Coordinated changes in photosynthesis,water relations and leaf nutritional traits of canopy trees along a precipitation gradient in lowland tropical forest

We investigated leaf physiological traits of dominant canopy trees in four lowland Panamanian forests with contrasting mean annual precipitation (1,800, 2,300, 3,100 and 3,500 mm). There was near complete turn-over of dominant canopy tree species among sites, resulting in greater dominance of evergreen species with long-lived leaves as precipitation increased. Mean structural and physiological traits changed along this gradient as predicted by cost–benefit theories of leaf life span. Nitrogen content per unit mass (N_mass) and light- and CO₂-saturated photosynthetic rates per unit mass (P_mass) of upper canopy leaves decreased with annual precipitation, and these changes were partially explained by increasing leaf thickness and decreasing specific leaf area (SLA). Comparison of 1,800 mm and 3,100 mm sites, where canopy access was available through the use of construction cranes, revealed an association among extended leaf longevity, greater structural defense, higher midday leaf water potential, and lower P_mass, N_mass, and SLA at wetter sites. Shorter leaf life spans and more enriched foliar ¹⁵N values in drier sites suggest greater resorption and re-metabolism of leaf N in drier forest. Greater dominance of short-lived leaves with relatively high P_mass in drier sites reflects a strategy to maximize photosynthesis when water is available and to minimize water loss and respiration costs during rainless periods. Overall, our study links coordinated change in leaf functional traits that affect productivity and nutrient cycling to seasonality in lowland tropical forests.     

中国森林生态系统林冠层降雨截留特征

森林生态系统作为陆地生态系统的主体,其发达的林冠层通过调节降水量、改变降水强度等深刻影响着流域全过程水文通量及水分输出。以中国广泛开展的典型森林降雨再分配过程的年尺度监测数据为基础,揭示中国不同类型森林生态系统的降雨再分配及林冠层降雨截留特征,阐明森林生态系统林冠层截留特征与降雨、植被要素的关系。结果表明:我国不同森林生态系统年穿透雨量处于141.4-2450.0 mm之间,年穿透雨率为36.3%-92.3%。5种典型森林生态系统多年平均穿透雨量((445.3±252.9)-(1230.6±479.6) mm)占同期多年平均降雨量的(72.6±9.2)%-(77.4±8.9)%。不同森林生态系统年树干茎流量介于0-508.2 mm之间,占同期年降雨量的0-25.8%。5种典型森林生态系统树干茎流量多年平均值((9.8±17.3)-(87.8±81.6) mm)占同期多年平均降雨量的(1.4±1.9)%-(5.4±4.6)%。不同森林生态系统林冠层年降雨截留范围在25.7-812.9 mm之间,占年降雨量的4.2%-55.6%。5种典型森林生态系统多年平均林冠截留量((154.2±81.6)-(392.2±203.5) mm)占同期年平均降雨量的(18.7±7.4)%-(25.9±8.3)%。进一步分析表明,我国森林生态系统穿透雨量、树干茎流量和林冠层截留量随观测区年降雨量的增加而呈显著增大(P<0.05),年穿透雨率、年树干茎流率随年降雨量的增加呈显著线性上升趋势(P<0.05),而年林冠截留率与年降雨量呈显著的负相关关系(P<0.01),降雨量、叶面积指数是深刻影响森林生态系统林冠层降雨截留率等特征的重要因素。整体上,不同类型森林生态系统林冠截留降雨能力存在明显差异,林冠层截留率突出表现为:落叶林大于常绿林、针叶林大于阔叶林。     

A global assessment of forest surface albedo and its relationships with climate and atmospheric nitrogen deposition

