Articles | Volume 18, issue 9
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2957-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-2957-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
17 May 2021
Research article |
| 17 May 2021
| 17 May 2021
Climate change and elevated CO2 favor forest over savanna under different future scenarios in South Asia
Dushyant Kumar
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Mirjam Pfeiffer
Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Camille Gaillard
Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Liam Langan
Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Simon Scheiter
Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (SBiK-F), Senckenberganlage 25, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Related authors
Mirjam Pfeiffer, Dushyant Kumar, Carola Martens, and Simon Scheiter
Biogeosciences, 17, 5829–5847, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5829-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5829-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Lags caused by delayed vegetation response to changing environmental conditions can lead to disequilibrium vegetation states. Awareness of this issue is relevant for ecosystem conservation. We used the aDGVM vegetation model to quantify the difference between transient and equilibrium vegetation states in Africa during the 21st century for two potential climate trajectories. Lag times increased over time and vegetation was non-analog to any equilibrium state due to multi-lag composite states.
Mateus Dantas de Paula, Tatiana Reichert, Laynara F. Lugli, Erica McGale, Kerstin Pierick, João Paulo Darela-Filho, Liam Langan, Jürgen Homeier, Anja Rammig, and Thomas Hickler
Biogeosciences, 22, 2707–2732, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2707-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2707-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study explores how plant roots with different forms and functions rely on fungal partnerships for nutrient uptake. This relationship was integrated into a vegetation model and was tested in a tropical forest in Ecuador. The model accurately predicted root traits and showed that without fungi, biomass decreased by up to 80 %. The findings highlight the critical role of fungi in ecosystem processes and suggest that root–fungal interactions should be considered in vegetation models.
Simon Scheiter, Sophie Wolf, and Teja Kattenborn
Biogeosciences, 21, 4909–4926, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4909-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4909-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Biomes are widely used to map vegetation patterns at large spatial scales and to assess impacts of climate change, yet there is no consensus on a generally valid biome classification scheme. We used crowd-sourced species distribution data and trait data to assess whether trait information is suitable for delimiting biomes. Although the trait data were heterogeneous and had large gaps with respect to the spatial distribution, we found that a global trait-based biome classification was possible.
Mirjam Pfeiffer, Munir P. Hoffmann, Simon Scheiter, William Nelson, Johannes Isselstein, Kingsley Ayisi, Jude J. Odhiambo, and Reimund Rötter
Biogeosciences, 19, 3935–3958, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3935-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-3935-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Smallholder farmers face challenges due to poor land management and climate change. We linked the APSIM crop model and the aDGVM2 vegetation model to investigate integrated management options that enhance ecosystem functions and services. Sustainable intensification moderately increased yields. Crop residue grazing reduced feed gaps but not for dry-to-wet season transitions. Measures to improve soil water and nutrient status are recommended. Landscape-level ecosystem management is essential.
Angelica Feurdean, Andrei-Cosmin Diaconu, Mirjam Pfeiffer, Mariusz Gałka, Simon M. Hutchinson, Geanina Butiseaca, Natalia Gorina, Spassimir Tonkov, Aidin Niamir, Ioan Tantau, Hui Zhang, and Sergey Kirpotin
Clim. Past, 18, 1255–1274, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-1255-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-1255-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We used palaeoecological records from peatlands in southern Siberia. We showed that warmer climate conditions have lowered the water level and increased the fuel amount and flammability, consequently also increasing the frequency and severity of fires as well as the composition of tree types.
Mirjam Pfeiffer, Dushyant Kumar, Carola Martens, and Simon Scheiter
Biogeosciences, 17, 5829–5847, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5829-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-5829-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Lags caused by delayed vegetation response to changing environmental conditions can lead to disequilibrium vegetation states. Awareness of this issue is relevant for ecosystem conservation. We used the aDGVM vegetation model to quantify the difference between transient and equilibrium vegetation states in Africa during the 21st century for two potential climate trajectories. Lag times increased over time and vegetation was non-analog to any equilibrium state due to multi-lag composite states.
Angelica Feurdean, Boris Vannière, Walter Finsinger, Dan Warren, Simon C. Connor, Matthew Forrest, Johan Liakka, Andrei Panait, Christian Werner, Maja Andrič, Premysl Bobek, Vachel A. Carter, Basil Davis, Andrei-Cosmin Diaconu, Elisabeth Dietze, Ingo Feeser, Gabriela Florescu, Mariusz Gałka, Thomas Giesecke, Susanne Jahns, Eva Jamrichová, Katarzyna Kajukało, Jed Kaplan, Monika Karpińska-Kołaczek, Piotr Kołaczek, Petr Kuneš, Dimitry Kupriyanov, Mariusz Lamentowicz, Carsten Lemmen, Enikö K. Magyari, Katarzyna Marcisz, Elena Marinova, Aidin Niamir, Elena Novenko, Milena Obremska, Anna Pędziszewska, Mirjam Pfeiffer, Anneli Poska, Manfred Rösch, Michal Słowiński, Miglė Stančikaitė, Marta Szal, Joanna Święta-Musznicka, Ioan Tanţău, Martin Theuerkauf, Spassimir Tonkov, Orsolya Valkó, Jüri Vassiljev, Siim Veski, Ildiko Vincze, Agnieszka Wacnik, Julian Wiethold, and Thomas Hickler
Biogeosciences, 17, 1213–1230, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1213-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1213-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Our study covers the full Holocene (the past 11 500 years) climate variability and vegetation composition and provides a test on how vegetation and climate interact to determine fire hazard. An important implication of this test is that percentage of tree cover can be used as a predictor of the probability of fire occurrence. Biomass burned is highest at ~ 45 % tree cover in temperate forests and at ~ 60–65 % tree cover in needleleaf-dominated forests.
Simon Scheiter, Glenn R. Moncrieff, Mirjam Pfeiffer, and Steven I. Higgins
Biogeosciences, 17, 1147–1167, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1147-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-17-1147-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Current rates of climate and atmospheric change are likely higher than during the last millions of years. Vegetation cannot keep pace with these changes and lags behind climate. We used a vegetation model to study how these lags are influenced by CO2 and fire in Africa. Our results indicate that vegetation is most sensitive to CO2 change under current and near-future conditions and that vegetation will be committed to further change even if CO2 emissions are reduced and the climate stabilizes.
Kirsten Thonicke, Fanny Langerwisch, Matthias Baumann, Pedro J. Leitão, Tomáš Václavík, Ane Alencar, Margareth Simões, Simon Scheiter, Liam Langan, Mercedes Bustamante, Ignacio Gasparri, Marina Hirota, Jan Börner, Raoni Rajao, Britaldo Soares-Filho, Alberto Yanosky, José-Manuel Ochoa-Quinteiro, Lucas Seghezzo, Georgina Conti, and Anne Cristina de la Vega-Leinert
Biogeosciences Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2019-221, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-2019-221, 2019
Publication in BG not foreseen
Short summary
Short summary
Tropical dry forests and savannas harbor unique biodiversity and provide critical ecosystem services (ES), yet they are under severe pressure globally. We need to improve our understanding of how and when this pressure provokes tipping points in biodiversity and the associated social-ecological systems. We propose an approach to investigate how drivers leading to natural vegetation decline trigger biodiversity tipping and illustrate it using the example of the Dry Diagonal in South America.
Rhys Whitley, Jason Beringer, Lindsay B. Hutley, Gabriel Abramowitz, Martin G. De Kauwe, Bradley Evans, Vanessa Haverd, Longhui Li, Caitlin Moore, Youngryel Ryu, Simon Scheiter, Stanislaus J. Schymanski, Benjamin Smith, Ying-Ping Wang, Mathew Williams, and Qiang Yu
Biogeosciences, 14, 4711–4732, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-4711-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-14-4711-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
This paper attempts to review some of the current challenges faced by the modelling community in simulating the behaviour of savanna ecosystems. We provide a particular focus on three dynamic processes (phenology, root-water access, and fire) that are characteristic of savannas, which we believe are not adequately represented in current-generation terrestrial biosphere models. We highlight reasons for these misrepresentations, possible solutions and a future direction for research in this area.
