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Bennett AC, Dargie GC, Cuni-Sanchez A, Tshibamba Mukendi J, Hubau W, Mukinzi JM, Phillips OL, Malhi Y, Sullivan MJP, Cooper DLM, Adu-Bredu S, Affum-Baffoe K, Amani CA, Banin LF, Beeckman H, Begne SK, Bocko YE, Boeckx P, Bogaert J, Brncic T, Chezeaux E, Clark CJ, Daniels AK, de Haulleville T, Djuikouo Kamdem MN, Doucet JL, Evouna Ondo F, Ewango CEN, Feldpausch TR, Foli EG, Gonmadje C, Hall JS, Hardy OJ, Harris DJ, Ifo SA, Jeffery KJ, Kearsley E, Leal M, Levesley A, Makana JR, Mbayu Lukasu F, Medjibe VP, Mihindu V, Moore S, Nssi Begone N, Pickavance GC, Poulsen JR, Reitsma J, Sonké B, Sunderland TCH, Taedoumg H, Talbot J, Tuagben DS, Umunay PM, Verbeeck H, Vleminckx J, White LJT, Woell H, Woods JT, Zemagho L, Lewis SL. Resistance of African tropical forests to an extreme climate anomaly. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2003169118. [PMID: 34001597 PMCID: PMC8166131 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2003169118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The responses of tropical forests to environmental change are critical uncertainties in predicting the future impacts of climate change. The positive phase of the 2015-2016 El Niño Southern Oscillation resulted in unprecedented heat and low precipitation in the tropics with substantial impacts on the global carbon cycle. The role of African tropical forests is uncertain as their responses to short-term drought and temperature anomalies have yet to be determined using on-the-ground measurements. African tropical forests may be particularly sensitive because they exist in relatively dry conditions compared with Amazonian or Asian forests, or they may be more resistant because of an abundance of drought-adapted species. Here, we report responses of structurally intact old-growth lowland tropical forests inventoried within the African Tropical Rainforest Observatory Network (AfriTRON). We use 100 long-term inventory plots from six countries each measured at least twice prior to and once following the 2015-2016 El Niño event. These plots experienced the highest temperatures and driest conditions on record. The record temperature did not significantly reduce carbon gains from tree growth or significantly increase carbon losses from tree mortality, but the record drought did significantly decrease net carbon uptake. Overall, the long-term biomass increase of these forests was reduced due to the El Niño event, but these plots remained a live biomass carbon sink (0.51 ± 0.40 Mg C ha-1 y-1) despite extreme environmental conditions. Our analyses, while limited to African tropical forests, suggest they may be more resistant to climatic extremes than Amazonian and Asian forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy C Bennett
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom;
| | - Greta C Dargie
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Aida Cuni-Sanchez
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York, YO10 5NG, United Kingdom
- Department of Geography, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | - John Tshibamba Mukendi
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, 3080 Belgium
- Faculté de Gestion de Ressources Naturelles Renouvelables, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, R408, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Faculté des Sciences Appliquées, Université de Mbujimayi, Mbujimayi, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - Wannes Hubau
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, 3080 Belgium
- Department of Environment, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jacques M Mukinzi
- Democratic Republic of Congo Programme, Wildlife Conservation Society, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Salonga National Park, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
- World Wide Fund for Nature, 1196 Gland, Switzerland
| | - Oliver L Phillips
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, Oxford University, Oxford, OX1 3QY, United Kingdom
| | - Martin J P Sullivan
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, M15 6BH, United Kingdom
| | - Declan L M Cooper
- Department of Geography, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Christian A Amani
- Université Officielle de Bukavu, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor 16115, Indonesia
| | - Lindsay F Banin
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Penicuik, EH26 0QB, United Kingdom
| | - Hans Beeckman
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, 3080 Belgium
| | - Serge K Begne
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Yannick E Bocko
- Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, Laboratoire de Botanique et Ecologie, Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Pascal Boeckx
- Isotope Bioscience Laboratory (ISOFYS), Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jan Bogaert