We present a global assessment of the relationships between the short‐wave surface albedo of forests, derived from the MODIS satellite instrument product at 0.5° spatial resolution, with simulated atmospheric nitrogen deposition rates (N_dep), and climatic variables (mean annual temperature T_m and total annual precipitation P), compiled at the same spatial resolution. The analysis was performed on the following five forest plant functional types (PFTs): evergreen needle‐leaf forests (ENF); evergreen broad‐leaf forests (EBF); deciduous needle‐leaf forests (DNF); deciduous broad‐leaf forests (DBF); and mixed‐forests (MF). Generalized additive models (GAMs) were applied in the exploratory analysis to assess the functional nature of short‐wave surface albedo relations to environmental variables. The analysis showed evident correlations of albedo with environmental predictors when data were pooled across PFTs: T_m and N_dep displayed a positive relationship with forest albedo, while a negative relationship was detected with P. These correlations are primarily due to surface albedo differences between conifer and broad‐leaf species, and different species geographical distributions. However, the analysis performed within individual PFTs, strengthened by attempts to select ‘pure’ pixels in terms of species composition, showed significant correlations with annual precipitation and nitrogen deposition, pointing toward the potential effect of environmental variables on forest surface albedo at the ecosystem level. Overall, our global assessment emphasizes the importance of elucidating the ecological mechanisms that link environmental conditions and forest canopy properties for an improved parameterization of surface albedo in climate models.     

中国4种典型森林中常见乔木叶片的非结构性碳水化合物研究

植物叶片的非结构性碳水化合物(non-structural carbohydrates,NSC)不仅为植物的代谢过程提供重要能量,还能一定程度上反映植物对外界环境的适应策略。以温带针阔混交林(长白山)、温带阔叶林(东灵山)、亚热带常绿阔叶林(神农架)和热带雨林(尖峰岭)4种森林类型的树种为研究对象,利用蒽酮比色法测定了163种常见乔木叶片可溶性糖、淀粉和NSC(可溶性糖+淀粉)含量,探讨了不同森林类型植物叶片NSC的差异及其地带性变化规律。结果显示：（1）从森林类型上看,植物叶片NSC含量从北到南递减,即温带针阔混交林(170.79 mg/g)>温带阔叶林(100.27 mg/g)>亚热带常绿阔叶林(91.24 mg/g)>热带雨林(80.13 mg/g)。（2）从生活型上看,无论是落叶树还是阔叶树,其叶片可溶性糖、淀粉和NSC含量均表现为：温带针阔混交林>温带阔叶林>亚热带常绿阔叶林>热带雨林;北方森林叶片可溶性糖、淀粉和NSC含量均表现为落叶树种>常绿树种,或阔叶树种>针叶树种。（3）森林植物叶片NSC含量、可溶性糖与淀粉含量比值与年均温和年均降水量均呈显著负相关。研究表明,森林植物叶片可溶性糖、淀粉和NSC含量以及可溶性糖与淀粉含量比值均具有明显的从北到南递减的地带性规律;其NSC含量以及可溶性糖与淀粉含量比值与温度和水分均呈显著负相关的变化规律可能是植物对外界环境适应的重要机制之一。该研究结果不仅为阐明中国主要森林树种碳代谢和生长适应对策提供了数据基础,而且为理解区域尺度森林植被对未来气候变化的响应机理提供新的视角。     

Climatic controls of vegetation vigor in four contrasting forest types of India—evaluation from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer datasets (1990–2000)