M. Baudena, S. C. Dekker, P. M. van Bodegom, B. Cuesta, S. I. Higgins, V. Lehsten, C. H. Reick, M. Rietkerk, S. Scheiter, Z. Yin, M. A. Zavala, and V. Brovkin
Biogeosciences, 12, 1833–1848, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-1833-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-1833-2015, 2015
S. I. Higgins, L. Langan, and S. Scheiter
Biogeosciences, 11, 4357–4360, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-4357-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-4357-2014, 2014
Related subject area
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function: Terrestrial
The fungal collaboration gradient drives root trait distribution and ecosystem processes in a tropical montane forest
Measuring and modeling waterlogging tolerance to predict the future for threatened lowland ash forests
Reviews and syntheses: Current perspectives on biosphere research 2024–2025 – eight findings from ecology, sociology, and economics
Role of air–soil temperature in the leaf area index (LAI) course and role of height–diameter at breast height (DBH) in the maximum LAI during foliation of Platanus orientalis L. in an urban–rural greenway system
Ecosystem leaf area, gross primary production, and evapotranspiration responses to wildfire in the Columbia River basin
Optimal set of leaf and aboveground tree elements for predicting forest functioning
Water usage of old-growth oak at elevated CO2 in the FACE (Free-Air CO2 Enrichment) of climate change
Elephant megacarcasses increase local nutrient pools in African savanna soils and plants
Narrowing down dune establishment drivers on the beach
Combined effects of topography, soil moisture, and snow cover regimes on growth responses of grasslands in a low- mountain range (Vosges, France)
Assessing the effect of forest management on above-ground carbon stock by remote sensing
Soil smoldering in temperate forests: a neglected contributor to fire carbon emissions revealed by atmospheric mixing ratios
Enhancing environmental models with a new downscaling method for global radiation in complex terrain
On the predictability of turbulent fluxes from land: PLUMBER2 MIP experimental description and preliminary results
Crowd-sourced trait data can be used to delimit global biomes
Biomass yield potential, feedstock quality, and nutrient removal of perennial buffer strips under continuous zero fertilizer application
Leaf habit drives leaf nutrient resorption globally alongside nutrient availability and climate
Soil and Biomass Carbon Storage is Much Higher in Central American than Andean Montane Forests
Bio-climatic factors drive spectral vegetation changes in Greenland
Linking geomorphological processes and wildlife microhabitat selection: nesting birds select refuges generated by permafrost degradation in the Arctic
Distinguishing mature and immature trees allows estimating forest carbon uptake from stand structure
“Blooming” of litter-mixing effects: the role of flower and leaf litter interactions on decomposition in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems
Evaluating state-of-the-art process-based and data-driven models in simulating CO2 fluxes and their relationship with climate in western European temperate forests
From simple labels to semantic image segmentation: leveraging citizen science plant photographs for tree species mapping in drone imagery
Plant functional traits modulate the effects of soil acidification on above- and belowground biomass
Regional effects and local climate jointly shape the global distribution of sexual systems in woody flowering plants
Ideas and perspectives: Sensing energy and matter fluxes in a biota-dominated Patagonian landscape through environmental seismology – introducing the Pumalín Critical Zone Observatory
Comparison of carbon and water fluxes and the drivers of ecosystem water use efficiency in a temperate rainforest and a peatland in southern South America
Kilometre-scale simulations over Fennoscandia reveal a large loss of tundra due to climate warming
Microclimate mapping using novel radiative transfer modelling
Root distributions predict shrub–steppe responses to precipitation intensity
Thermophilisation of Afromontane forest stands demonstrated in an elevation gradient experiment
Above-treeline ecosystems facing drought: lessons from the 2022 European summer heat wave
Canopy gaps and associated losses of biomass – combining UAV imagery and field data in a central Amazon forest
Ideas and perspectives: Beyond model evaluation – combining experiments and models to advance terrestrial ecosystem science
Primary succession and its driving variables – a sphere-spanning approach applied in proglacial areas in the upper Martell Valley (Eastern Italian Alps)
Contemporary biodiversity pattern is affected by climate change at multiple temporal scales in steppes on the Mongolian Plateau
Quantifying vegetation indices using terrestrial laser scanning: methodological complexities and ecological insights from a Mediterranean forest
Revisiting and attributing the global controls over terrestrial ecosystem functions of climate and plant traits at FLUXNET sites via causal graphical models
Dynamics of short-term ecosystem carbon fluxes induced by precipitation events in a semiarid grassland
Throughfall exclusion and fertilization effects on tropical dry forest tree plantations, a large-scale experiment
Tectonic controls on the ecosystem of the Mara River basin, East Africa, from geomorphological and spectral index analysis
Spruce bark beetles (Ips typographus) cause up to 700 times higher bark BVOC emission rates compared to healthy Norway spruce (Picea abies)
Technical note: Novel estimates of the leaf relative uptake rate of carbonyl sulfide from optimality theory
Observed water and light limitation across global ecosystems
A question of scale: modeling biomass, gain and mortality distributions of a tropical forest
Seed traits and phylogeny explain plants' geographic distribution
Effect of the presence of plateau pikas on the ecosystem services of alpine meadows
Allometric equations and wood density parameters for estimating aboveground and woody debris biomass in Cajander larch (Larix cajanderi) forests of northeast Siberia
Strong influence of trees outside forest in regulating microclimate of intensively modified Afromontane landscapes
Mateus Dantas de Paula, Tatiana Reichert, Laynara F. Lugli, Erica McGale, Kerstin Pierick, João Paulo Darela-Filho, Liam Langan, Jürgen Homeier, Anja Rammig, and Thomas Hickler
Biogeosciences, 22, 2707–2732, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2707-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2707-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study explores how plant roots with different forms and functions rely on fungal partnerships for nutrient uptake. This relationship was integrated into a vegetation model and was tested in a tropical forest in Ecuador. The model accurately predicted root traits and showed that without fungi, biomass decreased by up to 80 %. The findings highlight the critical role of fungi in ecosystem processes and suggest that root–fungal interactions should be considered in vegetation models.
Eric J. Gustafson, Dustin R. Bronson, Marcella A. Windmuller-Campione, Robert A. Slesak, and Deahn M. Donner
Biogeosciences, 22, 2499–2515, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2499-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2499-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Black ash forests provide many ecological and tribal cultural benefits but may soon be killed by invasive insects. Black ash trees maintain forests on very wet sites by removing enough water to allow other species to survive. We combined results from physical experiments and a simulation model to project the ecological outcome of strategies to replace ash with species not killed by the insect. We found that this should work if ways can be found to ensure that planted trees survive to maturity.
Friedrich J. Bohn, Ana Bastos, Romina Martin, Anja Rammig, Niak Sian Koh, Giles B. Sioen, Bram Buscher, Louise Carver, Fabrice DeClerck, Moritz Drupp, Robert Fletcher, Matthew Forrest, Alexandros Gasparatos, Alex Godoy-Faúndez, Gregor Hagedorn, Martin C. Hänsel, Jessica Hetzer, Thomas Hickler, Cornelia B. Krug, Stasja Koot, Xiuzhen Li, Amy Luers, Shelby Matevich, H. Damon Matthews, Ina C. Meier, Mirco Migliavacca, Awaz Mohamed, Sungmin O, David Obura, Ben Orlove, Rene Orth, Laura Pereira, Markus Reichstein, Lerato Thakholi, Peter H. Verburg, and Yuki Yoshida
Biogeosciences, 22, 2425–2460, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2425-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2425-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
An interdisciplinary collaboration of 36 international researchers from 35 institutions highlights recent findings in biosphere research. Within eight themes, they discuss issues arising from climate change and other anthropogenic stressors and highlight the co-benefits of nature-based solutions and ecosystem services. Based on an analysis of these eight topics, we have synthesized four overarching insights.
Melih Öztürk, Turgay Biricik, and Rıdvan Koruyan
Biogeosciences, 22, 2351–2362, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2351-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2351-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Oriental plane leaf area index (LAI) values changed with a definite pattern compatible with phenological periods. Air–soil temperatures were significantly definitive regarding the course of mean LAIs, particularly during foliation. Tree height and diameter at breast height (DBH) were not correlated with point-based maximum LAIs. Point-based mean LAIs increased from 0.80 to 2.76 m2 m−2 during foliation. Mean tree height and DBH for point-based canopies ranged between 17.0–26.7 m and 26.5–38.2 cm, respectively.
Mingjie Shi, Nate McDowell, Huilin Huang, Faria Zahura, Lingcheng Li, and Xingyuan Chen
Biogeosciences, 22, 2225–2238, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2225-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2225-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer data products, we quantitatively estimate the resistance and resilience of ecosystem functions to wildfires that occurred in the Columbia River basin in 2015. The carbon state exhibits lower resistance and resilience than the ecosystem fluxes. The random forest feature importance analysis indicates that burn severity plays a minor role in the resilience of grassland and a relatively major role in the resilience of forest and savanna.
Écio Souza Diniz, Eladio Rodríguez-Penedo, Roger Grau-Andrés, Jordi Vayreda, and Marcos Fernández-Martínez
Biogeosciences, 22, 2115–2132, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2115-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-2115-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
In this study, we found that the accumulation of nutrients (e.g., carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium) in leaves is an important factor in explaining tree growth in forest ecosystems. This result provides evidence for forest growth studies aimed at forest conservation and restoration to better direct their resources to data collection and measurement. Collecting data on nutrient stocks in tree leaves can also provide valuable information to broaden our understanding of forest functioning.
Susan E. Quick, Giulio Curioni, Nicholas J. Harper, Stefan Krause, and A. Robert MacKenzie
Biogeosciences, 22, 1557–1581, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1557-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1557-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
To study the effects of rising CO2 levels on water usage of old-growth temperate oak forest, we monitored trees in an open-air elevated CO2 experiment for 5 years. We found 4 %–16 % leaf-on season reduction in daylight water usage for ~35% increase in atmospheric CO2. July-only reduction varied more widely. Tree water usage depended on tree size, i.e. stem size and projected canopy area, across all treatments. Experimental infrastructure increased the water usage of the trees in leaf-on season.
Courtney G. Reed, Michelle L. Budny, Johan T. du Toit, Ryan Helcoski, Joshua P. Schimel, Izak P. J. Smit, Tercia Strydom, Aimee Tallian, Dave I. Thompson, Helga van Coller, Nathan P. Lemoine, and Deron E. Burkepile
Biogeosciences, 22, 1583–1596, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1583-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1583-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
We seek to understand the ecological legacies of elephants after death. We sampled soil and leaves at elephant carcass sites in South Africa and found that elephant carcasses release nutrients into soil, which plants take up and make available for consumption by herbivores. This research reveals a key way that elephants contribute to nutrient cycling in savannas after death. It also highlights an important process that may be lost in areas where elephant populations are in decline.
Jan-Markus Homberger, Sasja van Rosmalen, Michel Riksen, and Juul Limpens
Biogeosciences, 22, 1301–1320, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1301-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1301-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding what determines the establishment of dune-building vegetation could help to better predict coastal dune initiation and development. We monitored the establishment of dune-building grasses and dune initiation in a large field experiment. Our results show that dune initiation takes place during peaks in dune-building grass establishment, which depend on favorable environmental conditions. Our findings can potentially be integrated into beach restoration and management strategies.
Pierre-Alexis Herrault, Albin Ullmann, and Damien Ertlen
Biogeosciences, 22, 705–724, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-705-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-705-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Mountain grasslands are impacted by climate change and need to adapt. Low-mountain grasslands are poorly understood compared to high-mountain massifs. Thanks to satellite archives, we found that grasslands occurring in the Vosges Mountains (France) exhibited stable productivity or tended to decrease in specific regions of the massif, with a reverse signal observed in high-mountain massifs. We also noted a high responsiveness in their growth strategy to soil moisture, snow regime, and topography.