- Biodiversity and Landscape Unit, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, Université de Liège, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Terry Brncic
- Congo Programme, Wildlife Conservation Society, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | | | - Connie J Clark
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710
| | - Armandu K Daniels
- Forestry Development Authority of the Government of Liberia (FDA), Monrovia, Liberia
| | | | - Marie-Noël Djuikouo Kamdem
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
- Faculty of Science, Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Jean-Louis Doucet
- TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Forest Is Life, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | | | - Corneille E N Ewango
- Faculté de Gestion de Ressources Naturelles Renouvelables, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, R408, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Democratic Republic of Congo Programme, Wildlife Conservation Society, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Centre de Formation et de Recherche en Conservation Forestiere (CEFRECOF), Epulu, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - Ted R Feldpausch
- Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, EX4 4QE, United Kingdom
| | - Ernest G Foli
- Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), Kumasi, Ghana
| | | | - Jefferson S Hall
- Forest Global Earth Observatory, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Washington, DC 20560
| | - Olivier J Hardy
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Faculté des Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - David J Harris
- Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH3 5NZ, United Kingdom
| | - Suspense A Ifo
- École Normale Supérieure, Département des Sciences et Vie de la Terre, Laboratoire de Géomatique et d'Ecologie Tropicale Appliquée, Université Marien Ngouabi, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Kathryn J Jeffery
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, United Kingdom
| | - Elizabeth Kearsley
- Department of Environment, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Environment, Computational & Applied Vegetation Ecology (Cavelab), Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Miguel Leal
- Uganda Programme, Wildlife Conservation Society, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Aurora Levesley
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Jean-Remy Makana
- Faculté des Sciences, Laboratoire d'écologie et aménagement forestier, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - Faustin Mbayu Lukasu
- Faculté de Gestion de Ressources Naturelles Renouvelables, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, R408, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | | | - Vianet Mihindu
- Commission of Central African Forests (COMIFAC), Yaounde, Cameroon
- Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux, Libreville, Gabon
| | - Sam Moore
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, Oxford University, Oxford, OX1 3QY, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Jan Reitsma
- Bureau Waardenburg, 4101 CK Culemborg, The Netherlands
| | - Bonaventure Sonké
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Terry C H Sunderland
- Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor 16115, Indonesia
- Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Hermann Taedoumg
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaounde I, Yaounde, Cameroon
- Biodiversity International, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Joey Talbot
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
| | - Darlington S Tuagben
- Forestry Development Authority of the Government of Liberia (FDA), Monrovia, Liberia
| | - Peter M Umunay
- Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511
- Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, NY 11224
| | - Hans Verbeeck
- Department of Environment, Computational & Applied Vegetation Ecology (Cavelab), Ghent University, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jason Vleminckx
- International Center for Tropical Botany, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, University Park, FL 33199
- Faculté des Sciences, Service d'Évolution Biologique et écologie, Université Libre de Bruxelles, 1050 Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - Lee J T White
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, United Kingdom
- Ministry of Forests, Seas, Environment and Climate, Libreville, Gabon
- Institut de Recherche en Ecologie Tropicale, Libreville, Gabon
| | | | - John T Woods
- William R. Tolbert, Jr. College of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Liberia, Monrovia, Liberia
| | - Lise Zemagho
- Université Officielle de Bukavu, Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - Simon L Lewis