Ten-day advanced very high resolution radiometer images from 1990 to 2000 were used to examine spatial patterns in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and their relationships with climatic variables for four contrasting forest types in India. The NDVI signal has been extracted from homogeneous vegetation patches and has been found to be distinct for deciduous and evergreen forest types, although the mixed-deciduous signal was close to the deciduous ones. To examine the decadal response of the satellite-measured vegetation phenology to climate variability, seven different NDVI metrics were calculated using the 11-year NDVI data. Results suggested strong spatial variability in forest NDVI metrics. Among the forest types studied, wet evergreen forests of north-east India had highest mean NDVI (0.692) followed by evergreen forests of the Western Ghats (0.529), mixed deciduous forests (0.519) and finally dry deciduous forests (0.421). The sum of NDVI (SNDVI) and the time-integrated NDVI followed a similar pattern, although the values for mixed deciduous forests were closer to those for evergreen forests of the Western Ghats. Dry deciduous forests had higher values of inter-annual range (RNDVI) and low mean NDVI, also coinciding with a high SD and thus a high coefficient of variation (CV) in NDVI (CVNDVI). SNDVI has been found to be high for wet evergreen forests of north-east India, followed by evergreen forests of the Western Ghats, mixed deciduous forests and dry deciduous forests. Further, the maximum NDVI values of wet evergreen forests of north-east India (0.624) coincided with relatively high annual total precipitation (2,238.9 mm). The time lags had a strong influence in the correlation coefficients between annual total rainfall and NDVI. The correlation coefficients were found to be comparatively high (R²=0.635) for dry deciduous forests than for evergreen forests and mixed deciduous forests, when the precipitation data with a lag of 30 days was correlated against NDVI. Using multiple regression approach models were developed for individual forest types using 16 different climatic indices. A high proportion of the temporal variance (>90%) has been accounted for by three of the precipitation parameters (maximum precipitation, precipitation of the wettest quarter and driest quarter) and two of the temperature parameters (annual mean temperature and temperature of the coldest quarter) for mixed deciduous forests. Similarly, in the case of deciduous forests, four precipitation parameters and three temperature parameters explained nearly 83.6% of the variance. These results suggest differences in the relationship between NDVI and climatic variables based upon the time of growing season, time interval and climatic indices over which they were summed. These results have implications for forest cover mapping and monitoring in tropical regions of India.     

西南干旱对哀牢山常绿阔叶林凋落物及叶面积指数的影响

为探讨2010年初西南干旱对这一地区原生植被林冠和凋落物量的影响,以及这一地区凋落物量和气候条件之间的关系,对比研究了哀牢山亚热带常绿阔叶林2010年和一般年份的凋落物特征以及各层的叶面积指数,并分析了凋落物量和气候因子之间的关系.2010年凋落物总量和往年相比无显著差异,但是叶凋落总量、旱季凋落物总量、旱季叶凋落量为历年来最高,其中旱季叶凋落物量比一般年份平均高35.2％ (0.81 t/hm2).而2010年附生苔蘚年凋落量为历年来最低.2010年最旱月的乔木层和灌木层叶面积指数和2005同期相比无显著差异,但是草本层叶面积指数却极显著低于2005年同期.因此,2010年初西南干旱尽管使哀牢山常绿阔叶林旱季落叶增加,但还没有到显著影响冠层叶面积指数的程度.而草本层和附生苔藓的生长则受到了干旱事件的显著影响.此外,哀牢山常绿阔叶林年总凋落量和年降水量显著正相关,而和年均温却不相关,表明该亚热带森林凋落物量主要由降水而非温度决定.     

MODIS Based Estimation of Forest Aboveground Biomass in China

Accurate estimation of forest biomass C stock is essential to understand carbon cycles. However, current estimates of Chinese forest biomass are mostly based on inventory-based timber volumes and empirical conversion factors at the provincial scale, which could introduce large uncertainties in forest biomass estimation. Here we provide a data-driven estimate of Chinese forest aboveground biomass from 2001 to 2013 at a spatial resolution of 1 km by integrating a recently reviewed plot-level ground-measured forest aboveground biomass database with geospatial information from 1-km Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) dataset in a machine learning algorithm (the model tree ensemble, MTE). We show that Chinese forest aboveground biomass is 8.56 Pg C, which is mainly contributed by evergreen needle-leaf forests and deciduous broadleaf forests. The mean forest aboveground biomass density is 56.1 Mg C ha⁻¹, with high values observed in temperate humid regions. The responses of forest aboveground biomass density to mean annual temperature are closely tied to water conditions; that is, negative responses dominate regions with mean annual precipitation less than 1300 mm y⁻¹ and positive responses prevail in regions with mean annual precipitation higher than 2800 mm y⁻¹. During the 2000s, the forests in China sequestered C by 61.9 Tg C y⁻¹, and this C sink is mainly distributed in north China and may be attributed to warming climate, rising CO₂ concentration, N deposition, and growth of young forests.     