Sofie Van Winckel, Jonas Simons, Stef Lhermitte, and Bart Muys
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4094, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-4094, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Insights on management's impact on forest carbon stocks are crucial for sustainable forest management practices. However, accurately monitoring carbon stocks remains a technological challenge. This study estimates above-ground carbon stock in managed and unmanaged forests using passive optical, SAR, and LiDAR remote sensing data. Results show promising potential in using multiple remote sensing predictors and publicly available high-resolution data for mapping forest carbon stocks.
Lilian Vallet, Charbel Abdallah, Thomas Lauvaux, Lilian Joly, Michel Ramonet, Philippe Ciais, Morgan Lopez, Irène Xueref-Remy, and Florent Mouillot
Biogeosciences, 22, 213–242, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-213-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-213-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
The 2022 fire season had a huge impact on European temperate forest, with several large fires exhibiting prolonged soil combustion reported. We analyzed CO and CO2 concentration recorded at nearby atmospheric towers, revealing intense smoldering combustion. We refined a fire emission model to incorporate this process. We estimated 7.95 Mteq CO2 fire emission, twice the global estimate. Fires contributed to 1.97 % of France's annual carbon footprint, reducing forest carbon sink by 30 % this year.
Arsène Druel, Julien Ruffault, Hendrik Davi, André Chanzy, Olivier Marloie, Miquel De Cáceres, Albert Olioso, Florent Mouillot, Christophe François, Kamel Soudani, and Nicolas K. Martin-StPaul
Biogeosciences, 22, 1–18, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-1-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
Accurate radiation data are essential for understanding ecosystem functions and dynamics. Traditional large-scale data lack the precision needed for complex terrain. This study introduces a new model, which accounts for sub-daily direct and diffuse radiation effects caused by terrain features, to enhance the radiation data resolution using elevation maps. Tested on a mountainous area, this method significantly improved radiation estimates, benefiting predictions of forest functions.
Gab Abramowitz, Anna Ukkola, Sanaa Hobeichi, Jon Cranko Page, Mathew Lipson, Martin G. De Kauwe, Samuel Green, Claire Brenner, Jonathan Frame, Grey Nearing, Martyn Clark, Martin Best, Peter Anthoni, Gabriele Arduini, Souhail Boussetta, Silvia Caldararu, Kyeungwoo Cho, Matthias Cuntz, David Fairbairn, Craig R. Ferguson, Hyungjun Kim, Yeonjoo Kim, Jürgen Knauer, David Lawrence, Xiangzhong Luo, Sergey Malyshev, Tomoko Nitta, Jerome Ogee, Keith Oleson, Catherine Ottlé, Phillipe Peylin, Patricia de Rosnay, Heather Rumbold, Bob Su, Nicolas Vuichard, Anthony P. Walker, Xiaoni Wang-Faivre, Yunfei Wang, and Yijian Zeng
Biogeosciences, 21, 5517–5538, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5517-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5517-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This paper evaluates land models – computer-based models that simulate ecosystem dynamics; land carbon, water, and energy cycles; and the role of land in the climate system. It uses machine learning and AI approaches to show that, despite the complexity of land models, they do not perform nearly as well as they could given the amount of information they are provided with about the prediction problem.
Simon Scheiter, Sophie Wolf, and Teja Kattenborn
Biogeosciences, 21, 4909–4926, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4909-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4909-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Biomes are widely used to map vegetation patterns at large spatial scales and to assess impacts of climate change, yet there is no consensus on a generally valid biome classification scheme. We used crowd-sourced species distribution data and trait data to assess whether trait information is suitable for delimiting biomes. Although the trait data were heterogeneous and had large gaps with respect to the spatial distribution, we found that a global trait-based biome classification was possible.
Cheng-Hsien Lin, Colleen Zumpf, Chunhwa Jang, Thomas Voigt, Guanglong Tian, Olawale Oladeji, Albert Cox, Rehnuma Mehzabin, and DoKyoung Lee
Biogeosciences, 21, 4765–4784, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4765-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4765-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Riparian areas are subject to environmental issues (nutrient leaching) associated with low productivity. Perennial grasses can improve ecosystem services from riparian zones while producing forage/bioenergy feedstock biomass as potential income for farmers. The forage-type buffer can be an ideal short-term candidate due to its great efficiency of nutrient scavenging; the bioenergy-type buffer showed better sustainability than the forage buffer and a continuous yield supply potential.
Gabriela Sophia, Silvia Caldararu, Benjamin David Stocker, and Sönke Zaehle
Biogeosciences, 21, 4169–4193, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4169-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-4169-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Through an extensive global dataset of leaf nutrient resorption and a multifactorial analysis, we show that the majority of spatial variation in nutrient resorption may be driven by leaf habit and type, with thicker, longer-lived leaves having lower resorption efficiencies. Climate, soil fertility and soil-related factors emerge as strong drivers with an additional effect on its role. These results are essential for comprehending plant nutrient status, plant productivity and nutrient cycling.
Cecilia M. Prada, Katherine D. Heineman, Maria J. Pardo, Camille Piponiot, and James W. Dalling
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2738, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2738, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The influence of elevation and soil nutrient availability on carbon stocks has not been evaluated for ectomycorrhizal forests in the tropics. In western Panama we calculated C pools in ten plots in an elevational gradient varying in relative abundance of EM-trees. We found exceptionally high aboveground soil C in high elevation EM-forest, in contrast to arbuscular mycorrhizal-dominated Andean forests.
Tiago Silva, Brandon Samuel Whitley, Elisabeth Machteld Biersma, Jakob Abermann, Katrine Raundrup, Natasha de Vere, Toke Thomas Høye, and Wolfgang Schöner
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2571, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-2571, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Ecosystems in Greenland have experienced significant changes over recent decades. Here, we show the consistency of a high-resolution polar-adapted reanalysis product to represent bio-climatic factors influencing ecological processes. Our results describe the interaction between snowmelt and soil water availability before the growing season onset, infer how changes in the growing season relate to changes in spectral greenness and identify regions of ongoing changes in vegetation distribution.
Madeleine-Zoé Corbeil-Robitaille, Éliane Duchesne, Daniel Fortier, Christophe Kinnard, and Joël Bêty
Biogeosciences, 21, 3401–3423, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3401-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3401-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In the Arctic tundra, climate change is transforming the landscape, and this may impact wildlife. We focus on three nesting bird species and the islets they select as refuges from their main predator, the Arctic fox. A geomorphological process, ice-wedge polygon degradation, was found to play a key role in creating these refuges. This process is likely to affect predator–prey dynamics in the Arctic tundra, highlighting the connections between nature's physical and ecological systems.
Samuel M. Fischer, Xugao Wang, and Andreas Huth
Biogeosciences, 21, 3305–3319, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3305-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3305-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding the drivers of forest productivity is key for accurately assessing forests’ role in the global carbon cycle. Yet, despite significant research effort, it is not fully understood how the productivity of a forest can be deduced from its stand structure. We suggest tackling this problem by identifying the share and structure of immature trees within forests and show that this approach could significantly improve estimates of forests’ net productivity and carbon uptake.
Mery Ingrid Guimarães de Alencar, Rafael D. Guariento, Bertrand Guenet, Luciana S. Carneiro, Eduardo L. Voigt, and Adriano Caliman
Biogeosciences, 21, 3165–3182, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3165-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-3165-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Flowers are ephemeral organs for reproduction, and their litter is functionally different from leaf litter. Flowers can affect decomposition and interact with leaf litter, influencing decomposition non-additively. We show that mixing flower and leaf litter from the Tabebuia aurea tree creates reciprocal synergistic effects on decomposition in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. We highlight that flower litter input can generate biogeochemical hotspots in terrestrial ecosystems.
Gaïa Michel, Julien Crétat, Olivier Mathieu, Mathieu Thévenot, Andrey Dara, Robert Granat, Zhendong Wu, Clément Bonnefoy-Claudet, Julianne Capelle, Jean Cacot, and John S. Kimball
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1758, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-1758, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
This study questions the usefulness of state-ot-the-art models to characterize the temporal variability of atmosphere-ecosystem CO2 exchanges in western European forests. Their mean annual cycle and annual budget are better captured by statistical than physical models, while their interannual variability and long-term trend are better captured by models forced by climate variability. Accounting for both forest stands and climate variability is thus key for properly assessing CO2 fluxes.
Salim Soltani, Olga Ferlian, Nico Eisenhauer, Hannes Feilhauer, and Teja Kattenborn
Biogeosciences, 21, 2909–2935, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2909-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2909-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
In this research, we developed a novel method using citizen science data as alternative training data for computer vision models to map plant species in unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV) images. We use citizen science plant photographs to train models and apply them to UAV images. We tested our approach on UAV images of a test site with 10 different tree species, yielding accurate results. This research shows the potential of citizen science data to advance our ability to monitor plant species.
Xue Feng, Ruzhen Wang, Tianpeng Li, Jiangping Cai, Heyong Liu, Hui Li, and Yong Jiang
Biogeosciences, 21, 2641–2653, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2641-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2641-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Plant functional traits have been considered as reflecting adaptations to environmental variations, indirectly affecting ecosystem productivity. How soil acidification affects above- and belowground biomass by altering leaf and root traits remains poorly understood. We found divergent trait responses driven by soil environmental conditions in two dominant species, resulting in a decrease in aboveground biomass and an increase in belowground biomass.
Minhua Zhang, Xiaoqing Hu, and Fangliang He
Biogeosciences, 21, 2133–2142, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2133-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2133-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Plant sexual systems are important to understanding the evolution and maintenance of plant diversity. We quantified region effects on their proportions while incorporating local climate factors and evolutionary history. We found regional processes and climate effects both play important roles in shaping the geographic distribution of sexual systems, providing a baseline for predicting future changes in forest communities in the context of global change.