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
- Department of Geography, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, United Kingdom
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Sullivan MJP, Lewis SL, Affum-Baffoe K, Castilho C, Costa F, Sanchez AC, Ewango CEN, Hubau W, Marimon B, Monteagudo-Mendoza A, Qie L, Sonké B, Martinez RV, Baker TR, Brienen RJW, Feldpausch TR, Galbraith D, Gloor M, Malhi Y, Aiba SI, Alexiades MN, Almeida EC, de Oliveira EA, Dávila EÁ, Loayza PA, Andrade A, Vieira SA, Aragão LEOC, Araujo-Murakami A, Arets EJMM, Arroyo L, Ashton P, Aymard C. G, Baccaro FB, Banin LF, Baraloto C, Camargo PB, Barlow J, Barroso J, Bastin JF, Batterman SA, Beeckman H, Begne SK, Bennett AC, Berenguer E, Berry N, Blanc L, Boeckx P, Bogaert J, Bonal D, Bongers F, Bradford M, Brearley FQ, Brncic T, Brown F, Burban B, Camargo JL, Castro W, Céron C, Ribeiro SC, Moscoso VC, Chave J, Chezeaux E, Clark CJ, de Souza FC, Collins M, Comiskey JA, Valverde FC, Medina MC, da Costa L, Dančák M, Dargie GC, Davies S, Cardozo ND, de Haulleville T, de Medeiros MB, del Aguila Pasquel J, Derroire G, Di Fiore A, Doucet JL, Dourdain A, Droissart V, Duque LF, Ekoungoulou R, Elias F, Erwin T, Esquivel-Muelbert A, Fauset S, Ferreira J, Llampazo GF, Foli E, Ford A, Gilpin M, Hall JS, Hamer KC, Hamilton AC, Harris DJ, Hart TB, Hédl R, Herault B, Herrera R, Higuchi N, Hladik A, Coronado EH, Huamantupa-Chuquimaco I, Huasco WH, Jeffery KJ, Jimenez-Rojas E, Kalamandeen M, Djuikouo MNK, Kearsley E, Umetsu RK, Kho LK, Killeen T, Kitayama K, Klitgaard B, Koch A, Labrière N, Laurance W, Laurance S, Leal ME, Levesley A, Lima AJN, Lisingo J, Lopes AP, Lopez-Gonzalez G, Lovejoy T, Lovett JC, Lowe R, Magnusson WE, Malumbres-Olarte J, Manzatto ÂG, Marimon BH, Marshall AR, Marthews T, de Almeida Reis SM, Maycock C, Melgaço K, Mendoza C, Metali F, Mihindou V, Milliken W, Mitchard ETA, Morandi PS, Mossman HL, Nagy L, Nascimento H, Neill D, Nilus R, Vargas PN, Palacios W, Camacho NP, Peacock J, Pendry C, Peñuela Mora MC, Pickavance GC, Pipoly J, Pitman N, Playfair M, Poorter L, Poulsen JR, Poulsen AD, Preziosi R, Prieto A, Primack RB, Ramírez-Angulo H, Reitsma J, Réjou-Méchain M, Correa ZR, de Sousa TR, Bayona LR, Roopsind A, Rudas A, Rutishauser E, Abu Salim K, Salomão RP, Schietti J, Sheil D, Silva RC, Espejo JS, Valeria CS, Silveira M, Simo-Droissart M, Simon MF, Singh J, Soto Shareva YC, Stahl C, Stropp J, Sukri R, Sunderland T, Svátek M, Swaine MD, Swamy V, Taedoumg H, Talbot J, Taplin J, Taylor D, ter Steege H, Terborgh J, Thomas R, Thomas SC, Torres-Lezama A, Umunay P, Gamarra LV, van der Heijden G, van der Hout P, van der Meer P, van Nieuwstadt M, Verbeeck H, Vernimmen R, Vicentini A, Vieira ICG, Torre EV, Vleminckx J, Vos V, Wang O, White LJT, Willcock S, Woods JT, Wortel V, Young K, Zagt R, Zemagho L, Zuidema PA, Zwerts JA, Phillips OL. Long-term thermal sensitivity of Earth’s tropical forests. Science 2020; 368:869-874. [DOI: 10.1126/science.aaw7578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 121] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Martin J. P. Sullivan
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Simon L. Lewis
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Department of Geography, University College London, London, UK
| | | | - Carolina Castilho
- Embrapa Roraima, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), Brasília, Brazil
| | - Flávia Costa
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, Brazil
| | - Aida Cuni Sanchez
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York, UK
| | - Corneille E. N. Ewango
- DR Congo Programme, Wildlife Conservation Society, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Centre de Formation et de Recherche en Conservation Forestiere (CEFRECOF), Epulu, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Faculté de Gestion de Ressources Naturelles Renouvelables, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - Wannes Hubau
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
- Department of Environment, Laboratory of Wood Technology (Woodlab), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Beatriz Marimon
- UNEMAT - Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, Nova Xavantina-MT, Brazil
| | | | - Lan Qie
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, UK
| | - Bonaventure Sonké
- Plant Systematics and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers’ Training College, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | | | | | | | - Ted R. Feldpausch
- Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | | | - Manuel Gloor
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Shin-Ichiro Aiba
- Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan
| | | | - Everton C. Almeida
- Instituto de Biodiversidade e Florestas, Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará, Santarém - PA, Brazil
| | | | - Esteban Álvarez Dávila