华北落叶松人工林蒸散及产流对叶面积指数变化的响应

定量评价林地蒸散和产流等水文过程对冠层叶面积指数(LAI)的响应,对于深入认识森林植被的生态水文过程及其发生机制,实现半干旱区林水综合管理和区域可持续发展是非常必要的。应用集总式生态水文模型BROOK90,模拟分析了不同降水年型(丰水年、平水年、枯水年)下,位于半干旱区的宁夏六盘山叠叠沟小流域内华北落叶松(Larix principis-rupprechtii)人工林的水文过程对冠层LAI变化的响应关系。结果发现:林分总蒸散量、冠层截留量、蒸腾量与LAI都呈显著的正相关关系(R~20.99,P0.01),而土壤蒸发量、产流量则与LAI均呈显著的负相关关系(R~20.99,P0.01);在不同的降水年型下,各水文过程变量与LAI的关系都可以很好地用指数函数来表达,且都存在着一个LAI阈值。当LAI低于阈值时,各水文过程变量随LAI的变化幅度较大;但高于阈值时,各变量的变化十分缓慢并趋于稳定。在不同降水年型下,各变量LAI阈值之间存在着一定的差异。一般地,丰水年各变量的LAI阈值要大于枯水年,尤其是冠层截留和土壤蒸发。在丰水年,各水文过程变量随LAI增加而变化的速率要比在平水年、枯水年更快,说明在水分充足年份中各变量的波动更多取决于LAI变化,而在水分亏缺的年份中则可能更多地受到水分条件的限制。模拟结果表明,通过减少冠层LAI(如间伐)导致的林分的降低蒸散耗水和增加产流的作用是有限的,这是由于林分蒸散降低的幅度要比LAI降低的幅度小。例如,在平水年,当LAI从4.2变为2.0(减少幅度52.4%)时,林分年蒸散仅从357.2 mm减少至333.9 mm(减少幅度6.5%)。     

A distinctive latitudinal trend of nitrogen isotope signature across urban forests in eastern China

Rapid urbanization has greatly altered nitrogen (N) cycling from regional to global scales. Compared to natural forests, urban forests receive much more external N inputs with distinctive abundances of stable N isotope (δ¹⁵N). However, the large-scale pattern of soil δ¹⁵N and its imprint on plant δ¹⁵N remain less well understood in urban forests. By collecting topsoil (0–20 cm) and leaf samples from urban forest patches in nine large cities across a north–south transect in eastern China, we analyzed the latitudinal trends of topsoil C:N ratio and δ¹⁵N as well as the correlations between tree leaf δ¹⁵N and topsoil δ¹⁵N. We further explored the spatial variation of topsoil δ¹⁵N explained by corresponding climatic, edaphic, vegetation-associated, and anthropogenic drivers. Our results showed a significant increase of topsoil C:N ratio towards higher latitudes, suggesting lower N availability at higher latitudes. Topsoil δ¹⁵N also increased significantly at higher latitudes, being opposite to the latitudinal trend of soil N availability. The latitudinal trend of topsoil δ¹⁵N was mainly explained by mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, and atmospheric deposition of both ammonium and nitrate. Consequently, tree leaf δ¹⁵N showed significant positive correlations with topsoil δ¹⁵N across all sampled plant species and functional types. Our findings reveal a distinctive latitudinal trend of δ¹⁵N in urban forests and highlight an important role of anthropogenic N sources in shaping the large-scale pattern of urban forest ¹⁵N signature.     

模拟降水分配季节变化对南亚热带常绿阔叶林凋落物的影响

为探讨降水季节分配的变化对南亚热带常绿阔叶林凋落物的影响,在广东省鹤山国家野外生态观测站模拟干季更干(DD)和延长干季(ED)的野外降水控制实验,对森林生态系统中凋落物变化进行了分析研究。结果表明,该试验林年凋落物总量为9.24 t hm–2,在不同时期均以叶凋落物为主,约占50.7%~69.3%。DD处理显著减少了干季(10–3月)叶凋落物量(P0.01)。虽然DD处理下全年总凋落物量比对照降低了10.3%,但差异不显著。ED处理也减少了春季(4–5月)的叶和花果及总凋落物量,全年总凋落物量则比对照增加了11.3%,但ED处理对春季和全年凋落物量的影响均差异不显著。两种干旱处理对凋落物叶质量总体上影响不明显,但DD处理显著减小了火力楠(Michelia macclurei)凋落叶的木质素含量。因此,降水格局的变化可能会影响南亚热带森林土壤的碳汇能力。     

