The limited contribution of large trees to annual biomass production in an old-growth tropical forest

Ligot Gauthier, Gourlet-Fleury Sylvie, Ouédraogo Dakis-Yaoba, Morin Xavier, Bauwens Sébastien, Baya Fidèle, Brostaux Yves, Doucet Jean-Louis, Fayolle Adeline. 2018. The limited contribution of large trees to annual biomass production in an old-growth tropical forest. Ecological Applications, 28 (5) : 1273-1281.

Url - jeu de données - Dataverse Cirad : https://doi.org/10.18167/DVN1/8T4XTV

Quartile : Q1, Sujet : ECOLOGY / Quartile : Q1, Sujet : ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Liste HCERES des revues (en SHS) : oui

Thème(s) HCERES des revues (en SHS) : Economie-gestion

Résumé : Although the importance of large trees regarding biodiversity and carbon stock in old‐growth forests is undeniable, their annual contribution to biomass production and carbon uptake remains poorly studied at the stand level. To clarify the role of large trees in biomass production, we used data of tree growth, mortality, and recruitment monitored during 20 yr in 10 4‐ha plots in a species‐rich tropical forest (Central African Republic). Using a random block design, three different silvicultural treatments, control, logged, and logged + thinned, were applied in the 10 plots. Annual biomass gains and losses were analyzed in relation to the relative biomass abundance of large trees and by tree size classes using a spatial bootstrap procedure. Although large trees had high individual growth rates and constituted a substantial amount of biomass, stand‐level biomass production decreased with the abundance of large trees in all treatments and plots. The contribution of large trees to annual stand‐level biomass production appeared limited in comparison to that of small trees. This pattern did not only originate from differences in abundance of small vs. large trees or differences in initial biomass stocks among tree size classes, but also from a reduced relative growth rate of large trees and a relatively constant mortality rate among tree size classes. In a context in which large trees are increasingly gaining attention as being a valuable and a key structural characteristic of natural forests, the present study brought key insights to better gauge the relatively limited role of large trees in annual stand‐level biomass production. In terms of carbon uptake, these results suggest, as already demonstrated, a low net carbon uptake of old‐growth forests in comparison to that of logged forests. Tropical forests that reach a successional stage with relatively high density of large trees progressively cease to be carbon sinks as large trees contribute sparsely or even negatively to the carbon uptake at the stand level.

Mots-clés géographiques Agrovoc : République centrafricaine

Mots-clés libres : Biomass dynamics, Carbon uptake, Demographic drivers, Forest structure, Scaling-up biomass accumulation, Tree size

Classification Agris : K01 - Foresterie - Considérations générales
F40 - Écologie végétale
F62 - Physiologie végétale - Croissance et développement

Champ stratégique Cirad : Axe 6 (2014-2018) - Sociétés, natures et territoires

Auteurs et affiliations

• Ligot Gauthier, Université de Liège (BEL) - auteur correspondant
• Gourlet-Fleury Sylvie, CIRAD-ES-UPR BSef (FRA) ORCID: 0000-0002-1136-4307
• Ouédraogo Dakis-Yaoba, Université de Liège (BEL)
• Morin Xavier, CNRS (FRA)
• Bauwens Sébastien, Université de Liège (BEL)
• Baya Fidèle, Ministère des eaux et forêts, chasses, pêches et tourisme (République centrafricaine) (CAF)
• Brostaux Yves, Université de Liège (BEL)
• Doucet Jean-Louis, Université de Liège (BEL)
• Fayolle Adeline, Université de Liège (BEL)

Source : Cirad-Agritrop (https://agritrop.cirad.fr/588470/)

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