Large-diameter trees buffer monsoonal changes to tree biomass over two decades

• Published in: Plant ecology 2023-11, Vol.224 (11), p.1037-1048
• Main Authors: Ku, Chen-Chia, Tang, Jianwu, Chao, Wei-Chun, Chao, Kuo-Jung, Song, Guo-Zhang Michael, Lin, Huan-Yu, Lutz, James A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: aboveground biomass; Applied Ecology; Biodiversity; Biomass; biomass production; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Carbon sequestration; climate; Climate change; Community & Population Ecology; Density; Dynamic stability; Ecology; Global temperature changes; Habitats; Health aspects; Life Sciences; monsoon season; Monsoons; Mortality; Natural resources; Plant Ecology; Productivity; Taiwan; Terrestial Ecology; tree and stand measurements; Trees; Tropical forests; Vegetation; vegetation structure; Wind; Wind speed; Wind stress
• ISSN: 1385-0237; 1573-5052
• DOI: 10.1007/s11258-023-01360-y

Forest carbon storage inherently depends on the frequency and severity of characteristic disturbances and long-term changes in climate. The tropical forest of Lanjenchi, Taiwan is affected by the northeast monsoon wind, resulting in a varying vegetation structure depending on wind exposure. However, the northeast monsoon winds have been decreasing due to the climate change. We used four censuses over 22 years (1997, 2005, 2013, and 2019) to examine how tree density and aboveground biomass change under different levels of wind stress. We assessed tree density, aboveground biomass, aboveground woody productivity, and aboveground woody mortality from trees with diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 1 cm across 5.28 ha subdivided into 10 × 10 m quadrats. We tested for differences in tree density and aboveground biomass among three habitat types (windward, intermediate, and leeward), among small-diameter (1 cm ≤ DBH