Reimplementation of the Biome-BGC model to simulate successional change

Biogeochemical process models are increasingly employed to simulate current and future forest dynamics, but most simulate only a single canopy type. This limitation means that mixed stands, canopy succession and understory dynamics cannot be modeled, severe handicaps in many forests. The goals of th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Tree physiology 2005-04, Vol.25 (4), p.413-424
Main Authors: Bond-Lamberty, B, Gower, S.T, Ahl, D.E, Thornton, P.E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Atmosphere
boreal forests
ecological succession
Ecosystem
equations
fire ecology
forest ecology
forest trees
Light
mathematical models
Models, Biological
Nitrogen - physiology
Picea - physiology
Picea mariana
Plant Leaves - anatomy & histology
Plant Physiological Phenomena
Plant Stems - anatomy & histology
Soil
Time Factors
Water - physiology
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Summary:Biogeochemical process models are increasingly employed to simulate current and future forest dynamics, but most simulate only a single canopy type. This limitation means that mixed stands, canopy succession and understory dynamics cannot be modeled, severe handicaps in many forests. The goals of this study were to develop a version of Biome-BGC that supported multiple, interacting vegetation types, and to assess its performance and limitations by comparing modeled results to published data from a 150-year boreal black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) BSP) chronosequence in northern Manitoba, Canada. Model data structures and logic were modified to support an arbitrary number of interacting vegetation types; an explicit height calculation was necessary to prioritize radiation and precipitation interception. Two vegetation types, evergreen needle-leaf and deciduous broadleaf, were modeled based on site-specific meteorological and physiological data. The new version of Biome-BGC reliably simulated observed changes in leaf area, net primary production and carbon stocks, and should be useful for modeling the dynamics of mixed-species stands and ecological succession. We discuss the strengths and limitations of Biome-BGC for this application, and note areas in which further work is necessary for reliable simulation of boreal biogeochemical cycling at a landscape scale.
ISSN:0829-318X
1758-4469
DOI:10.1093/treephys/25.4.413