Stocks and Fluxes of Coarse Woody Debris in Southwestern Amazon forests
Eurídice
Honorio, Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana, Iquitos, Perú, ehonorio@iiap.org.pe
(Presenting)
Timothy
R.
Baker, Max Planck Institute of Biogeochemistry, Jena, Germany and Earth and Biosphere Institute, School of Geography, Leeds, UK, t.baker@geog.leeds.ac.uk
Phillips
Oliver, Earth and Biosphere Institute, School of Geography, Leeds, UK, O.Phillips@geog.leeds.ac.uk
Martin
Jim, Environmental & Natural Resource Sciences, Fleming College, USA, JIMARTIN@flemingc.on.ca
Coarse woody debris is an important, but little-studied, component of the total carbon stocks of tropical forests and is potentially significant for understanding the overall carbon balance of a stand. Here, we present estimates of the stocks, and annual inputs from tree mortality for eleven, 1 ha plots in southwestern Amazonia. Total stocks are low (mean 6.4 ± 1.5 Mg C ha-1), and annual inputs high (mean 2.7 ± 0.3 Mg C ha-1 yr-1) compared to other studies. The short turnover time (2.5 ± 0.7 yrs) implies a decomposition rate at least double that reported for central Amazonian forests. Taken together with studies showing lower biomass, higher productivity and higher rates of tree mortality and recruitment in these forests, this study emphasises the distinctive, high-speed nature of carbon cycling in western Amazonia.
Submetido por Eurídice Honorio em 18-MAR-2004
Tema Científico do LBA: CD (Armazenamento e Trocas de Carbono)