Environmental controls over carbon exchange of three forest ecosystems in eastern China

Net ecosystem productivity (NEP) was continuously measured using the eddy covariance (EC) technique from 2003 to 2005 at three forest sites of ChinaFLUX. The forests include Changbaishan temperate mixed forest (CBS), Qianyanzhou subtropical coniferous plantation (QYZ), and Dinghushan subtropical evergreen broad‐leaved forest (DHS). They span wide ranges of temperature and precipitation and are influenced by the eastern Asian monsoon climate to varying extent. In this study, we estimated ecosystem respiration (RE) and gross ecosystem productivity (GEP). Comparison of ecosystem carbon exchange among the three forests shows that RE was mainly determined by temperature, with the forest at CBS exhibiting the highest temperature sensitivity among the three ecosystems. The RE was highly dependent on GEP across the three forests, and the ratio of RE to GEP decreased along the North–South Transect of Eastern China (NSTEC) (i.e. from the CBS to the DHS), with an average of 0.77 ± 0.06. Daily GEP was mainly influenced by temperature at CBS, whereas photosynthetic photon flux density was the dominant factor affecting the daily GEP at both QYZ and DHS. Temperature mainly determined the pattern of the interannual variations of ecosystem carbon exchange at CBS. However, water availability primarily controlled the interannual variations of ecosystem carbon exchange at QYZ. At DHS, NEP attained the highest values at the beginning of the dry seasons (autumn) rather than the rainy seasons (summer), probably because insufficient radiation and frequent fog during the rainy seasons hindered canopy photosynthesis. All the three forest ecosystems acted as a carbon sink from 2003 to 2005. The annual average values of NEP at CBS, QYZ, and DHS were 259 ± 19, 354 ± 34, and 434 ± 66 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹, respectively. The slope of NEP that decreased with increasing latitude along the NSTEC was markedly different from that observed on the forest transect in the European continent. Long‐term flux measurements over more forest ecosystems along the NSTEC will further help verify such a difference between the European forest transect and the NSTEC and provide insights into the responses of ecosystem carbon exchange to climate change in China.     

Leaf area index and net primary productivity along subtropical to alpine gradients in the Tibetan Plateau

Aim Our aims were to quantify climatic and soil controls on net primary productivity (NPP) and leaf area index (LAI) along subtropical to alpine gradients where the vegetation remains relatively undisturbed, and investigate whether NPP and LAI converge towards threshold‐like logistic patterns associated with climatic and soil variables that would help us to verify and parameterize process models for predicting future ecosystem behaviour under global environmental change. Location Field data were collected from 22 sites along the Tibetan Alpine Vegetation Transects (TAVT) during 1999–2000. The TAVT included the altitudinal transect on the eastern slope of the Gongga Mountains in the Eastern Tibetan Plateau, with altitudes from 1900 m to 3700 m, and the longitudinal‐latitudinal transect in the Central Tibetan Plateau, of approximately 1000 km length and 40 km width. Methods LAI was measured as the product of foliage biomass multiplied by the ratio of specific leaf area. NPP in forests and shrub communities was estimated as the sum of increases in standing crops of live vegetation using recent stem growth rate and leaf lifespan. NPP in grasslands was estimated from the above‐ground maximum live biomass. We measured the soil organic carbon (C) and total and available nitrogen (N) contents and their pool sizes by conventional methods. Mean temperatures for the year, January and July and annual precipitation were estimated from available meteorological stations by interpolation or simulation. The threshold‐like logistic function was used to model the relationships of LAI and NPP with climatic and soil variables. Results Geographically, NPP and LAI both significantly decreased with increasing latitude (P < 0.02), but increased with increasing longitude (P < 0.01). Altitudinal trends in NPP and LAI showed different patterns. NPP generally decreased with increasing altitude in a linear relationship (r² = 0.73, P < 0.001), whereas LAI showed a negative quadratic relationship with altitude (r² = 0.58, P < 0.001). Temperature and precipitation, singly or in combination, explained 60–68% of the NPP variation with logistic relationships, while the soil organic C and total N variables explained only 21–46% of the variation with simple linear regressions of log‐transformed data. LAI showed significant logistic relationships with both climatic and soil variables, but the data from alpine spruce‐fir sites diverged greatly from the modelled patterns associated with temperature and precipitation. Soil organic C storage had the strongest correlation with LAI (r² = 0.68, P < 0.001). Main conclusions In response to climatic gradients along the TAVT, LAI and NPP across diverse vegetation types converged towards threshold‐like logistic patterns consistent with the general distribution patterns of live biomass both above‐ground and below‐ground found in our earlier studies. Our analysis further revealed that climatic factors strongly limited the NPP variations along the TAVT because the precipitation gradient characterized not only the vegetation distribution but also the soil N conditions of the natural ecosystems. LAI generally increased with increasing precipitation and was well correlated with soil organic C and total N variables. The interaction between LAI growth and soil N availability would appear to have important implications for ecosystem structure and function of alpine spruce‐fir forests. Convergence towards logistic patterns in dry matter production of plants in the TAVT suggests that alpine plant growth would increase in a nonlinear response to global warming.     