Christian H. Mohr, Michael Dietze, Violeta Tolorza, Erwin Gonzalez, Benjamin Sotomayor, Andres Iroume, Sten Gilfert, and Frieder Tautz
Biogeosciences, 21, 1583–1599, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1583-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1583-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Coastal temperate rainforests, among Earth’s carbon richest biomes, are systematically underrepresented in the global network of critical zone observatories (CZOs). Introducing here a first CZO in the heart of the Patagonian rainforest, Chile, we investigate carbon sink functioning, biota-driven landscape evolution, fluxes of matter and energy, and disturbance regimes. We invite the community to join us in cross-disciplinary collaboration to advance science in this particular environment.
Jorge F. Perez-Quezada, David Trejo, Javier Lopatin, David Aguilera, Bruce Osborne, Mauricio Galleguillos, Luca Zattera, Juan L. Celis-Diez, and Juan J. Armesto
Biogeosciences, 21, 1371–1389, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1371-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1371-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
For 8 years we sampled a temperate rainforest and a peatland in Chile to estimate their efficiency to capture carbon per unit of water lost. The efficiency is more related to the water lost than to the carbon captured and is mainly driven by evaporation instead of transpiration. This is the first report from southern South America and highlights that ecosystems might behave differently in this area, likely explained by the high annual precipitation (~ 2100 mm) and light-limited conditions.
Fredrik Lagergren, Robert G. Björk, Camilla Andersson, Danijel Belušić, Mats P. Björkman, Erik Kjellström, Petter Lind, David Lindstedt, Tinja Olenius, Håkan Pleijel, Gunhild Rosqvist, and Paul A. Miller
Biogeosciences, 21, 1093–1116, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1093-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-1093-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The Fennoscandian boreal and mountain regions harbour a wide range of ecosystems sensitive to climate change. A new, highly resolved high-emission climate scenario enabled modelling of the vegetation development in this region at high resolution for the 21st century. The results show dramatic south to north and low- to high-altitude shifts of vegetation zones, especially for the open tundra environments, which will have large implications for nature conservation, reindeer husbandry and forestry.
Florian Zellweger, Eric Sulmoni, Johanna T. Malle, Andri Baltensweiler, Tobias Jonas, Niklaus E. Zimmermann, Christian Ginzler, Dirk Nikolaus Karger, Pieter De Frenne, David Frey, and Clare Webster
Biogeosciences, 21, 605–623, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-605-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-605-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The microclimatic conditions experienced by organisms living close to the ground are not well represented in currently used climate datasets derived from weather stations. Therefore, we measured and mapped ground microclimate temperatures at 10 m spatial resolution across Switzerland using a novel radiation model. Our results reveal a high variability in microclimates across different habitats and will help to better understand climate and land use impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems.
Andrew Kulmatiski, Martin C. Holdrege, Cristina Chirvasă, and Karen H. Beard
Biogeosciences, 21, 131–143, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-131-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-131-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Warmer air and larger precipitation events are changing the way water moves through the soil and into plants. Here we show that detailed descriptions of root distributions can predict plant growth responses to changing precipitation patterns. Shrubs and forbs increased growth, while grasses showed no response to increased precipitation intensity, and these responses were predicted by plant rooting distributions.
Bonaventure Ntirugulirwa, Etienne Zibera, Nkuba Epaphrodite, Aloysie Manishimwe, Donat Nsabimana, Johan Uddling, and Göran Wallin
Biogeosciences, 20, 5125–5149, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-5125-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-5125-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Twenty tropical tree species native to Africa were planted along an elevation gradient (1100 m, 5.4 °C difference). We found that early-successional (ES) species, especially from lower elevations, grew faster at warmer sites, while several of the late-successional (LS) species, especially from higher elevations, did not respond or grew slower. Moreover, a warmer climate increased tree mortality in LS species, but not much in ES species.
Philippe Choler
Biogeosciences, 20, 4259–4272, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4259-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-4259-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The year 2022 was unique in that the summer heat wave and drought led to a widespread reduction in vegetation growth at high elevation in the European Alps. This impact was unprecedented in the southwestern, warm, and dry part of the Alps. Over the last 2 decades, water has become a co-dominant control of vegetation activity in areas that were, so far, primarily controlled by temperature, and the growth of mountain grasslands has become increasingly sensitive to moisture availability.
Adriana Simonetti, Raquel Fernandes Araujo, Carlos Henrique Souza Celes, Flávia Ranara da Silva e Silva, Joaquim dos Santos, Niro Higuchi, Susan Trumbore, and Daniel Magnabosco Marra
Biogeosciences, 20, 3651–3666, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3651-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3651-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We combined 2 years of monthly drone-acquired RGB (red–green–blue) imagery with field surveys in a central Amazon forest. Our results indicate that small gaps associated with branch fall were the most frequent. Biomass losses were partially controlled by gap area, with branch fall and snapping contributing the least and greatest relative values, respectively. Our study highlights the potential of drone images for monitoring canopy dynamics in dense tropical forests.
Silvia Caldararu, Victor Rolo, Benjamin D. Stocker, Teresa E. Gimeno, and Richard Nair
Biogeosciences, 20, 3637–3649, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3637-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-3637-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Ecosystem manipulative experiments are large experiments in real ecosystems. They include processes such as species interactions and weather that would be omitted in more controlled settings. They offer a high level of realism but are underused in combination with vegetation models used to predict the response of ecosystems to global change. We propose a workflow using models and ecosystem experiments together, taking advantage of the benefits of both tools for Earth system understanding.
Katharina Ramskogler, Bettina Knoflach, Bernhard Elsner, Brigitta Erschbamer, Florian Haas, Tobias Heckmann, Florentin Hofmeister, Livia Piermattei, Camillo Ressl, Svenja Trautmann, Michael H. Wimmer, Clemens Geitner, Johann Stötter, and Erich Tasser
Biogeosciences, 20, 2919–2939, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2919-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2919-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Primary succession in proglacial areas depends on complex driving forces. To concretise the complex effects and interaction processes, 39 known explanatory variables assigned to seven spheres were analysed via principal component analysis and generalised additive models. Key results show that in addition to time- and elevation-dependent factors, also disturbances alter vegetation development. The results are useful for debates on vegetation development in a warming climate.
Zijing Li, Zhiyong Li, Xuze Tong, Lei Dong, Ying Zheng, Jinghui Zhang, Bailing Miao, Lixin Wang, Liqing Zhao, Lu Wen, Guodong Han, Frank Yonghong Li, and Cunzhu Liang
Biogeosciences, 20, 2869–2882, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2869-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2869-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We used random forest models and structural equation models to assess the relative importance of the present climate and paleoclimate as determinants of diversity and aboveground biomass. Results showed that paleoclimate changes and modern climate jointly determined contemporary biodiversity patterns, while community biomass was mainly affected by modern climate. These findings suggest that contemporary biodiversity patterns may be affected by processes at divergent temporal scales.
William Rupert Moore Flynn, Harry Jon Foord Owen, Stuart William David Grieve, and Emily Rebecca Lines
Biogeosciences, 20, 2769–2784, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2769-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2769-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Quantifying vegetation indices is crucial for ecosystem monitoring and modelling. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) has potential to accurately measure vegetation indices, but multiple methods exist, with little consensus on best practice. We compare three methods and extract wood-to-plant ratio, a metric used to correct for wood in leaf indices. We show corrective metrics vary with tree structure and variation among methods, highlighting the value of TLS data and importance of rigorous testing.
Haiyang Shi, Geping Luo, Olaf Hellwich, Alishir Kurban, Philippe De Maeyer, and Tim Van de Voorde
Biogeosciences, 20, 2727–2741, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2727-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2727-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In studies on the relationship between ecosystem functions and climate and plant traits, previously used data-driven methods such as multiple regression and random forest may be inadequate for representing causality due to limitations such as covariance between variables. Based on FLUXNET site data, we used a causal graphical model to revisit the control of climate and vegetation traits over ecosystem functions.
Josué Delgado-Balbuena, Henry W. Loescher, Carlos A. Aguirre-Gutiérrez, Teresa Alfaro-Reyna, Luis F. Pineda-Martínez, Rodrigo Vargas, and Tulio Arredondo
Biogeosciences, 20, 2369–2385, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2369-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2369-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
In the semiarid grassland, an increase in soil moisture at shallow depths instantly enhances carbon release through respiration. In contrast, deeper soil water controls plant carbon uptake but with a delay of several days. Previous soil conditions, biological activity, and the size and timing of precipitation are factors that determine the amount of carbon released into the atmosphere. Thus, future changes in precipitation patterns could convert ecosystems from carbon sinks to carbon sources.
German Vargas Gutiérrez, Daniel Pérez-Aviles, Nanette Raczka, Damaris Pereira-Arias, Julián Tijerín-Triviño, L. David Pereira-Arias, David Medvigy, Bonnie G. Waring, Ember Morrisey, Edward Brzostek, and Jennifer S. Powers
Biogeosciences, 20, 2143–2160, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2143-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2143-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
To study whether nutrient availability controls tropical dry forest responses to reductions in soil moisture, we established the first troughfall exclusion experiment in a tropical dry forest plantation system crossed with a fertilization scheme. We found that the effects of fertilization on net primary productivity are larger than the effects of a ~15 % reduction in soil moisture, although in many cases we observed an interaction between drought and nutrient additions, suggesting colimitation.
Alina Lucia Ludat and Simon Kübler
Biogeosciences, 20, 1991–2012, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1991-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-1991-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Satellite-based analysis illustrates the impact of geological processes for the stability of the ecosystem in the Mara River basin (Kenya/Tanzania). Newly detected fault activity influences the course of river networks and modifies erosion–deposition patterns. Tectonic surface features and variations in rock chemistry lead to localized enhancement of clay and soil moisture values and seasonally stabilised vegetation growth patterns in this climatically vulnerable region.
Erica Jaakkola, Antje Gärtner, Anna Maria Jönsson, Karl Ljung, Per-Ola Olsson, and Thomas Holst
Biogeosciences, 20, 803–826, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-803-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-803-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Increased spruce bark beetle outbreaks were recently seen in Sweden. When Norway spruce trees are attacked, they increase their production of VOCs, attempting to kill the beetles. We provide new insights into how the Norway spruce act when infested and found the emitted volatiles to increase up to 700 times and saw a change in compound blend. We estimate that the 2020 bark beetle outbreak in Sweden could have increased the total monoterpene emissions from the forest by more than 10 %.