- Escuela de Ciencias Agrícolas, Pecuarias y del Medio Ambiente, National Open University and Distance, Bogotá, Colombia
| | | | - Ana Andrade
- Projeto Dinâmica Biológica de Fragmentos Florestais, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil
| | | | - Luiz E. O. C. Aragão
- Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
- National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
| | - Alejandro Araujo-Murakami
- Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado, Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
| | | | - Luzmila Arroyo
- Dirección de la Carrera de Biología, Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno, Santa Cruz, Bolivia
| | - Peter Ashton
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Gerardo Aymard C.
- Programa de Ciencias del Agro y el Mar, Herbario Universitario, Guanare, Venezuela
| | | | | | - Christopher Baraloto
- International Center for Tropical Botany, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Plínio Barbosa Camargo
- Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Jos Barlow
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | - Jorcely Barroso
- Centro Multidisciplinar, Universidade Federal do Acre, Cruzeiro do Sul, AC, Brazil
| | - Jean-François Bastin
- Institure of Integrative Biology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Environment, Computational and Applied Vegetation Ecology (CAVELab), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sarah A. Batterman
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Priestley International Centre for Climate, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, Panama
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY, USA
| | - Hans Beeckman
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
| | - Serge K. Begne
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Plant Systematics and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers’ Training College, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | | | - Erika Berenguer
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK
| | | | - Lilian Blanc
- UR Forest and Societies, CIRAD, Montpellier, France
| | - Pascal Boeckx
- Isotope Bioscience Laboratory (ISOFYS), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jan Bogaert
- Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | | | - Frans Bongers
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | | | - Francis Q. Brearley
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Terry Brncic
- Congo Programme, Wildlife Conservation Society, Brazzavile, Republic of Congo
| | | | - Benoit Burban
- INRAE, UMR EcoFoG, CNRS, CIRAD, AgroParisTech, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, 97310 Kourou, French Guiana
| | - José Luís Camargo
- Projeto Dinâmica Biológica de Fragmentos Florestais, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Manaus, Brazil
| | - Wendeson Castro
- Programa de Pós-Graduação Ecologia e Manejo de Recursos Naturais, Universidade Federal do Acre, Rio Branco, AC, Brazil
| | - Carlos Céron
- Herbario Alfredo Paredes, Universidad Central del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
| | - Sabina Cerruto Ribeiro
- Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Natureza, Universidade Federal do Acre, Rio Branco, AC, Brazil
| | | | - Jerôme Chave
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique, UMR 5174 (CNRS/IRD/UPS), CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | | | - Connie J. Clark
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Murray Collins
- Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London, UK
- School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - James A. Comiskey
- Inventory and Monitoring Program, National Park Service, Fredericksburg, VA, USA
- Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | | | - Lola da Costa
- Instituto de Geociências, Faculdade de Meteorologia, Universidade Federal do Para, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Martin Dančák
- Faculty of Science, Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Palacký University Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | | | - Stuart Davies
- Center for Tropical Forest Science, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, Panama
| | | | - Thales de Haulleville
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
- Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Marcelo Brilhante de Medeiros
- Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), Brasília, Brazil
| | | | - Géraldine Derroire
- Cirad, UMR EcoFoG (AgroParisTech, CNRS, INRAE, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane), Kourou, French Guiana
| | - Anthony Di Fiore
- Department of Anthropology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Jean-Louis Doucet
- Forest Resources Management, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Aurélie Dourdain
- Cirad, UMR EcoFoG (AgroParisTech, CNRS, INRAE, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane), Kourou, French Guiana