LITTER FALL PRODUCTION IN RELATION TO ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS IN NORTHEAST CHINA'S FORESTS

 在中国东北长白山、帽儿山、凉水、根河的主要森林类型中设置27个样地, 连续3年(2004~2006年)观测森林凋落物的生产量, 以研究我国东北地区森林凋落物产量及其与环境因子的关系。结果表明, 不同森林类型凋落物年产量存在显著差异, 针阔叶混交林显著高于落叶针叶林和常绿针叶林, 落叶针叶林、常绿针叶林、落叶阔叶林和针阔叶混交林的年平均产量分别为2 337、2 472、3 130和4 146 kg&;#8226;hm^–2; 树叶、枝条、繁殖器官和其它组分占总凋落量的平均比例为71%、22%、6%和1%, 不同森林类型凋落物组分的比例差异较大。森林凋落物产量主要受温度限制, 降水、森林类型和群落结构无显著影响。不同组分凋落物量的影响因素不同: 树叶凋落量主要受温度和森林类型的影响; 枝条凋落量主要受降水和蓄积量的影响; 而繁殖器官凋落量则与树种的繁殖特性以及年降水有关。各组分占总凋落量的比例主要受降水影响, 树叶占凋落物比例随降水增加而下降, 枝条所占比例很小, 表现出与叶相反的变化趋势。     

中国温带典型森林植物比叶面积的空间格局及其影响因素

比叶面积(SLA)能够反映植物自身生长对策、对光能的捕获能力、对外界环境变化的适应和对可利用资源的分配策略,对植物的生境适应状况和群落的自然演替程度也起到重要的指示作用。为了深入了解温带森林植物SLA随空间变化的变异特征及其影响因素,跨越1200 km选取中国东北部12个典型温带森林(寒温带兴安落叶松林、温带红松针阔混交林和暖温带落叶阔叶栎林),通过对样地内物种进行系统性的调查,分析了植物SLA在空间上的变化规律及环境因素的影响效应。结果显示：中国温带森林植物SLA范围为2.02—99.65 m~2/kg(均值为34.18 m~2/kg),其中乔木SLA范围为2.02—58.74 m~2/kg(均值为21.32 m~2/kg),灌木SLA范围为2.88—99.65 m~2/kg(均值为31.60 m~2/kg),草本SLA范围为4.66—98.53 m~2/kg(均值为38.75 m~2/kg)。SLA在不同森林类型之间差异显著,具体表现为：温带红松针阔混交林>暖温带落叶阔叶栎林>寒温带兴安落叶松林。SLA受到气候因素和土壤因素的影响,其中随着年均降水、土壤碳氮含量的增加显...     