Georg Wohlfahrt, Albin Hammerle, Felix M. Spielmann, Florian Kitz, and Chuixiang Yi
Biogeosciences, 20, 589–596, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-589-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-589-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The trace gas carbonyl sulfide (COS), which is taken up by plant leaves in a process very similar to photosynthesis, is thought to be a promising proxy for the gross uptake of carbon dioxide by plants. Here we propose a new framework for estimating a key metric to that end, the so-called leaf relative uptake rate. The values we deduce by applying principles of plant optimality are considerably lower than published values and may help reduce the uncertainty of the global COS budget.
François Jonard, Andrew F. Feldman, Daniel J. Short Gianotti, and Dara Entekhabi
Biogeosciences, 19, 5575–5590, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5575-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-5575-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the spatial and temporal patterns of light and water limitation in plant function at the ecosystem scale. Using satellite observations, we characterize the nonlinear relationships between sun-induced chlorophyll fluorescence (SIF) and water and light availability. This study highlights that soil moisture limitations on SIF are found primarily in drier environments, while light limitations are found in intermediately wet regions.
Nikolai Knapp, Sabine Attinger, and Andreas Huth
Biogeosciences, 19, 4929–4944, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4929-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4929-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The biomass of forests is determined by forest growth and mortality. These quantities can be estimated with different methods such as inventories, remote sensing and modeling. These methods are usually being applied at different spatial scales. The scales influence the obtained frequency distributions of biomass, growth and mortality. This study suggests how to transfer between scales, when using forest models of different complexity for a tropical forest.
Kai Chen, Kevin S. Burgess, Fangliang He, Xiang-Yun Yang, Lian-Ming Gao, and De-Zhu Li
Biogeosciences, 19, 4801–4810, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4801-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4801-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Why does plants' distributional range size vary enormously? This study provides evidence that seed mass, intraspecific seed mass variation, seed dispersal mode and phylogeny contribute to explaining species distribution variation on a geographic scale. Our study clearly shows the importance of including seed life-history traits in modeling and predicting the impact of climate change on species distribution of seed plants.
Ying Ying Chen, Huan Yang, Gen Sheng Bao, Xiao Pan Pang, and Zheng Gang Guo
Biogeosciences, 19, 4521–4532, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4521-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4521-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Investigating the effect of the presence of plateau pikas on ecosystem services of alpine meadows is helpful to understand the role of the presence of small mammalian herbivores in grasslands. The results of this study showed that the presence of plateau pikas led to higher biodiversity conservation, soil nitrogen and phosphorus maintenance, and carbon sequestration of alpine meadows, whereas it led to lower forage available to livestock and water conservation of alpine meadows.
Clement Jean Frédéric Delcourt and Sander Veraverbeke
Biogeosciences, 19, 4499–4520, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4499-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4499-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This study provides new equations that can be used to estimate aboveground tree biomass in larch-dominated forests of northeast Siberia. Applying these equations to 53 forest stands in the Republic of Sakha (Russia) resulted in significantly larger biomass stocks than when using existing equations. The data presented in this work can help refine biomass estimates in Siberian boreal forests. This is essential to assess changes in boreal vegetation and carbon dynamics.
Iris Johanna Aalto, Eduardo Eiji Maeda, Janne Heiskanen, Eljas Kullervo Aalto, and Petri Kauko Emil Pellikka
Biogeosciences, 19, 4227–4247, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4227-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-4227-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Tree canopies are strong moderators of understory climatic conditions. In tropical areas, trees cool down the microclimates. Using remote sensing and field measurements we show how even intermediate canopy cover and agroforestry trees contributed to buffering the hottest temperatures in Kenya. The cooling effect was the greatest during hot days and in lowland areas, where the ambient temperatures were high. Adopting agroforestry practices in the area could assist in mitigating climate change.
Cited articles
Acharya, B. S., Kharel, G., Zou, C. B., Wilcox, B. P., and Halihan, T.: Woody
plant encroachment impacts on groundwater recharge: A review, Water, 10,
1466, https://doi.org/10.3390/w10101466, 2018. a
Allen, M. R., Barros, V. R., Broome, J., Cramer, W., Christ, R., Church, J. A., Clarke, L., Dahe, Q., Dasgupta, P., and Dubash, N. K.: IPCC fifth assessment synthesis report-climate change 2014 synthesis report, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Geneva, Switzerland, 2014. a
Archer, S. R., Andersen, E. M., Predick, K. I., Schwinning, S., Steidl, R. J., and Woods, S. R.: Woody plant encroachment: causes and consequences, in: Rangeland systems, Springer, Cham, Switzerland, 25–84,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-46709-2_2, 2017. a
Bednarz, S. T., Dybala, T., Muttiah, R. S., Rosenthal, W., and Dugas, W. A.:
Brush/water yield feasibility studies, Blackland Research Center, Temple,
Texas, USA, 2001. a
Bera, S. K., Basumatary, S. K., Agarwal, A., and Ahmed, M.: Conversion of
forest land in Garo Hills, Meghalaya for construction of roads: A
threat to the environment and biodiversity, Curr. Sci. India, 91, 281–284, 2006. a
Boulangeat, I., Philippe, P., Abdulhak, S., Douzet, R., Garraud, L., Lavergne, S., Lavorel, S., Van Es, J., Vittoz, P., and Thuiller, W.: Improving plant functional groups for dynamic models of biodiversity: at the crossroads between functional and community ecology, Global Change Biol., 18, 3464–3475, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2012.02783.x, 2012. a
Brienen, R. J., Phillips, O. L., Feldpausch, T. R., Gloor, E., Baker, T. R.,
Lloyd, J., Lopez-Gonzalez, G., Monteagudo-Mendoza, A., Malhi, Y., and Lewis,
S. L.: Long-term decline of the Amazon carbon sink, Nature, 519, 344–348, 2015. a
Brodie, J. F., Aslan, C. E., Rogers, H. S., Redford, K. H., Maron, J. L.,
Bronstein, J. L., and Groves, C. R.: Secondary extinctions of biodiversity,
Trends Ecol. Evol., 29, 664–672,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2014.09.012, 2014. a
Buitenwerf, R., Rose, L., and Higgins, S. I.: Three decades of
multi-dimensional change in global leaf phenology, Nat. Clim. Change, 5,
364–368, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2533, 2015. a
Cao, L., Bala, G., Caldeira, K., Nemani, R., and Ban-Weiss, G.: Importance of
carbon dioxide physiological forcing to future climate change, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 107, 9513–9518, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0913000107, 2010. a
Chapin, F. S., Walker, B. H., Hobbs, R. J., Hooper, D. U., Lawton, J. H., Sala, O. E., and Tilman, D.: Biotic control over the functioning of ecosystems, Science, 277, 500–504, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.277.5325.500, 1997. a
Chaturvedi, R. K., Gopalakrishnan, R., Jayaraman, M., Bala, G., Joshi, N. V.,
Sukumar, R., and Ravindranath, N. H.: Impact of climate change on Indian
forests: a dynamic vegetation modeling approach, Mitig. Adapt. Strat. Gl., 16, 119–142, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11027-010-9257-7, 2011. a, b
Chen, I.-C., Hill, J. K., Ohlemüller, R., Roy, D. B., and Thomas, C. D.: Rapid range shifts of species associated with high levels of climate warming,
Science, 333, 1024–1026, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1206432, 2011. a
Choat, B., Brodribb, T. J., Brodersen, C. R., Duursma, R. A., López, R.,
and Medlyn, B. E.: Triggers of tree mortality under drought, Nature, 558,
531–539, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0240-x, 2018. a
Choudhury, B. J., DiGirolamo, N. E., Susskind, J., Darnell, W. L., Gupta,
S. K., and Asrar, G.: A biophysical process-based estimate of global land
surface evaporation using satellite and ancillary data II, Regional and
global patterns of seasonal and annual variations, J. Hydrol., 205,
186–204, https://doi.org/10.1016/s0022-1694(97)00149-2, 1998. a
Cleland, E. E., Chuine, I., Menzel, A., Mooney, H. A., and Schwartz, M. D.:
Shifting plant phenology in response to global change, Trends Ecol. Evol., 22, 357–365, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2007.04.003, 2007. a
Collatz, G. J., Ball, J. T., Grivet, C., and Berry, J. A.: Physiological and
environmental regulation of stomatal conductance, photosynthesis and
transpiration: a model that includes a laminar boundary layer, Agr. Forest Meteorol., 54, 107–136, https://doi.org/10.1016/0168-1923(91)90002-8, 1991. a
Collatz, G. J., Ribas-Carbo, M., and Berry, J. A.: Coupled
photosynthesis-stomatal conductance model for leaves of C4 plants,
Funct. Plant Biol., 19, 519–538, https://doi.org/10.1071/pp9920519, 1992. a, b, c
Deb, J., Phinn, S. R., Butt, N., and McAlpine, C. A.: Summary of climate change impacts on tree species distribution, phenology, forest structure and
