At different distances from the forest edge (2, 8, 32, 128 m), we transplanted four seedlings of each species into each of three cages: full-cage, for herbivore exclusion; half-cage, that allowed herbivore access but controlled for caging artifacts; and no-cage control. In the 576 cages, we recorded branch architecture, leaf traits, and seedling survival for each seedling before and after the experimental treatment. Overall, after one full growing season, edge-induced abiotic drivers and varied herbivory pressure led to intraspecific variation in seedling performance, including trade-offs in seedling architecture and resource-use strategies. However, responses varied across species with different life-history strategies and depended on the driver in question, such that the abiotic and biotic effects were additive across species, rather than interactive. Edge-induced abiotic variation modified seedling architecture of a shade-tolerant species, leading to more vertical rather than lateral growth at edges. Meanwhile, increased herbivory pressure resulted in a shift toward lower dry matter investment in leaves of a light-demanding species. Our results suggest that edge effects can drive rapid directional shifts in the performance and intraspecific traits of some woody plants from early ontogenetic stages, but most species in this study showed negligible phenotypic responses to edge effects. Moreover, species-specific responses suggest the importance of interspecific differences modulating the degree of trait plasticity, implying the need to incorporate individual-level responses when understanding the impact of forest fragmentation on plant communities.

Dataset Information

ENSO Drives interannual variation of forest woody growth across the tropics.

Publications

ENSO Drives interannual variation of forest woody growth across the tropics.

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