Species diversity of Chinese beech forests in relation to warmth and climatic disturbances

The trends in the occurrence of climatic disturbances in the ChineseFagus range are described, and the relationship between woody species diversity and climatic factors in eight old-growth Chinese beech forests is characterized. In the ChineseFagus range that lies in the humid mountains of southern China, wind storms and heavy rain frequency increase towards the eastern coast. Thunderstorm frequency increases southwards. Snowfall frequency increases northwards. Glaze storm frequency peaks in the center near Lake Dongtian, but much higher in the east than in the west. Hailstorm frequency also peaks in the center. The forests sampled in this study are widely separated. Their canopies consist of either deciduous broad-leaved trees or a mixture of evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved trees. Their species diversity increases towards warmer sites and towards the east. The importance of the evergreen trees in relation to warmth and minimum temperature increases southwards. Our analysis suggests that wind storms and heavy rains enhance the species diversity of Chinese beech forests. Cold disturbances such as glaze and snow diminish the diversity and canopy dominance of evergreen broad-leaved trees but favor deciduous broad-leaved trees, especially beech. The annual precipitation received by the forests in this study varies from 1400–2550 mm. This is not correlated with diversity, however, probably because all of these forests grow in humid conditions with sufficient water being supplied by precipitation throughout the year.     

Variation in evergreen and deciduous species leaf phenology in Assam, India

In the present study phenological activities such as leaf and shoot growth, leaf pool size and leaf fall were observed for 3 years (March 2007–March 2010) in 19 tree species (13 evergreen and 6 deciduous species) in a wet tropical forest in Assam, India. The study area receives total annual average rainfall of 2,318 mm of which most rain fall (>70 %) occurs during June–September. Both the plant groups varied significantly on most of the shoot and leaf phenology parameters. In general, growth in deciduous species initiated before the evergreen species and showed a rapid shoot growth, leaf recruitment and leaf expansion compared to evergreen species. Leaf recruitment period was significantly different between evergreen (4.2 months) and deciduous species (6.8 months). Shoot elongation rate was also significantly different for evergreen and deciduous species (0.09 vs. 0.14 cm day^?1 shoot^?1). Leaf number per shoot was greater for deciduous species than for evergreen species (34 vs. 16 leaves). The average leaf life span of evergreen species (328 ± 32 days) was significantly greater than that of deciduous species (205 ± 16 days). The leaf fall in deciduous species was concentrated during the winter season (Nov–Feb), whereas evergreens retained their leaves until the next growing season. Although the climate of the study area supports evergreen forests, the strategies of the deciduous species such as faster leaf recruitment rate, longer leaf recruitment time, faster shoot elongation rate during favorable growing season and short leaf life span perhaps allows them to coexist with evergreen species that have the liberty to photosynthesize round the year. Variations in phenological strategies perhaps help to reduce the competition among evergreen and deciduous species for resources in these forests and enable the coexistence of both the groups.     

Estimating photosynthetic rate and annual carbon gain in conifers from specific leaf weight and leaf biomass

Summary Canopy photosynthesis is difficult to measure directly or to predict with complex models demanding knowledge of seasonal variation in environmental and physiological properties of the canopy. Trees in particular offer a challenge with their large, aerodynamically rough and seasonally-changing canopy properties. In this paper we assess the possibility of using specific leaf weight to predict seasonal and annual net photosynthetic rate in deciduous (Larix sp.) and evergreen (Picea abies) conifers.Annual photosynthetic rate and specific leaf weight of different positions of the crown in both species were highly correlated (r ²=0.930). Annual carbon uptake by different segments in a mature P. abies crown was closely related to leaf biomass. The relationship was improved by adjusting the leaf biomass of each segment in regard to its specific leaf weight relative to the maximum found in the canopy. The adjustment accounted for associated differences in photosynthetic activity. This combined structural index (leaf biomassxrelative specific leaf weight) could, when calibrated, predict the total annual carbon uptake by different parts of the crown. If direct measurements of photosynthesis are not available, the combined structural index may still serve as a comparative estimator of annual carbon uptake.     