| | - Vincent Droissart
- AMAP, Universite de Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, CIRAD, INRAE, Montpellier, France
| | | | | | - Fernando Elias
- Institute of Biological Sciences, Universidade Federal do Pará, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Terry Erwin
- National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Sophie Fauset
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Joice Ferreira
- Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), Brasília, Brazil
| | | | - Ernest Foli
- Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), Kumasi, Ghana
| | | | | | - Jefferson S. Hall
- Smithsonian Institution Forest Global Earth Observatory (ForestGEO), Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | | | | | - Terese B. Hart
- Lukuru Wildlife Research Foundation, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Division of Vertebrate Zoology, Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Radim Hédl
- Institute of Botany, Czech Academy of Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic
- Department of Botany, Palacký University in Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Bruno Herault
- Isotope Bioscience Laboratory (ISOFYS), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- CIRAD, UPR Forêts et Sociétés, Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire
- Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny, INP-HB, Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire
| | - Rafael Herrera
- Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Niro Higuchi
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, Brazil
| | - Annette Hladik
- Département Hommes, Natures, Sociétés, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturel, Paris, France
| | | | | | | | - Kathryn J. Jeffery
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | | | - Michelle Kalamandeen
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Living with Lakes Centre, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Canada
- Department of Plant Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Marie Noël Kamdem Djuikouo
- Faculté de Gestion de Ressources Naturelles Renouvelables, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo
- Department of Environment, Laboratory of Wood Technology (Woodlab), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Plant Systematics and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers’ Training College, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Faculty of Science, Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Elizabeth Kearsley
- Department of Environment, Computational and Applied Vegetation Ecology (CAVELab), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Lip Khoon Kho
- Tropical Peat Research Institute, Malaysian Palm Oil Board, Selangor, Malaysia
| | | | | | | | - Alexander Koch
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Pok Ful Lam, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Nicolas Labrière
- Laboratoire Évolution et Diversité Biologique, UMR 5174 (CNRS/IRD/UPS), CNRS, Toulouse, France
| | - William Laurance
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science (TESS) and College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Douglas, QLD, Australia
| | - Susan Laurance
- Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science (TESS) and College of Marine and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Douglas, QLD, Australia
| | - Miguel E. Leal
- Uganda Programme, Wildlife Conservation Society, Kampala, Uganda
| | | | | | - Janvier Lisingo
- Faculté de Gestion de Ressources Naturelles Renouvelables, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - Aline P. Lopes
- National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil
| | | | - Tom Lovejoy
- Environmental Science and Policy, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
| | - Jon C. Lovett
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Richmond, London, UK
| | - Richard Lowe
- Botany Department, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria
| | - William E. Magnusson
- Coordenação da Biodiversidade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Mauaus, Brazil
| | - Jagoba Malumbres-Olarte
- cE3c – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes / Azorean Biodiversity Group, Universidade dos Açores, Angra do Heroísmo, Azores, Portugal
- LIBRe – Laboratory for Integrative Biodiversity Research, Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ângelo Gilberto Manzatto
- Laboratório de Biogeoquímica Ambiental Wolfgang C. Pfeiffer, Universidade Federal de Rondônia, Porto Velho - RO, Brazil
| | - Ben Hur Marimon
- Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias, Biológicas e Sociais Aplicadas, Universidad do Estado de Mato Grosso, Nova Xavantina-MT, Brazil
| | - Andrew R. Marshall
- Department of Environment and Geography, University of York, York, UK
