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Bispo PDC, dos Santos JR, Valeriano MDM, Graça PMLDA, Balzter H, França H, Bispo PDC. Predictive Models of Primary Tropical Forest Structure from Geomorphometric Variables Based on SRTM in the Tapajós Region, Brazilian Amazon. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0152009. [PMID: 27089013 PMCID: PMC4835096 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0152009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2015] [Accepted: 03/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Surveying primary tropical forest over large regions is challenging. Indirect methods of relating terrain information or other external spatial datasets to forest biophysical parameters can provide forest structural maps at large scales but the inherent uncertainties need to be evaluated fully. The goal of the present study was to evaluate relief characteristics, measured through geomorphometric variables, as predictors of forest structural characteristics such as average tree basal area (BA) and height (H) and average percentage canopy openness (CO). Our hypothesis is that geomorphometric variables are good predictors of the structure of primary tropical forest, even in areas, with low altitude variation. The study was performed at the Tapajós National Forest, located in the Western State of Pará, Brazil. Forty-three plots were sampled. Predictive models for BA, H and CO were parameterized based on geomorphometric variables using multiple linear regression. Validation of the models with nine independent sample plots revealed a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 3.73 m2/ha (20%) for BA, 1.70 m (12%) for H, and 1.78% (21%) for CO. The coefficient of determination between observed and predicted values were r2 = 0.32 for CO, r2 = 0.26 for H and r2 = 0.52 for BA. The models obtained were able to adequately estimate BA and CO. In summary, it can be concluded that relief variables are good predictors of vegetation structure and enable the creation of forest structure maps in primary tropical rainforest with an acceptable uncertainty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Polyanna da Conceição Bispo
- Ciência e Tecnologia Ambiental, Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil
- Centre for Landscape and Climate Research, Department of Geography, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - João Roberto dos Santos
- Divisão de Sensoriamento Remoto, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Márcio de Morisson Valeriano
- Divisão de Sensoriamento Remoto, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE), São José dos Campos, São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Heiko Balzter
- Centre for Landscape and Climate Research, Department of Geography, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
- National Centre for Earth Observation, University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Helena França
- Ciência e Tecnologia Ambiental, Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Pitágoras da Conceição Bispo
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Faculdade de Ciências e Letras de Assis, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Assis, São Paulo, Brazil
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Powell TL, Galbraith DR, Christoffersen BO, Harper A, Imbuzeiro HMA, Rowland L, Almeida S, Brando PM, da Costa ACL, Costa MH, Levine NM, Malhi Y, Saleska SR, Sotta E, Williams M, Meir P, Moorcroft PR. Confronting model predictions of carbon fluxes with measurements of Amazon forests subjected to experimental drought. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2013; 200:350-365. [PMID: 23844931 DOI: 10.1111/nph.12390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2013] [Accepted: 05/20/2013] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Considerable uncertainty surrounds the fate of Amazon rainforests in response to climate change. Here, carbon (C) flux predictions of five terrestrial biosphere models (Community Land Model version 3.5 (CLM3.5), Ecosystem Demography model version 2.1 (ED2), Integrated BIosphere Simulator version 2.6.4 (IBIS), Joint UK Land Environment Simulator version 2.1 (JULES) and Simple Biosphere model version 3 (SiB3)) and a hydrodynamic terrestrial ecosystem model (the Soil-Plant-Atmosphere (SPA) model) were evaluated against measurements from two large-scale Amazon drought experiments. Model predictions agreed with the observed C fluxes in the control plots of both experiments, but poorly replicated the responses to the drought treatments. Most notably, with the exception of ED2, the models predicted negligible reductions in aboveground biomass in response to the drought treatments, which was in contrast to an observed c. 20% reduction at both sites. For ED2, the timing of the decline in aboveground biomass was accurate, but the magnitude was too high for one site and too low for the other. Three key findings indicate critical areas for future research and model development. First, the models predicted declines in autotrophic respiration under prolonged drought in contrast to measured increases at one of the sites. Secondly, models lacking a phenological response to drought introduced bias in the sensitivity of canopy productivity and respiration to drought. Thirdly, the phenomenological water-stress functions used by the terrestrial biosphere models to represent the effects of soil moisture on stomatal conductance yielded unrealistic diurnal and seasonal responses to drought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas L Powell
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - David R Galbraith
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, UK
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
| | | | - Anna Harper
- College of Engineering, Mathematics, and Physical Science, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QF, UK
- Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Hewlley M A Imbuzeiro
- Grupo de Pesquisas em Interação Atmosfera-Biosfera, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, CEP 36570-000, Minas Gerias, Brazil
