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Spatial variability and controls over biomass stocks, carbon fluxes, and resource-use efficiencies across forest ecosystems

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Abstract

Key message

Stand age, water availability, and the length of the warm period are the most influencing controls of forest structure, functioning, and efficiency.

Abstract

We aimed to discern the distribution and controls of plant biomass, carbon fluxes, and resource-use efficiencies of forest ecosystems ranging from boreal to tropical forests. We analysed a global forest database containing estimates of stand biomass and carbon fluxes (400 and 111 sites, respectively) from which we calculated resource-use efficiencies (biomass production, carbon sequestration, light, and water-use efficiencies). We used the WorldClim climatic database and remote-sensing data derived from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer to analyse climatic controls of ecosystem functioning. The influences of forest type, stand age, management, and nitrogen deposition were also explored. Tropical forests exhibited the largest gross carbon fluxes (photosynthesis and ecosystem respiration), but rather low net ecosystem production, which peaks in temperate forests. Stand age, water availability, and length of the warm period were the main factors controlling forest structure (biomass) and functionality (carbon fluxes and efficiencies). The interaction between temperature and precipitation was the main climatic driver of gross primary production and ecosystem respiration. The mean resource-use efficiency varied little among biomes. The spatial variability of biomass stocks and their distribution among ecosystem compartments were strongly correlated with the variability in carbon fluxes, and both were strongly controlled by climate (water availability, temperature) and stand characteristics (age, type of leaf). Gross primary production and ecosystem respiration were strongly correlated with mean annual temperature and precipitation only when precipitation and temperature were not limiting factors. Finally, our results suggest a global convergence in mean resource-use efficiencies.

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Abbreviations

LAI:

L area index (m2 m−2)

SLA:

Specific leaf area (m2 kg−1)

GPP:

Gross primary production (gC m−2 year−1)

Re:

Ecosystem respiration (gC m−2 year−1)

NEP:

Net ecosystem production (gC m−2 year−1)

TBP:

Total biomass production (gC m−2 year−1)

ABP:

Aboveground biomass production (gC m−2 year−1)

FNPP:

Foliage net primary production (gC m−2 year−1)

WNPP:

Wood net primary production (gC m−2 year−1)

BBP:

Belowground biomass production (gC m−2 year−1)

ABP %:

ABP to GPP ratio (%)

FNPP %:

FNPP to GPP ratio (%)

WNPP %:

WNPP to GPP ratio (%)

BBP %:

BBP to GPP ratio (%)

CUEe:

Carbon use efficiency at the ecosystemic level (%)

BPE:

Biomass production efficiency (%)

LUE:

Light-use efficiency (gC MJ−1)

LUE %APAR :

Light-use efficiency relative to absorbed PAR (%)

LUE %PAR :

Light-use efficiency relative to incident PAR (%)

PAR:

Photosynthetically active radiation (MJ m−2)

LUE %TRad :

Light-use efficiency relative to total incident radiation (%)

WUE:

Water-use efficiency (gC L−1)

AET:

Actual evapotranspiration (mm year−1)

PET:

Potential evapotranspiration (mm year−1)

WD:

Water deficit (%)

MAT:

Mean annual temperature (°C)

MAP:

Mean annual precipitation (mm year−1)

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Spanish Government projects CGC2010-17172 and Consolider Ingenio Montes (CSD2008-00040), by the Catalan Government Project SGR 2009-458 and by the Catalan Government FI-2013 grant. S. Vicca and M. Campioli are postdoctoral fellows of the Research Foundation—Flanders (FWO). S. Luyssaert was funded through ERC starting grant 242564 and received additional funding through FWO Vlaanderen. We appreciated the financial support of the GHG Europe project.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CSIC, Global Ecology Unit, CREAF-CEAB-CSIC-Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallés, 08193, Catalonia, Spain

    Marcos Fernández-Martínez, Jordi Sardans, Marc Estiarte & Josep Peñuelas

  2. CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193, Catalonia, Spain

    Marcos Fernández-Martínez, Jordi Sardans, Marc Estiarte & Josep Peñuelas

  3. Research Group of Plant and Vegetation Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2610, Wilrijk, Belgium

    Sara Vicca, Ivan A. Janssens & Matteo Campioli

  4. LSCE CEA-CNRS-UVSQ, Orme des Merisiers, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette, France

    Sebastiaan Luyssaert

Authors
  1. Marcos Fernández-Martínez
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  2. Sara Vicca
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  3. Ivan A. Janssens
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  4. Sebastiaan Luyssaert
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  5. Matteo Campioli
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  6. Jordi Sardans
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  7. Marc Estiarte
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  8. Josep Peñuelas
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Marcos Fernández-Martínez.

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Communicated by A. Geßler.

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Fernández-Martínez, M., Vicca, S., Janssens, I.A. et al. Spatial variability and controls over biomass stocks, carbon fluxes, and resource-use efficiencies across forest ecosystems. Trees 28, 597–611 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-013-0975-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-013-0975-9

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