- Tropical Forests and People Research Centre, University of the Sunshine Coast, Sippy Downs, QLD, Australia
- Flamingo Land Ltd., North Yorkshire, UK
| | - Toby Marthews
- UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, Wallingford, UK
| | - Simone Matias de Almeida Reis
- UNEMAT - Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, Nova Xavantina-MT, Brazil
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Colin Maycock
- School of International Tropical Forestry, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
| | | | - Casimiro Mendoza
- Escuela de Ciencias Forestales, Unidad Académica del Trópico, Universidad Mayor de San Simón, Sacta, Bolivia
| | - Faizah Metali
- Faculty of Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Brunei
| | - Vianet Mihindou
- Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux, Libreville, Gabon
- Ministère de la Forêt, de la Mer, de l'Environnement, Chargé du Plan Climat, Libreville, Gabon
| | | | | | - Paulo S. Morandi
- UNEMAT - Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso, Nova Xavantina-MT, Brazil
| | - Hannah L. Mossman
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Laszlo Nagy
- Institute of Biology, University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil
| | | | - David Neill
- Facultad de Ingeniería Ambiental, Universidad Estatal Amazónica, Puyo, Pastaza, Ecuador
| | - Reuben Nilus
- Forest Research Centre, Sabah Forestry Department, Sepilok, Malaysia
| | - Percy Núñez Vargas
- Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Walter Palacios
- Carrera de Ingeniería Forestal, Universidad Tecnica del Norte, Ibarra, Ecuador
| | - Nadir Pallqui Camacho
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC), Caracas, Venezuela
| | | | | | | | | | - John Pipoly
- Public Communications and Outreach Group, Parks and Recreation Division, Oakland Park, FL, USA
| | - Nigel Pitman
- Keller Science Action Center, Field Museum, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Maureen Playfair
- Centre for Agricultural Research in Suriname (CELOS), Paramaribo, Suriname
| | - Lourens Poorter
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - John R. Poulsen
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | | | - Richard Preziosi
- Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Adriana Prieto
- Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Leticia, Colombia
| | | | - Hirma Ramírez-Angulo
- Institute of Research for Forestry Development (INDEFOR), Universidad de los Andes, Mérida, Venezuela
| | | | | | | | | | - Lily Rodriguez Bayona
- Centro de Conservacion, Investigacion y Manejo de Areas Naturales, CIMA Cordillera Azul, Lima, Peru
| | - Anand Roopsind
- Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development, Georgetown, Guyana
| | - Agustín Rudas
- Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Leticia, Colombia
| | - Ervan Rutishauser
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama, Panama
- Carboforexpert, Geneva, Switzerland
| | | | - Rafael P. Salomão
- Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia/CAPES, Belém, PA, Brazil
- Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Juliana Schietti
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (INPA), Manaus, Brazil
| | - Douglas Sheil
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Richarlly C. Silva
- Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Natureza, Universidade Federal do Acre, Rio Branco, AC, Brazil
- Instituto Federal do Acre, Rio Branco, AC, Brazil
| | | | | | - Marcos Silveira
- Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Natureza, Universidade Federal do Acre, Rio Branco, AC, Brazil
| | - Murielle Simo-Droissart
- Plant Systematics and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers’ Training College, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Marcelo Fragomeni Simon
- Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), Brasília, Brazil
| | - James Singh
- Guyana Forestry Commission, Georgetown, Guyana
| | | | - Clement Stahl
- INRAE, UMR EcoFoG, CNRS, CIRAD, AgroParisTech, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, 97310 Kourou, French Guiana
| | - Juliana Stropp
- Departamento de Biogeografía y Cambio Global, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Rahayu Sukri
- Faculty of Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Brunei
| | - Terry Sunderland
- Sustainable Landscapes and Food Systems, Center for International Forestry Research, Bogor, Indonesia
- Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Martin Svátek
- Department of Forest Botany, Dendrology and Geobiocoenology, Mendel University in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Michael D. Swaine
- Department of Plant and Soil Science, School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Varun Swamy
- Institute for Conservation Research, San Diego Zoo, San Diego, CA. USA
| | - Hermann Taedoumg
- Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Yaounde 1, Yaoundé, Cameroon