中国成熟天然林土壤有机碳垂直分异特征

以分布在中国不同气候区的131个成熟天然林土壤为研究对象,测定不同土层(0～10、10～20、20～30、30～50和50～100 cm)土壤有机碳(SOC)密度,分析其与气象因子、土壤性质的关系,研究天然林SOC垂直分布特征及其影响机理。结果表明: 温带针叶林、温带落叶阔叶林、亚热带落叶阔叶林和亚热带常绿阔叶林0～30 cm土层SOC密度均随土壤深度增加而降低。在0～100 cm土层,SOC密度地带性分异明显,温带针叶林SOC密度显著高于温带落叶阔叶林,亚热带常绿阔叶林SOC密度显著高于亚热带落叶阔叶林。SOC密度与土壤黏粒、年降水量以及地上净初级生产力呈显著正相关,与土壤pH和年均温呈显著负相关。年降水量与年均温调节天然林SOC输入与输出,土壤pH与黏粒影响天然林SOC积累,对成熟的天然针叶林与常绿阔叶林进行有效保护,有利于增加我国森林土壤碳库。     

Species-Specific Growth Responses to Climate Variations in Understory Trees of a Central African Rain Forest

Basic knowledge of the relationships between tree growth and environmental variables is crucial for understanding forest dynamics and predicting vegetation responses to climate variations. Trees growing in tropical areas with a clear seasonality in rainfall often form annual growth rings. In the understory, however, tree growth is supposed to be mainly affected by interference for access to light and other resources. In the semi-deciduous Mayombe forest of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the evergreen species Aidia ochroleuca, Corynanthe paniculata and Xylopia wilwerthii dominate the understory. We studied their wood to determine whether they form annual growth rings in response to changing climate conditions. Distinct growth rings were proved to be annual and triggered by a common external factor for the three species. Species-specific site chronologies were thus constructed from the cross-dated individual growth-ring series. Correlation analysis with climatic variables revealed that annual radial stem growth is positively related to precipitation during the rainy season but at different months. The growth was found to associate with precipitation during the early rainy season for Aidia but at the end of the rainy season for Corynanthe and Xylopia. Our results suggest that a dendrochronological approach allows the understanding of climate–growth relationships in tropical forests, not only for canopy trees but also for evergreen understory species and thus arguably for the whole tree community. Global climate change influences climatic seasonality in tropical forest areas, which is likely to result in differential responses across species with a possible effect on forest composition over time.     

Assessing forest growth across southwestern Oregon under a range of current and future global change scenarios using a process model, 3‐PG

With improvements in mapping regional distributions of vegetation using satellite‐derived information, there is an increasing interest in the assessment of current limitations on forest growth and in making projections of how productivity may be altered in response to changing climatic conditions and management policies. We utilised a simplified physiologically based process model (3‐PG) across a 54 000 km² mountainous region of southwestern Oregon, USA, to evaluate the degree to which maximum periodic mean annual increment (PAI) of forests could be predicted at a set of 448 forest inventory plots. The survey data were pooled into six broad forest types (coastal rain forest, interior coast range forest, mixed conifer, dry‐site Douglas‐fir, subalpine forest, and pine forest) and compared to the 3‐PG predictions at a spatial resolution of 1 km². We found good agreement (r² = 0.84) between mean PAI values of forest productivity for the six forest types with those obtained from field surveys. With confidence at this broader level of integration, we then ran model simulations to evaluate the constraints imposed by (i) soil fertility under current climatic conditions, (ii) the effect of doubling monthly precipitation across the region, and (iii) a widely used climatic change scenario that involves modifications in monthly mean temperatures and precipitation, as well as a doubling in atmospheric CO₂ concentrations. These analyses showed that optimum soil fertility would more than double growth, with the greatest response in the subalpine type and the least increase in the coastal rain forests. Doubling the precipitation increased productivity in the pine type (> 50%) with reduced responses elsewhere. The climate change scenario with doubled atmospheric CO₂ increased growth by 50% on average across all forest types, primarily as a result of a projected 33% increase in photosynthetic capacity. This modelling exercise indicates that, at a regional scale, a general relationship exists between simulated maximum leaf area index and maximum aboveground growth, supporting the contention that satellite‐derived estimates of leaf area index may be good measures of the potential productivity of temperate evergreen forests.