Variation in aboveground tree live biomass in a central Amazonian Forest : effects of soil and topography
We used forest inventories, conducted in seventy-two 1-ha permanent plots to assess the variation in tree and palm aboveground live biomass (AGLB), and its relation with soil gradients (texture and nutrients) and topography (altitude and slope). The mean total AGLB (palm + trees) for stems over 1 cm diameter breast height, was 327.8 Mg/ha and was similar to other studies in the region. We found a two-fold variation in total AGLB estimates among plots, with soil or topography explaining around 20% of this variation. AGLB was positively related to either a soil textural gradient or altitude, but was insensitive to slope. Although slope had no detectable effect on the mean variation of AGLB per plot, it explained 14% of the AGLB in understory and emergent trees. On slopes, AGLB is concentrated mostly in tree classes of small size, whereas in flat areas, most of the biomass is concentrated in a few big trees. When considering palms and trees separately, we found that tree biomass tended to increase in clay-rich soils, whereas palm biomass was higher in sandy soils. This study shows that forests in central Amazonia grow in a heterogeneous environment in relation to soil and topography, and this heterogeneity seems to be in part responsible for differences in structure and AGLB accumulation. In the forest around Manaus, topography can be used to predict aboveground live biomass as an alternative to soil variables, with similar predictive power. Topographic variables can be easily assessed using satellite imagery and could improve current estimates of carbon stocks over large areas in the Amazon.
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Texto biblioteca |
| Language: | eng |
| Published: |
Amsterdam Elsevier
2006
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| Subjects: | ARECACEAE, BIOMASA, BOSQUE TROPICAL, SUELO, TOPOGRAFIA, ARBOLES, MEDICION, INVENTARIOS FORESTALES, TERRENO EN DECLIVE, ALTITUD, BIOMASA AEREA, ECUACIONES ALOMETRICAS, AMAZONIA, NUTRIENTES, BIOMASS, TROPICAL FORESTS, SOIL, TOPOGRAPHY, TREES, MEASUREMENT, FOREST INVENTORIES, ALTITUDE, NUTRIENTS, |
| Online Access: | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378112706004361 |
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