- Bioversity International, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Joey Talbot
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - James Taplin
- UK Research and Innovation, Innovate UK, London, UK
| | - David Taylor
- Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Hans ter Steege
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, Netherlands
- Systems Ecology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - John Terborgh
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Raquel Thomas
- Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development, Georgetown, Guyana
| | - Sean C. Thomas
- Faculty of Forestry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Peter Umunay
- Wildlife Conservation Society, New York, NY, USA
- Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Hans Verbeeck
- Department of Environment, Computational and Applied Vegetation Ecology (CAVELab), Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | | | | | - Emilio Vilanova Torre
- School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, OR, USA
| | - Jason Vleminckx
- International Center for Tropical Botany, Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Vincent Vos
- Centro de Investigación y Promoción del Campesinado, La Paz, Bolivia
- Universidad Autónoma del Beni José Ballivián, Riberalta, Bolivia
| | - Ophelia Wang
- School of Earth Sciences and Environmental Sustainability, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, USA
| | - Lee J. T. White
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
- Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux, Libreville, Gabon
- Institut de Recherche en Ecologie Tropicale, Libreville, Gabon
| | - Simon Willcock
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Bangor, Bangor, UK
| | | | - Verginia Wortel
- Forest Management, Centre for Agricultural Research in Suriname (CELOS), Paramaribo, Suriname
| | - Kenneth Young
- Department of Geography and The Environment, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | | | - Lise Zemagho
- Plant Systematics and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers’ Training College, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon
| | - Pieter A. Zuidema
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Joeri A. Zwerts
- Centre for Agricultural Research in Suriname (CELOS), Paramaribo, Suriname
- Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
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4
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Hubau W, De Mil T, Van den Bulcke J, Phillips OL, Angoboy Ilondea B, Van Acker J, Sullivan MJP, Nsenga L, Toirambe B, Couralet C, Banin LF, Begne SK, Baker TR, Bourland N, Chezeaux E, Clark CJ, Collins M, Comiskey JA, Cuni-Sanchez A, Deklerck V, Dierickx S, Doucet JL, Ewango CEN, Feldpausch TR, Gilpin M, Gonmadje C, Hall JS, Harris DJ, Hardy OJ, Kamdem MND, Kasongo Yakusu E, Lopez-Gonzalez G, Makana JR, Malhi Y, Mbayu FM, Moore S, Mukinzi J, Pickavance G, Poulsen JR, Reitsma J, Rousseau M, Sonké B, Sunderland T, Taedoumg H, Talbot J, Tshibamba Mukendi J, Umunay PM, Vleminckx J, White LJT, Zemagho L, Lewis SL, Beeckman H. The persistence of carbon in the African forest understory. Nat Plants 2019; 5:133-140. [PMID: 30664730 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-018-0316-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2018] [Accepted: 10/30/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Quantifying carbon dynamics in forests is critical for understanding their role in long-term climate regulation1-4. Yet little is known about tree longevity in tropical forests3,5-8, a factor that is vital for estimating carbon persistence3,4. Here we calculate mean carbon age (the period that carbon is fixed in trees7) in different strata of African tropical forests using (1) growth-ring records with a unique timestamp accurately demarcating 66 years of growth in one site and (2) measurements of diameter increments from the African Tropical Rainforest Observation Network (23 sites). We find that in spite of their much smaller size, in understory trees mean carbon age (74 years) is greater than in sub-canopy (54 years) and canopy (57 years) trees and similar to carbon age in emergent trees (66 years). The remarkable carbon longevity in the understory results from slow and aperiodic growth as an adaptation to limited resource availability9-11. Our analysis also reveals that while the understory represents a small share (11%) of the carbon stock12,13, it contributes disproportionally to the forest carbon sink (20%). We conclude that accounting for the diversity of carbon age and carbon sequestration among different forest strata is critical for effective conservation management14-16 and for accurate modelling of carbon cycling4.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wannes Hubau
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium.
