Title: Elevation effects on the carbon budget of tropical mountain forests (S Ecuador): the role of the belowground compartment
Abstract: Global Change BiologyVolume 17, Issue 6 p. 2211-2226 Elevation effects on the carbon budget of tropical mountain forests (S Ecuador): the role of the belowground compartment GERALD MOSER, GERALD MOSER Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, Germany Plant Ecology, University of Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-29, 35392 Giessen, GermanySearch for more papers by this authorCHRISTOPH LEUSCHNER, CHRISTOPH LEUSCHNER Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, GermanySearch for more papers by this authorDIETRICH HERTEL, DIETRICH HERTEL Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, GermanySearch for more papers by this authorSOPHIE GRAEFE, SOPHIE GRAEFE Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, Germany International Center for Tropical Agriculture, Recta Cali Palmira, km 17 Cali, ColombiaSearch for more papers by this authorNATHALIE SOETHE, NATHALIE SOETHE Botany and Landscape Ecology, University of Greifswald, Grimmer Str. 88, 17487 Greifswald, GermanySearch for more papers by this authorSUSANNE IOST, SUSANNE IOST Institute for World Forestry, Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut (vTI), Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries, Leuschnerstr. 91, D-21031 Hamburg, GermanySearch for more papers by this author GERALD MOSER, GERALD MOSER Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, Germany Plant Ecology, University of Giessen, Heinrich-Buff-Ring 26-29, 35392 Giessen, GermanySearch for more papers by this authorCHRISTOPH LEUSCHNER, CHRISTOPH LEUSCHNER Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, GermanySearch for more papers by this authorDIETRICH HERTEL, DIETRICH HERTEL Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, GermanySearch for more papers by this authorSOPHIE GRAEFE, SOPHIE GRAEFE Plant Ecology, Albrecht von Haller Institute for Plant Sciences, University of Göttingen, Untere Karspüle 2, 37073 Göttingen, Germany International Center for Tropical Agriculture, Recta Cali Palmira, km 17 Cali, ColombiaSearch for more papers by this authorNATHALIE SOETHE, NATHALIE SOETHE Botany and Landscape Ecology, University of Greifswald, Grimmer Str. 88, 17487 Greifswald, GermanySearch for more papers by this authorSUSANNE IOST, SUSANNE IOST Institute for World Forestry, Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut (vTI), Federal Research Institute for Rural Areas, Forestry and Fisheries, Leuschnerstr. 91, D-21031 Hamburg, GermanySearch for more papers by this author First published: 15 November 2010 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2010.02367.xCitations: 141 Christoph Leuschner, tel. +49 551 395718, fax +49 551 395701, e-mail: [email protected] Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Abstract Carbon storage and sequestration in tropical mountain forests and their dependence on elevation and temperature are not well understood. In an altitudinal transect study in the South Ecuadorian Andes, we tested the hypotheses that (i) aboveground net primary production (ANPP) decreases continuously with elevation due to decreasing temperatures, whereas (ii) belowground productivity (BNPP) remains constant or even increases with elevation due to a shift from light to nutrient limitation of tree growth. In five tropical mountain forests between 1050 and 3060 m a.s.l., we investigated all major above- and belowground biomass and productivity components, and the stocks of soil organic carbon (SOC). Leaf biomass, stemwood mass and total aboveground biomass (AGB) decreased by 50% to 70%, ANPP by about 70% between 1050 and 3060 m, while stem wood production decreased 20-fold. Coarse and large root biomass increased slightly, fine root biomass fourfold, while fine root production (minirhizotron study) roughly doubled between 1050 and 3060 m. The total tree biomass (above- and belowground) decreased from about 320 to 175 Mg dry mass ha−1, total NPP from ca. 13.0 to 8.2 Mg ha−1 yr−1. The belowground/aboveground ratio of biomass and productivity increased with elevation indicating a shift from light to nutrient limitation of tree growth. We propose that, with increasing elevation, an increasing nitrogen limitation combined with decreasing temperatures causes a large reduction in stand leaf area resulting in a substantial reduction of canopy carbon gain toward the alpine tree line. We conclude that the marked decrease in tree height, AGB and ANPP with elevation in these mountain forests is caused by both a belowground shift of C allocation and a reduction in C source strength, while a temperature-induced reduction in C sink strength (lowered meristematic activity) seems to be of secondary importance. Citing Literature Volume17, Issue6June 2011Pages 2211-2226 RelatedInformation