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Satellite data as indicators of tree biomass growth and forest dieback in a Mediterranean holm oak forest

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
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Abstract

• Context

In the framework of climate change, decreased tree growth and enhanced mortality induced by hot and dry conditions are increasing in many forests around the world, and particularly in Mediterranean forests.

• Aims

Our aim was to estimate tree growth and mortality in a Mediterranean holm oak forest, using remote sensing data from MODIS.

• Methods

We monitored annual increases of aboveground biomass by measuring tree basal area, and we determined tree mortality by counting dead stems. We analyzed the relationships between forest growth and mortality with mean annual values of some MODIS products and meteorological data.

• Results

Mortality and increases of aboveground biomass correlated well with precipitation, September standardized precipitation/evapotranspiration indices (SPEI), and some MODIS products such as NDVI and enhanced vegetation index EVI. Other MODIS products such as gross primary production (GPP) and net photosynthesis, however, showed no clear relationship with tree mortality or measured increases of biomass.

• Conclusion

The MODIS products as proxies of ecosystemic productivity (gross primary productivity, net photosynthesis) were weakly correlated with biomass increase, and did not reflect the mortality following the drought of autumn 2011. Nevertheless, NDVI and EVI were efficient indicators of forest productivity and dieback

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to DARP (Generalitat de Catalunya), X. Buqueras, and A. Vallvey for permission and assistance to conduct this research in the Poblet Holm Oak Forest.

Funding

This research was financially supported by the Spanish Government projects CGL2013-48074-P and Consolider-Ingenio MONTES CSD2008-00040, by the Catalan government project SGR2014-274 and by the ERC Synergy project SyG-2013-610028 IMBALANCE-P.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, E-08193, Catalonia, Spain

    Romà Ogaya, Adrià Barbeta, Corina Başnou & Josep Peñuelas

  2. CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CEAB-CSIC, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, E-08193, Catalonia, Spain

    Romà Ogaya, Adrià Barbeta & Josep Peñuelas

Authors
  1. Romà Ogaya
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  2. Adrià Barbeta
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  3. Corina Başnou
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  4. Josep Peñuelas
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Romà Ogaya.

Additional information

Handling Editor: Barry Alan Gardiner

Contribution of the co-authors

Romà Ogaya: designing the experiment, running the data analysis, and writing the paper. Adrià Barbeta: running the data analysis and calculating SPEI indices. Corina Başnou: running data analysis with Canoco software program. Josep Peñuelas: designing the experiment, supervising the work and coordinating the research project.

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Ogaya, R., Barbeta, A., Başnou, C. et al. Satellite data as indicators of tree biomass growth and forest dieback in a Mediterranean holm oak forest. Annals of Forest Science 72, 135–144 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-014-0408-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-014-0408-y

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