composition for each of the 85 studies reviewed, The University of Queensland [Data Collection], https://doi.org/10.14264/uql.2017.814,
2017. a
Doherty, R. M., Sitch, S., Smith, B., Lewis, S. L., and Thornton, P. K.:
Implications of future climate and atmospheric CO2 content
for regional biogeochemistry, biogeography and ecosystem services across
East Africa, Global Change Biol., 16, 617–640,
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2486.2009.01997.x, 2010. a
Dormann, C. and Woodin, S. J.: Climate change in the Arctic: using plant
functional types in a meta-analysis of field experiments, Funct. Ecol.,
16, 4–17, https://doi.org/10.1046/j.0269-8463.2001.00596.x, 2002. a
Eckstein, D., Hutfils, M., and Winges, M.: Global climate risk index 2019:
Who suffers most from extreme weather events? Weather-related loss events
in 2017 and 1998 to 2017, Germanwatch, Bonn, Germany, 2018. a
Ehleringer, J. R. and Cerling, T. E.: C3 and C4 photosynthesis, Encyclopedia of Global Environmental Change, 2, 186–190, 2002. a
Farquhar, G. D., von Caemmerer, S. V., and Berry, J. A.: A biochemical model of photosynthetic CO2 assimilation in leaves of
C3 species, Planta, 149, 78–90, https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00386231, 1980. a
Fatichi, S., Leuzinger, S., and Körner, C.: Moving beyond photosynthesis: from carbon source to sink-driven vegetation modeling, New Phytol., 201,
1086–1095, https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.12614, 2014. a
Feng, H., Zou, B., and Luo, J.: Coverage-dependent amplifiers of vegetation
change on global water cycle dynamics, J. Hydrol., 550, 220–229,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2017.04.056, 2017. a
Field, C. B., Lobell, D. B., Peters, H. A., and Chiariello, N. R.: Feedbacks of terrestrial ecosystems to climate change, Annu. Rev. Env. Resour., 32,
1–29, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.energy.32.053006.141119, 2007. a
Fischlin, A., Midgley, G. F., Price, J. T., Leemans, R., Gopal, B., Turley,
C. M., Rounsevell, M. D. A., Dube, P., Tarazona, J., and Velichko, A.:
Impacts adaptation and vulnerability, in: Contribution of Working Group II to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, edited by: Parry, M. L., Canziani, O. F., Palutikof, J. P., van der Linden, P. J., and Hanson, C. E., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 391–431, 2007. a
Fisher, J. B., Whittaker, R. J., and Malhi, Y.: ET come home: potential
evapotranspiration in geographical ecology, Global Ecol. Biogeogr.,
20, 1–18, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1466-8238.2010.00578.x, 2011. a
Forster, P., Ramaswamy, V., Artaxo, P., Berntsen, T., Betts, R., Fahey, D. W., Haywood, J., Lean, J., Lowe, D. C., Myhre, G., Nganga, J., Prinn, R., Raga, G., Schulz, M., and Van Dorland, R.: Changes in Atmospheric Constituents and in Radiative Forcing, in: Climate Change 2007:
The Physical Science Basis. Contribution of Working Group I to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change, edited by: Solomon, S., Qin, D., Manning, M., Chen, Z., Marquis, M., Averyt, K. B., Tignor, M., and Miller, H. L., Cambridge University
Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, USA, 2007. a
Frank, D., Reichstein, M., Bahn, M., Thonicke, K., Frank, D., Mahecha, M. D.,
Smith, P., Van der Velde, M., Vicca, S., and Babst, F.: Effects of climate
extremes on the terrestrial carbon cycle: concepts, processes and potential
future impacts, Global Change Biol., 21, 2861–2880,
https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12916, 2015. a
Friedl, M. A., Sulla-Menashe, D., Tan, B., Schneider, A., Ramankutty, N.,
Sibley, A., and Huang, X.: MODIS Collection 5 global land cover:
Algorithm refinements and characterization of new datasets, Remote Sens. Environ., 114, 168–182, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2009.08.016, 2010. a, b
Friedlingstein, P., Cox, P., Betts, R., Bopp, L., von Bloh, W., Brovkin, V.,
Cadule, P., Doney, S., Eby, M., and Fung, I.: Climate–carbon cycle feedback
analysis: results from the C4MIP model intercomparison,
J. Climate, 19, 3337–3353, https://doi.org/10.1175/jcli3800.1, 2006. a
Gaillard, C., Langan, L., Pfeiffer, M., Kumar, D., Martens, C., Higgins, S. I., and Scheiter, S.: African shrub distribution emerges via a trade‐off between height and sapwood conductivity, 45, 2815–2826, https://doi.org/10.1111/jbi.13447, 2018. a, b, c
Gallardo-Cruz, J. A., Pérez-García, E. A., and Meave, J. A.: β-Diversity and vegetation structure as influenced by slope aspect and altitude in a seasonally dry tropical landscape, Landscape Ecol., 24, 473–482, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-009-9332-1, 2009. a
Gates, D. M.: Transpiration and leaf temperature, Ann. Rev. Plant Physio., 19, 211–238, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.pp.19.060168.001235, 1968. a
Hansen, A. J., Neilson, R. P., Dale, V. H., Flather, C. H., Iverson, L. R.,
Currie, D. J., Shafer, S., Cook, R., and Bartlein, P. J.: Global change in
forests: responses of species, communities, and biomes: interactions between
climate change and land use are projected to cause large shifts in
biodiversity, BioScience, 51, 765–779, https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0765:GCIFRO]2.0.CO;2, 2001. a
Herring, S. C., Christidis, N., Hoell, A., Kossin, J. P., Schreck III, C. J.,
and Stott, P. A.: Explaining extreme events of 2016 from a climate
perspective, B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 99, 1–157,
https://doi.org/10.1175/bams-explainingextremeevents2016.1, 2018. a
Hickler, T., Prentice, I. C., Smith, B., Sykes, M. T., and Zaehle, S.:
Implementing plant hydraulic architecture within the LPJ Dynamic Global
Vegetation Model, Global Ecol. Biogeogr., 15, 567–577,
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1466-8238.2006.00254.x, 2006. a
Hickler, T., Rammig, A., and Werner, C.: Modelling CO2 impacts on forest productivity, Current Forestry Reports, 1, 69–80,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s40725-015-0014-8, 2015. a
Hijmans, R. J. and van Etten, J.: raster: Geographic analysis and modeling
with raster data, R package version 2.0–12, 2012. a
Holmgren, M. and Scheffer, M.: El Niño as a window of opportunity for the restoration of degraded arid ecosystems, Ecosystems, 4, 151–159,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s100210000065, 2001. a
Huang, J., Yu, H., Guan, X., Wang, G., and Guo, R.: Accelerated dryland
expansion under climate change, Nat. Clim. Change, 6, 166–171, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2837, 2016. a
Jarvis, A., Reuter, H. I., Nelson, A., and Guevara, E.: Hole-filled SRTM for the globe Version 4, available from the CGIAR-CSI SRTM 90 m
Database, 2008. a
Jucker, T., Bongalov, B., Burslem, D. F., Nilus, R., Dalponte, M., Lewis,
S. L., Phillips, O. L., Qie, L., and Coomes, D. A.: Topography shapes the
structure, composition and function of tropical forest landscapes,
Ecol. Lett., 21, 989–1000, https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12964, 2018. a
Kattge, J. and Knorr, W.: Temperature acclimation in a biochemical model of
photosynthesis: a reanalysis of data from 36 species, Plant Cell Environ., 30, 1176–1190, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3040.2007.01690.x, 2007. a, b
Kergoat, L., Lafont, S., Douville, H., Berthelot, B., Dedieu, G., Planton, S., and Royer, J.-F.: Impact of doubled CO2 on global-scale leaf
area index and evapotranspiration: Conflicting stomatal conductance and
LAI responses, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 107, 4808,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2001jd001245, 2002. a
Kgope, B. S., Bond, W. J., and Midgley, G. F.: Growth responses of African
savanna trees implicate atmospheric CO2 as a driver of past
and current changes in savanna tree cover, Austral Ecol., 35, 451–463, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-9993.2009.02046.x,
2010. a
Kikuzawa, K. and Lechowicz, M. J.: Ecology of leaf longevity, in: Ecology of Leaf Longevity, 1–6, Springer, Tokyo, 2011. a
Kirschbaum, M. U. F.: Direct and indirect climate change effects on
photosynthesis and transpiration, Plant Biology, 6, 242–253,
https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2004-820883, 2004. a
Körner, C.: Paradigm shift in plant growth control,
Curr. Opin. Plant Biol., 25, 107–114, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbi.2015.05.003, 2015. a, b
Körner, C., Asshoff, R., Bignucolo, O., Hättenschwiler, S., Keel, S. G., Peláez-Riedl, S., Pepin, S., Siegwolf, R. T., and Zotz, G.: Carbon flux and growth in mature deciduous forest trees exposed to elevated CO2, Science, 309, 1360–1362, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1113977, 2005. a
Kumar, D. and Scheiter, S.: Biome diversity in South Asia – How can we
improve vegetation models to understand global change impact at regional
level?, Sci. Total Environ., 671, 1001–1016,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.251, 2019. a, b
Kumar, D., Pfeiffer, M., Gaillard, C., Langan, L., Martens, C., and Scheiter,
S.: Misinterpretation of Asian savannas as degraded forest can mislead
management and conservation policy under climate change, Biol. Conserv., 241, 108293, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108293, 2020. a, b, c
Lapola, D. M., Priess, J. A., and Bondeau, A.: Modeling the land requirements
and potential productivity of sugarcane and jatropha in Brazil and India
using the LPJmL dynamic global vegetation model, Biomass Bioenerg., 33,
1087–1095, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biombioe.2009.04.005, 2009. a
Leakey, A. D., Ainsworth, E. A., Bernacchi, C. J., Rogers, A., Long, S. P., and Ort, D. R.: Elevated CO2 effects on plant carbon, nitrogen,
and water relations: six important lessons from FACE,
J. Exp. Bot., 60, 2859–2876, https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erp096, 2009. a, b, c
Lin, D., Xia, J., and Wan, S.: Climate warming and biomass accumulation of