| | - Lucy Rowland
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9XP, UK
| | - Samuel Almeida
- Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi, Belém, CEP 66077-530, Pará, Brazil
| | - Paulo M Brando
- Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazônia, CEP 71503-505, Brasília, Distrito Federal, Brazil
| | | | - Marcos Heil Costa
- Grupo de Pesquisas em Interação Atmosfera-Biosfera, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, CEP 36570-000, Minas Gerias, Brazil
| | - Naomi M Levine
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
| | - Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
| | - Scott R Saleska
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, 85721, USA
| | | | - Mathew Williams
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9XP, UK
| | - Patrick Meir
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9XP, UK
| | - Paul R Moorcroft
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA
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Clark DB, Olivas PC, Oberbauer SF, Clark DA, Ryan MG. First direct landscape-scale measurement of tropical rain forest Leaf Area Index, a key driver of global primary productivity. Ecol Lett 2007; 11:163-72. [PMID: 18031553 DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2007.01134.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Leaf Area Index (leaf area per unit ground area, LAI) is a key driver of forest productivity but has never previously been measured directly at the landscape scale in tropical rain forest (TRF). We used a modular tower and stratified random sampling to harvest all foliage from forest floor to canopy top in 55 vertical transects (4.6 m(2)) across 500 ha of old growth in Costa Rica. Landscape LAI was 6.00 +/- 0.32 SEM. Trees, palms and lianas accounted for 89% of the total, and trees and lianas were 95% of the upper canopy. All vertical transects were organized into quantitatively defined strata, partially resolving the long-standing controversy over canopy stratification in TRF. Total LAI was strongly correlated with forest height up to 21 m, while the number of canopy strata increased with forest height across the full height range. These data are a benchmark for understanding the structure and functional composition of TRF canopies at landscape scales, and also provide insights for improving ecosystem models and remote sensing validation.
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Affiliation(s)
- David B Clark
- University of Missouri-St. Louis, St Louis, MO, USA.
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Metcalfe DB, Meir P, Aragão LEOC, Malhi Y, da Costa ACL, Braga A, Gonçalves PHL, de Athaydes J, de Almeida SS, Williams M. Factors controlling spatio-temporal variation in carbon dioxide efflux from surface litter, roots, and soil organic matter at four rain forest sites in the eastern Amazon. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2007. [DOI: 10.1029/2007jg000443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- D. B. Metcalfe
- School of Geosciences, Institute of Geography; University of Edinburgh; Edinburgh UK
| | - P. Meir
- School of Geosciences, Institute of Geography; University of Edinburgh; Edinburgh UK
| | | | - Y. Malhi
- Centre for the Environment; University of Oxford; Oxford UK
| | - A. C. L. da Costa
- Universidade Federal do Pará; Centro de Geociencias; Belém, Pará Brazil
| | - A. Braga
- Universidade Federal do Pará; Centro de Geociencias; Belém, Pará Brazil
| | | | - J. de Athaydes
- Universidade Federal do Pará; Centro de Geociencias; Belém, Pará Brazil
| | - S. S. de Almeida
- Museu Paraense Emilio Goeldi; Coordenação de Botânica; Belém, Pará Brazil
| | - M. Williams
- School of Geosciences, Institute of Atmospheric and Environmental Science; University of Edinburgh; Edinburgh UK
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Romero-Saltos H, Sternberg LDSL, Moreira MZ, Nepstad DC. Rainfall exclusion in an eastern Amazonian forest alters soil water movement and depth of water uptake. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2005; 92:443-455. [PMID: 21652421 DOI: 10.3732/ajb.92.3.443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Deuterium-labeled water was used to study the effect of the Tapajós Throughfall Exclusion Experiment (TTEE) on soil moisture movement and on depth of water uptake by trees of Coussarea racemosa, Sclerolobium chrysophyllum, and Eschweilera pedicellata. The TTEE simulates an extended dry season in an eastern Amazonian rainforest, a plausible scenario if the El Niño phenomenon changes with climate change. The TTEE excludes 60% of the wet season throughfall from a 1-ha plot (treatment), while the control 1-ha plot receives precipitation year-round. Mean percolation rate of the label peak in the control plot was greater than in the treatment plot during the wet season (0.75 vs. 0.07 m/mo). The rate was similar for both plots during the dry season (ca. 0.15 m/mo), indicative that both plots have similar topsoil structure. Interestingly, the label peak in the control plot during the dry season migrated upward an average distance of 64 cm. We show that water probably moved upward through soil pores-i.e., it did not involve roots (hydraulic lift)-most likely because of a favorable gradient of total (matric + gravitational) potential coupled with sufficient unsaturated hydraulic conductivity. Water probably also moved upward in the treatment plot, but was not detectable; the label in this plot did not percolate below 1 m or beyond the depth of plant water uptake. During the dry season, trees in the rainfall exclusion plot, regardless of species, consistently absorbed water significantly deeper, but never below 1.5-2 m, than trees in the control plot, and therefore may represent expected root function of this understory/subcanopy tree community during extended dry periods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Romero-Saltos
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida 33124 USA
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