Forest Ecology and Conservation Group

Accurately quantifying the above-ground carbon stock of tropical rainforest trees is the core component of “Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation-plus” (REDD+) projects and is important for evaluating the effects of anthropogenic global change. We used high-resolution optical imagery (IKONOS-2) to identify individual tree crowns in intact and degraded rainforests in the mountains…

This study resampled soils from 102 forest monitoring plots in France after 15 years. The results suggest that forest soils in France have sequestered 0.35 MgC ha− 1 yr− 1 between 1993 and 2012. We show that soil carbon sequestration is affected by stand structure and declines as forests age. Jonard, M.; Nicolas, M.; Coomes,…

This study explored the effect of tree species richness on tree volume productivity at the global scale and found a consistent positive concave-down effect of biodiversity on forest productivity across the world, showing that a continued biodiversity loss would result in an accelerating decline in forest productivity worldwide. Liang J. et al. Science 354 (6309),…

This research examines the role of canopy cover in influencing above ground biomass (AGB) dynamics of an open canopied forest and evaluates the efficacy of individual-based and plot-scale height metrics in predicting AGB variation in the tropical forests of Angkor Thom, Cambodia. The AGB was modeled by including canopy cover from aerial imagery alongside with…

Tropical forests provide important ecosystem services to humanity, yet are threatened by habitat loss resulting from deforestation and land-use change. Although reserves are considered the cornerstones of conservation efforts in the tropics, their efficacy remains equivocal. One question that remains unresolved is whether leakage – the unanticipated displacement of deforestation from inside reserves into the unrestricted zones just beyond a reserve’s…

Numerous studies have demonstrated the importance of biodiversity in maintaining multiple ecosystem functions and services (multifunctionality) at local spatial scales, but it is unknown whether similar relationships are found at larger spatial scales in real-world landscapes. Here, we show, for the first time to our knowledge, that biodiversity can also be important for multifunctionality at…

Long-term (c. 40 years) tree population and soil data from conifer/angiosperm forests that have developed since the last major volcanic eruption (ad 232) in the central North Island of New Zealand were used to test the hypothesis that the shift from conifer to angiosperm dominance away from the eruption centre represents a chronosequence. The proportion of stand…

Phenotypic traits and their associated trade-offs have been shown to have globally consistent effects on individual plant physiological functions, but how these effects scale up to influence competition, a key driver of community assembly in terrestrial vegetation, has remained unclear. Here we use growth data from more than 3 million trees in over 140,000 plots…

Woodlands represent highly significant carbon sinks globally, though could lose this function under future climatic change. Effective large-scale monitoring of these woodlands has a critical role to play in mitigating for, and adapting to, climate change. Mediterranean woodlands have low carbon densities, but represent important global carbon stocks due to their extensiveness and are particularly…