terrestrial plants: a meta-analysis, New Phytol., 188, 187–198, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03347.x, 2010. a, b
Liu, M., Tian, H., Chen, G., Ren, W., Zhang, C., and Liu, J.: Effects of
Land-Use and Land-Cover Change on Evapotranspiration and Water
Yield in China During 1900–2000, J. Am. Water Resour. As., 44, 1193–1207, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-1688.2008.00243.x, 2008. a
Liu, M.-Z. and Osborne, C. P.: Leaf cold acclimation and freezing injury in
C3 and C4 grasses of the Mongolian Plateau,
J. Exp. Bot., 59, 4161–4170, https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/ern257, 2008. a
Lloyd, J., Bird, M. I., Vellen, L., Miranda, A. C., Veenendaal, E. M.,
Djagbletey, G., Miranda, H. S., Cook, G., and Farquhar, G. D.: Contributions
of woody and herbaceous vegetation to tropical savanna ecosystem
productivity: a quasi-global estimate, Tree Physiol., 28, 451–468,
https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/28.3.451, 2008. a
Lombardozzi, D. L., Bonan, G. B., Smith, N. G., Dukes, J. S., and Fisher,
R. A.: Temperature acclimation of photosynthesis and respiration: A key
uncertainty in the carbon cycle-climate feedback,
Geophys. Res. Lett., 42, 8624–8631, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015gl065934, 2015. a
Long, S. P., Ainsworth, E. A., Rogers, A., and Ort, D. R.: Rising atmospheric
carbon dioxide: plants FACE the future, Annu. Rev. Plant Biol., 55,
591–628, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.arplant.55.031903.141610, 2004. a, b
Loreau, M., Naeem, S., Inchausti, P., Bengtsson, J., Grime, J. P., Hector, A., Hooper, D. U., Huston, M. A., Raffaelli, D., and Schmid, B.: Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: current knowledge and future challenges, Science, 294, 804–808, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1064088, 2001. a
Mao, J., Fu, W., Shi, X., Ricciuto, D. M., Fisher, J. B., Dickinson, R. E.,
Wei, Y., Shem, W., Piao, S., and Wang, K.: Disentangling climatic and
anthropogenic controls on global terrestrial evapotranspiration trends,
Environ. Res. Lett., 10, 094008,
https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/10/9/094008, 2015. a
Mcdowell, N. G., Williams, A., Xu, C., Pockman, W., Dickman, L., Sevanto, S.,
Pangle, R., Limousin, J., Plaut, J., Mackay, D. S., and Ogee, J.: Multi-scale
predictions of massive conifer mortality due to chronic temperature rise,
Nat. Clim. Change, 6, 295–300, https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate3143, 2016. a
McSweeney, C. F. and Jones, R. G.: How representative is the spread of climate projections from the 5 CMIP5 GCMs used in ISI-MIP?, Climate Services, 1, 24–29, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cliser.2016.02.001, 2016. a
Meinshausen, M., Smith, S. J., Calvin, K., Daniel, J. S., Kainuma, M. L. T.,
Lamarque, J.-F., Matsumoto, K., Montzka, S. A., Raper, S. C. B., and Riahi,
K.: The RCP greenhouse gas concentrations and their extensions from 1765 to
2300, Climatic Change, 109, 213, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-011-0156-z, 2011. a, b
Myers, N., Mittermeier, R. A., Mittermeier, C. G., Da Fonseca, G. A., and Kent, J.: Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities, Nature, 403, 853–858, https://doi.org/10.1038/35002501, 2000. a, b, c
Nachtergaele, F., van Velthuizen, H., Verelst, L., Batjes, N., Dijkshoorn, K., Van Engelen, V., Fischer, G., Jones, A., Montanarella, L., and Petri, M.:
Harmonized world soil database (version 1.1), FAO, Rome, Italy, IIASA,
Laxenburg, Austria, 2009. a
Nolan, C., Overpeck, J. T., Allen, J. R., Anderson, P. M., Betancourt, J. L.,
Binney, H. A., Brewer, S., Bush, M. B., Chase, B. M., and Cheddadi, R.: Past
and future global transformation of terrestrial ecosystems under climate
change, Science, 361, 920–923, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aan5360, 2018. a, b
Norby, R. J. and Luo, Y.: Evaluating ecosystem responses to rising atmospheric CO2 and global warming in a multi-factor world,
New Phytol., 162, 281–293, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2004.01047.x, 2004. a
Norby, R. J. and Zak, D. R.: Ecological lessons from free-air CO2 enrichment (FACE) experiments, Annu. Rev. Ecol. Evol. S., 42, 181–203, https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-102209-144647, 2011. a, b, c, d
Overpeck, J. T., Rind, D., and Goldberg, R.: Climate-induced changes in forest disturbance and vegetation, Nature, 343, 51–53, https://doi.org/10.1038/343051a0, 1990. a
Parr, C. L., Gray, E. F., and Bond, W. J.: Cascading biodiversity and
functional consequences of a global change–induced biome switch, Divers. Distrib., 18, 493–503, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1472-4642.2012.00882.x, 2012. a
Parr, C. L., Lehmann, C. E., Bond, W. J., Hoffmann, W. A., and Andersen, A. N.: Tropical grassy biomes: misunderstood, neglected, and under threat, Trends Ecol. Evol., 29, 205–213, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2014.02.004, 2014. a
Parton, W., Scurlock, J., Ojima, D., Gilmanov, T., Scholes, R., Schimel, D. S., Kirchner, T., Menaut, J.-C., Seastedt, T., Garcia Moya, E., and Kamnalrut, A.:
Observations and modeling of biomass and soil organic matter dynamics for the
grassland biome worldwide, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 7, 785–809, https://doi.org/10.1029/93GB02042, 1993. a
Pfeiffer, M., Langan, L., Linstädter, A., Martens, C., Gaillard, C., Ruppert, J. C., Higgins, S. I., Mudongo, E. I., and Scheiter, S.: Grazing and aridity reduce perennial grass abundance in semi-arid rangelands – Insights from a trait-based dynamic vegetation model, Ecol. Model., 395, 11–22, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2018.12.013, 2019. a, b
Piao, S., Friedlingstein, P., Ciais, P., Zhou, L., and Chen, A.: Effect of
climate and CO2 changes on the greening of the Northern Hemisphere over the past two decades, Geophys. Res. Lett., 33, L23402,
https://doi.org/10.1029/2006gl028205, 2006. a
Piao, S., Wang, X., Park, T., Chen, C., Lian, X., He, Y., Bjerke, J. W., Chen, A., Ciais, P., Tømmervik, H., and Nemani, R. R.: Characteristics, drivers and
feedbacks of global greening, Nat. Rev. Earth Environ., 1, 14–27, https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-019-0001-x, 2019. a
Prentice, I. C., Bondeau, A., Cramer, W., Harrison, S. P., Hickler, T., Lucht, W., Sitch, S., Smith, B., and Sykes, M. T.: Dynamic global vegetation modeling: quantifying terrestrial ecosystem responses to large-scale environmental change. In Terrestrial ecosystems in a changing world, 175–192, Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, 2007. a, b
Proença, V., Martin, L. J., Pereira, H. M., Fernandez, M., McRae, L., Belnap, J., Böhm, M., Brummitt, N., García-Moreno, J., and Gregory, R. D.: Global biodiversity monitoring: from data sources to essential biodiversity variables, Biol. Conserv., 213, 256–263,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.07.014, 2017. a
Ramankutty, N., Foley, J. A., Hall, F., Collatz, G., Meeson, B., Los, S., Brown De Colstoun, E., and Landis, D.: ISLSCP II Potential Natural
Vegetation Cover, ORNL DAAC, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA, https://doi.org/10.3334/ornldaac/961, 2010. a
Ratnam, J., Tomlinson, K. W., Rasquinha, D. N., and Sankaran, M.: Savannahs of Asia: antiquity, biogeography, and an uncertain future, Philos. T. Roy. Soc. B, 371, 20150305, https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2015.0305, 2016. a, b
Ravindranath, N. H., Somashekhar, B. S., and Gadgil, M.: Carbon flow in
Indian forests, Climatic Change, 35, 297–320,
https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1005303405404, 1997. a
Ravindranath, N. H., Murali, K. S., and Sudha, P.: Community forestry
initiatives in Southeast Asia: a review of ecological impacts,
International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development (IJESD), 5, 1–11, https://doi.org/10.1504/ijesd.2006.008678, 2006. a, b
Richardson, A. D., Keenan, T. F., Migliavacca, M., Ryu, Y., Sonnentag, O., and Toomey, M.: Climate change, phenology, and phenological control of vegetation feedbacks to the climate system,
Agr. Forest Meteorol., 169, 156–173, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2012.09.012, 2013. a
Rodgers, W. A. and Panwar, H. S.: Planning a wildlife protected area network in India, A report. Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, 1988. a
Running, S. W. and Hunt Jr, E. R.: Generalization of a forest ecosystem process model for other biomes, BIOME-BCG, and an application for global-scale models, in: Scaling Physiological Processes: Leaf to Globe, edited by: Ehleringer, J. R. and Field, C. B., Academic Press Inc., San Diego, CA, USA, 141–158, 1993. a
Rustad, L., Campbell, J., Marion, G., Norby, R., Mitchell, M., Hartley, A.,
Cornelissen, J., and Gurevitch, J.: A meta-analysis of the response of soil
respiration, net nitrogen mineralization, and aboveground plant growth to
experimental ecosystem warming, Oecologia, 126, 543–562,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s004420000544, 2001. a
Saatchi, S. S., Harris, N. L., Brown, S., Lefsky, M., Mitchard, E. T., Salas,
W., Zutta, B. R., Buermann, W., Lewis, S. L., and Hagen, S.: Benchmark map of
forest carbon stocks in tropical regions across three continents,
P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 108, 9899–9904,
https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1019576108, 2011. a, b
Saikia, P., Deka, J., Bharali, S., Kumar, A., Tripathi, O. P., Singha, L. B.,
Dayanandan, S., and Khan, M. L.: Plant diversity patterns and conservation
status of eastern Himalayan forests in Arunachal Pradesh, Northeast
India, Forest Ecosystems, 4, 28, https://doi.org/10.1186/s40663-017-0117-8, 2017. a
Sakschewski, B., Bloh, W., Boit, A., Rammig, A., Kattge, J., Poorter, L.,
Peñuelas, J., and Thonicke, K.: Leaf and stem economics spectra drive
