Biomass resilience of Neotropical secondary forests

Land-use change occurs nowhere more rapidly than in the tropics, where the imbalance between deforestation and forest regrowth has large consequences for the global carbon cycle1. However, considerable uncertainty remains about the rate of biomass recovery in secondary forests, and how these rates are influenced by climate, landscape, and prior land use2-4. Here we analyse aboveground biomass recovery during secondary succession in 45 forest sites and about 1,500 forest plots covering the major environmental gradients in the Neotropics. The studied secondary forests are highly productive and resilient. Aboveground biomass recovery after 20 years was on average 122 megagrams per hectare (Mg ha−¹), corresponding to a net carbon uptake of 3.05 Mg C ha−¹ yr−¹, 11 times the uptake rate of old-growth forests. Aboveground biomass stocks took a median time of 66 years to recover to 90% of old-growth values. Aboveground biomass recovery after 20 years varied 11.3-fold (from 20 to 225 Mg ha−¹) across sites, and this recovery increased with water availability (higher local rainfall and lower climatic water deficit). We present a biomass recovery map of Latin America, which illustrates geographical and climatic variation in carbon sequestration potential during forest regrowth. The map will support policies to minimize forest loss in areas where biomass resilience is naturally low (such as seasonally dry forest regions) and promote forest regeneration and restoration in humid tropical lowland areas with high biomass resilience.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Poorter, Lourens autor/a, Bongers, Frans Doctor autor 22512, Aide, T. Mitchell autor, Almeyda Zambrano, Angélica M. autora 12603, Balvanera, Patricia autora 12604, Becknell, Justin M. autor, Boukili, Vanessa autora, Brancalion, Pedro H. S. autor, Broadbent, Eben N. autor/a, Chazdon, Robin L. autor/a 12605, Craven, Dylan autor 12606, Almeida Cortez, Jarcilene Silva autor/a 12607, Cabral, George A. L. autor 12608, De Jong, Bernardus Hendricus Jozeph Doctor autor 2038, Denslow, Julie Sloan autor/a, Dent, Daisy H. autora 12609, DeWalt, Saara J. Doctora autora 22574, Dupuy Rada, Juan Manuel Doctor autor 22546, Durán, Sandra M. Doctora autora 22581, Espírito Santo, Mario M. autor, Fandino, María C. autora, César, Ricardo G. autor, Hall, Jefferson S. autor, Hernández Stefanoni, José Luis autor 12602, Jakovac, Catarina C. autora, Junqueira, André B. autor, Kennard, Deborah autora, Letcher, Susan G. autora, Licona, Juan Carlos autor, Lohbeck, Madelon autor/a, Marín Spiotta, Erika autora 14093, Martínez Ramos, Miguel Doctor autor 21149, Massoca, Paulo E. S. autor, Meave, Jorge A. autor 12600, Mesquita, Rita C. G. autora, Mora Ardila, Francisco Doctor autor 21285, Muñoz, Rodrigo autor, Muschler, Reinhold G. autor/a, Nunes, Yule R. F. autor/a, Ochoa Gaona, Susana Doctora autora 72, Oliveira, Alexandre A. de autor, Orihuela Belmonte, Dolores Edith Doctora autora 12346, Peña Claros, Marielos autor/a, Pérez García, Eduardo A. autor, Piotto, Daniel autor, Powers, Jennifer S. autor/a, Rodríguez Velázquez, Jorge autor, Romero Pérez, Isabel Eunice Doctora autora 20638, Ruíz, Jorge autor, Saldarriaga, Juan G. autor, Sánchez Azofeifa, Gerardo Arturo autor, Schwartz, Naomi B. autor/a, Steininger, Marc K. autor, Swenson, Nathan G. autor/a, Toledo, Marisol autora, Uriarte, María autora, van Breugel, Michiel autor 13510, Van Der Wal, Hans Doctor autor 2020, Veloso, María D. M. autora, Vester, Hans F. M. autor/a, Vicentini, Alberto autor, Vieira, Ima Celia G. autora, Vizcarra Bentos, Tony autor, Williamson, G. Bruce autor, Rozendaal, Danaë M. A. autor/a
Format:	Texto biblioteca
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Bosque secundario, Resiliencia de la biomasa, Captura de carbono, Distribución geográfica, Cambio climático,
Online Access:	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26840632
Tags:	Add Tag No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!