- UGent-Woodlab, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium.
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
| | - Tom De Mil
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
- UGent-Woodlab, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Jan Van den Bulcke
- UGent-Woodlab, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Centre for X-ray Tomography , Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Bhély Angoboy Ilondea
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
- Institut National pour l'Étude et la Recherche Agronomique, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- École Régionale Postuniversitaire d'Aménagement et de Gestion intégrés des Forêts et Territoires tropicaux , Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Joris Van Acker
- UGent-Woodlab, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Centre for X-ray Tomography , Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | | | - Laurent Nsenga
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
| | - Benjamin Toirambe
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
| | - Camille Couralet
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
| | | | - Serge K Begne
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | | | - Nils Bourland
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
- CIFOR, Bogor, Indonesia
- Forest Resources Management, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
- Resources and Synergies Development, Singapore, Singapore
| | | | - Connie J Clark
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Murray Collins
- Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, London, UK
| | - James A Comiskey
- Inventory and Monitoring Program, National Park Service, Fredericksburg, VA, USA
- Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Aida Cuni-Sanchez
- Department of Geography, University College London, London, UK
- Department of Geography and Environment, University of York, York, UK
| | - Victor Deklerck
- UGent-Woodlab, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Centre for X-ray Tomography , Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Sofie Dierickx
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
| | - Jean-Louis Doucet
- Forest Resources Management, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Corneille E N Ewango
- Wildlife Conservation Society-DR Congo, Kinshasa I, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Centre de Formation et de Recherche en Conservation Forestière , Epulu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Faculté de Gestion de Ressources Naturelles Renouvelables, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Ted R Feldpausch
- Geography, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | | | | | - Jefferson S Hall
- ForestGEO, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá, Republic of Panama
| | | | - Olivier J Hardy
- Service d'Évolution Biologique et écologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Marie-Noel D Kamdem
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Cameroon
- Faculty of Science, Department of Botany and Plant Physiology, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon
| | - Emmanuel Kasongo Yakusu
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
- UGent-Woodlab, Laboratory of Wood Technology, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Faculté de Gestion de Ressources Naturelles Renouvelables, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | | | - Jean-Remy Makana
- Wildlife Conservation Society-DR Congo, Kinshasa I, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Yadvinder Malhi
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Faustin M Mbayu
- Faculté de Gestion de Ressources Naturelles Renouvelables, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Sam Moore
- Environmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jacques Mukinzi
- Wildlife Conservation Society-DR Congo, Kinshasa I, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Salonga National Park, Kinshasa I, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | | | - John R Poulsen
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jan Reitsma
- Bureau Waardenburg, Culemborg, the Netherlands
| | - Mélissa Rousseau
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
- Resources and Synergies Development, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Bonaventure Sonké
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Terry Sunderland
- CIFOR, Bogor, Indonesia
- Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Hermann Taedoumg
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Joey Talbot
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - John Tshibamba Mukendi
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
- Faculté de Gestion de Ressources Naturelles Renouvelables, Université de Kisangani, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Faculté des Sciences Appliquées, Université de Mbujimayi, Mbujimayi, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Peter M Umunay
- Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Jason Vleminckx
- Service d'Évolution Biologique et écologie, Faculté des Sciences, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
- Department of Biological Sciences, Florida International University, Miami, FL, USA
| | - Lee J T White
- Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux, Libreville, Gabon
- Institut de Recherche en Écologie Tropicale, Libreville, Gabon
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK
| | - Lise Zemagho
- Plant Systematic and Ecology Laboratory, Higher Teachers' Training College, University of Yaounde, Yaounde, Cameroon
| | - Simon L Lewis
- School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
- Department of Geography, University College London, London, UK
| | - Hans Beeckman
- Service of Wood Biology, Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
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