diversity of functional plant traits in a dynamic global vegetation model,
Global Change Biol., 21, 2711–2725, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.12870, 2015. a, b
Sato, H., Itoh, A., and Kohyama, T.: SEIB–DGVM: A new Dynamic
Global Vegetation Model using a spatially explicit individual-based
approach, Ecol. Model., 200, 279–307,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2006.09.006, 2007. a
Scheiter, S., Langan, L., and Higgins, S. I.: Next-generation dynamic global
vegetation models: learning from community ecology, New Phytol., 198,
957–969, https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.12210, 2013. a, b, c
Scheiter, S., Kumar, D., Corlett, R. T., Gaillard, C., Langan, L., Lapuz,
R. S., Martens, C., Pfeiffer, M., and Kyle, T. W.: Climate change promotes
transitions to tall evergreen vegetation in tropical Asia, Global Change Biol., 26, 5106–5124, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15217, 2020. a, b
Schimel, D., Stephens, B. B., and Fisher, J. B.: Effect of increasing CO2 on the terrestrial carbon cycle, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 112, 436–441, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1407302112, 2015. a
Sharkey, T. D., Bernacchi, C. J., Farquhar, G. D., and Singsaas, E. L.: Fitting photosynthetic carbon dioxide response curves for C3 leaves, Plant Cell Environ., 30, 1035–1040, https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3040.2007.01710.x, 2007. a
Simard, M., Pinto, N., Fisher, J. B., and Baccini, A.: Mapping forest canopy
height globally with spaceborne lidar, J. Geophys. Res.-Biogeo., 116, G04021, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011jg001708, 2011. a, b
Sinha, S., Badola, H. K., Chhetri, B., Gaira, K. S., Lepcha, J., and Dhyani,
P. P.: Effect of altitude and climate in shaping the forest compositions of
Singalila National Park in Khangchendzonga Landscape, Eastern
Himalaya, India, J. Asia-Pac. Biodivers., 11, 267–275,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.japb.2018.01.012, 2018. a
Sitch, S., Friedlingstein, P., Gruber, N., Jones, S. D., Murray-Tortarolo, G., Ahlström, A., Doney, S. C., Graven, H., Heinze, C., Huntingford, C., Levis, S., Levy, P. E., Lomas, M., Poulter, B., Viovy, N., Zaehle, S., Zeng, N., Arneth, A., Bonan, G., Bopp, L., Canadell, J. G., Chevallier, F., Ciais, P., Ellis, R., Gloor, M., Peylin, P., Piao, S. L., Le Quéré, C., Smith, B., Zhu, Z., and Myneni, R.: Recent trends and drivers of regional sources and sinks of carbon dioxide, Biogeosciences, 12, 653–679, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-653-2015, 2015. a
Smith, B., Wårlind, D., Arneth, A., Hickler, T., Leadley, P., Siltberg, J., and Zaehle, S.: Implications of incorporating N cycling and N limitations on primary production in an individual-based dynamic vegetation model, Biogeosciences, 11, 2027–2054, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-2027-2014, 2014. a
Soh, W. K., Yiotis, C., Murray, M., Parnell, A., Wright, I. J., Spicer, R. A., Lawson, T., Caballero, R., and McElwain, J. C.: Rising CO2
drives divergence in water use efficiency of evergreen and deciduous plants,
Science Advances, 5, eaax7906, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax7906, 2019. a, b
Song, J., Wan, S., Piao, S., Knapp, A. K., Classen, A. T., Vicca, S., Ciais,
P., Hovenden, M. J., Leuzinger, S., Beier, C., and Kardol, P.: A meta-analysis of
1119 manipulative experiments on terrestrial carbon-cycling responses to
global change, Nat. Ecol. Evol., 3, 1309–1320, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-019-0958-3, 2019. a
Sperry, J. S., Venturas, M. D., Todd, H. N., Trugman, A. T., Anderegg, W. R.,
Wang, Y., and Tai, X.: The impact of rising CO2 and acclimation on the response of US forests to global warming, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 116, 25734–25744, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1913072116, 2019. a
Stephenson, N.: Actual evapotranspiration and deficit: biologically meaningful correlates of vegetation distribution across spatial scales, J. Biogeogr., 25, 855–870, https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2699.1998.00233.x, 1998. a
Stevens, N., Lehmann, C. E., Murphy, B. P., and Durigan, G.: Savanna woody
encroachment is widespread across three continents, Global Change Biol.,
23, 235–244, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13409, 2017. a, b, c
Terrer, C., Vicca, S., Stocker, B. D., Hungate, B. A., Phillips, R. P., Reich, P. B., Finzi, A. C., and Prentice, I. C.: Ecosystem responses to elevated CO2 governed by plant–soil interactions and the cost of
nitrogen acquisition, New Phytol., 217, 507–522,
https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.14872, 2018. a
Terrer, C., Jackson, R. B., Prentice, I. C., Keenan, T. F., Kaiser, C., Vicca, S., Fisher, J. B., Reich, P. B., Stocker, B. D., Hungate, B. A., and Penuelas, J.: Nitrogen and phosphorus constrain the CO2 fertilization of global plant biomass, Nat. Clim. Change, 9, 684–689, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-020-0808-y, 2019. a, b
Thuiller, W., Albert, C., Araújo, M. B., Berry, P. M., Cabeza, M., Guisan, A., Hickler, T., Midgley, G. F., Paterson, J., Schurr, F. M., and Sykes, M. T.: Predicting global change impacts on plant species' distributions: future challenges, Perspect. Plant Ecol., 9, 137–152, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2007.09.004, 2008. a
Tian, H., Melillo, J., Kicklighter, D., McGuire, A., and Helfrich, J.: The
sensitivity of terrestrial carbon storage to historical climate variability
and atmospheric CO2 in the United States,
Tellus B, 51, 414–452, https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0889.1999.00021.x, 1999. a
Tuanmu, M.-N. and Jetz, W.: A global 1 km consensus land-cover product for
biodiversity and ecosystem modelling, Global Ecol. Biogeogr., 23,
1031–1045, https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.12182, 2014. a, b
Urban, J., Ingwers, M., McGuire, M. A., and Teskey, R. O.: Stomatal conductance increases with rising temperature, Plant Signaling & Behavior 12, e1356534, https://doi.org/10.1080/15592324.2017.1356534, 2017. a
Van Vuuren, D. P., Edmonds, J., Kainuma, M., Riahi, K., Thomson, A., Hibbard,
K., Hurtt, G. C., Kram, T., Krey, V., and Lamarque, J.-F.: The representative
concentration pathways: an overview, Climatic Change, 109, 5,
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-011-0148-z, 2011. a, b
Verstraete, M. M., Scholes, R. J., and Smith, M. S.: Climate and
desertification: looking at an old problem through new lenses,
Front. Ecol. Environ., 7, 421–428, https://doi.org/10.1890/080119, 2009. a
Walker, M. D., Wahren, C. H., Hollister, R. D., Henry, G. H., Ahlquist, L. E., Alatalo, J. M., Bret-Harte, M. S., Calef, M. P., Callaghan, T. V., Carroll, A. B., and Epstein, H. E.: Plant community responses to experimental warming across the tundra biome, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 103, 1342–1346, 2006. a
Wang, X., Wang, T., Liu, D., Guo, H., Huang, H., and Zhao, Y.: Moisture-induced greening of the South Asia over the past three decades, Global Change Biol., 23, 4995–5005, https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13762, 2017. a
Warszawski, L., Frieler, K., Huber, V., Piontek, F., Serdeczny, O., and Schewe, J.: The inter-sectoral impact model intercomparison project (ISI–MIP): project framework, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 111, 3228–3232, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1312330110, 2014. a
Wingfield, J. C.: Ecological processes and the ecology of stress: the impacts
of abiotic environmental factors, Funct. Ecol., 27, 37–44,
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.12039, 2013. a
Woodrow, I. E. and Berry, J.: Enzymatic regulation of photosynthetic CO2, fixation in C3 plants, Annu. Rev. Plant Phys., 39, 533–594, 1988. a
Wright, I. J., Reich, P. B., Cornelissen, J. H., Falster, D. S., Groom, P. K., Hikosaka, K., Lee, W., Lusk, C. H., Niinemets, Ü., and Oleksyn, J.: Modulation of leaf economic traits and trait relationships by climate, Global Ecol. Biogeogr., 14, 411–421,
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1466-822x.2005.00172.x, 2005. a
Yuan, W., Zheng, Y., Piao, S., Ciais, P., Lombardozzi, D., Wang, Y., Ryu, Y.,
Chen, G., Dong, W., Hu, Z., and Jain, A. K.: Increased atmospheric vapor pressure
deficit reduces global vegetation growth, Science Advances, 5, eaax1396, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aax1396,
2019.
a
Zemunik, G., Turner, B. L., Lambers, H., and Laliberté, E.: Diversity of plant nutrient-acquisition strategies increases during long-term ecosystem
development, Nat. Plants, 1, 15050, https://doi.org/10.1038/nplants.2015.50, 2015. a
Zhang, K., Kimball, J. S., Nemani, R. R., and Running, S. W.: A continuous
satellite-derived global record of land surface evapotranspiration from 1983
to 2006, Water Resour. Res., 46, W09522, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009wr008800, 2010. a, b
Zhang, Y., Peña-Arancibia, J. L., McVicar, T. R., Chiew, F. H., Vaze, J., Liu, C., Lu, X., Zheng, H., Wang, Y., and Liu, Y. Y.: Multi-decadal trends in
global terrestrial evapotranspiration and its components, Sci. Rep.-UK,
6, 19124, https://doi.org/10.1038/srep19124, 2016. a
Short summary
In this paper, we investigated the impact of climate change and rising CO2 on biomes using a vegetation model in South Asia, an often neglected region in global modeling studies. Understanding these impacts guides ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation. Our results indicate that savanna regions are at high risk of woody encroachment and transitioning into the forest, and the bioclimatic envelopes of biomes need adjustments to account for shifts caused by climate change and CO2.
In this paper, we investigated the impact of climate change and rising CO2 on biomes using a...
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint