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Fargeon, H., Aubry-Kientz, M., Brunaux, O., Descroix, L., Gaspard, R., Guitet, S., et al. (2016). Vulnerability of commercial tree species to water stress in logged forests of the Guiana shield. Forests, 7(5).
Abstract: The future of tropical managed forests is threatened by climate change. In anticipation of the increase in the frequency of drought episodes predicted by climatic models for intertropical regions, it is essential to study commercial trees' resilience and vulnerability to water stress by identifying potential interaction effects between selective logging and stress due to a lack of water. Focusing on 14 species representing a potential or acknowledged commercial interest for wood production in the Guiana Shield, a joint model coupling growth and mortality for each species was parametrized, including a climatic variable related to water stress and the quantity of aboveground biomass lost after logging. For the vast majority of the species, water stress had a negative impact on growth rate, while the impact of logging was positive. The opposite results were observed for the mortality. Combining results from growth and mortality models, we generate vulnerability profiles and ranking from species apparently quite resistant to water stress (Chrysophyllum spp., Goupia glabra Aubl., Qualea rosea Aubl.), even under logging pressure, to highly vulnerable species (Sterculia spp.). In light of our results, forest managers in the Guiana Shield may want to conduct (i) a conservation strategy of the most vulnerable species and (ii) a diversification of the logged species. Conservation of the already-adapted species may also be considered as the most certain way to protect the tropical forests under future climates. © 2016 by the authors.
Keywords: Climate change; Growth rates; Mortality rates; Paracou; Selective logging
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Aguilos, M., Stahl, C., Burban, B., Hérault, B., Courtois, E., Coste, S., et al. (2018). Interannual and seasonal variations in ecosystem transpiration and water use efficiency in a tropical rainforest. Forests, 10(1).
Abstract: Warmer and drier climates over Amazonia have been predicted for the next century with expected changes in regional water and carbon cycles. We examined the impact of interannual and seasonal variations in climate conditions on ecosystem-level evapotranspiration (ET) and water use efficiency (WUE) to determine key climatic drivers and anticipate the response of these ecosystems to climate change. We used daily climate and eddyflux data recorded at the Guyaflux site in French Guiana from 2004 to 2014. ET and WUE exhibited weak interannual variability. The main climatic driver of ET and WUE was global radiation (Rg), but relative extractable water (REW) and soil temperature (Ts) did also contribute. At the seasonal scale, ET and WUE showed a modal pattern driven by Rg, with maximum values for ET in July and August and for WUE at the beginning of the year. By removing radiation effects during water depleted periods, we showed that soil water stress strongly reduced ET. In contrast, drought conditions enhanced radiation-normalized WUE in almost all the years, suggesting that the lack of soil water had a more severe effect on ecosystem evapotranspiration than on photosynthesis. Our results are of major concern for tropical ecosystem modeling because they suggest that under future climate conditions, tropical forest ecosystems will be able to simultaneously adjust CO2 and H2O fluxes. Yet, for tropical forests under future conditions, the direction of change in WUE at the ecosystem scale is hard to predict, since the impact of radiation on WUE is counterbalanced by adjustments to soil water limitations. Developing mechanistic models that fully integrate the processes associated with CO2 and H2O flux control should help researchers understand and simulate future functional adjustments in these ecosystems.
Keywords: Drought; Evapotranspiration; Radiation; Tropical rainforest; Water use efficiency; Atmospheric radiation; Carbon dioxide; Climate change; Drought; Efficiency; Evapotranspiration; Forestry; Heat radiation; Radiation effects; Soil moisture; Tropics; Water supply; Climate condition; Drought conditions; Interannual variability; Mechanistic models; Seasonal variation; Tropical ecosystems; Tropical rain forest; Water use efficiency; Ecosystems
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Lehnebach, R., Bossu, J., Va, S., Morel, H., Amusant, N., Nicolini, E., et al. (2019). Wood density variations of legume trees in French Guiana along the shade tolerance continuum: Heartwood effects on radial patterns and gradients. Forests, 10(2).
Abstract: Increasing or decreasing wood density (WD) from pith to bark is commonly observed in tropical tree species. The different types of WD radial variations, long been considered to depict the diversity of growth and mechanical strategies among forest guilds (heliophilic vs. shade-tolerant), were never analyzed in the light of heartwood (HW) formation. Yet, the additional mass of chemical extractives associated to HW formation increases WD and might affect both WD radial gradient (i.e., the slope of the relation between WD and radial distance) and pattern (i.e., linear or nonlinear variation). We studied 16 legumes species from French Guiana representing a wide diversity of growth strategies and positions on the shade-tolerance continuum. Using WD measurements and available HW extractives content values, we computed WD corrected by the extractive content and analyzed the effect of HW on WD radial gradients and patterns. We also related WD variations to demographic variables, such as sapling growth and mortality rates. Regardless of the position along the shade-tolerance continuum, correcting WD gradients reveals only increasing gradients. We determined three types of corrected WD patterns: (1) the upward curvilinear pattern is a specific feature of heliophilic species, whereas (2) the linear and (3) the downward curvilinear patterns are observed in both mid- and late-successional species. In addition, we found that saplings growth and mortality rates are better correlated with the corrected WD at stem center than with the uncorrected value: taking into account the effect of HW extractives on WD radial variations provides unbiased interpretation of biomass accumulation and tree mechanical strategies. Rather than a specific feature of heliophilic species, the increasing WD gradient is a shared strategy regardless of the shade tolerance habit. Finally, our study stresses to consider the occurrence of HW when using WD.
Keywords: French Guiana; Growth-mortality rate; Heartwood; Heartwood extractives; Legumes; Sapwood; Shade tolerance; Tropical tree species; Wood density variations
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Hérault, B., & Piponiot, C. (2018). Key drivers of ecosystem recovery after disturbance in a neotropical forest: Long-term lessons from the Paracou experiment, French Guiana. Forest Ecosystems, 5(2).
Abstract: Background: Natural disturbance is a fundamental component of the functioning of tropical rainforests let to natural dynamics, with tree mortality the driving force of forest renewal. With ongoing global (i.e. land-use and climate) changes, tropical forests are currently facing deep and rapid modifications in disturbance regimes that may hamper their recovering capacity so that developing robust predictive model able to predict ecosystem resilience and recovery becomes of primary importance for decision-making: (i) Do regenerating forests recover faster than mature forests given the same level of disturbance? (ii) Is the local topography an important predictor of the post-disturbance forest trajectories? (iii) Is the community functional composition, assessed with community weighted-mean functional traits, a good predictor of carbon stock recovery? (iv) How important is the climate stress (seasonal drought and/or soil water saturation) in shaping the recovery trajectory? Methods: Paracou is a large scale forest disturbance experiment set up in 1984 with nine 6.25 ha plots spanning on a large disturbance gradient where 15 to 60% of the initial forest ecosystem biomass were removed. More than 70,000 trees belonging to ca. 700 tree species have then been censused every 2 years up today. Using this unique dataset, we aim at deciphering the endogenous (forest structure and composition) and exogenous (local environment and climate stress) drivers of ecosystem recovery in time. To do so, we disentangle carbon recovery into demographic processes (recruitment, growth, mortality fluxes) and cohorts (recruited trees, survivors). Results: Variations in the pre-disturbance forest structure or in local environment do not shape significantly the ecosystem recovery rates. Variations in the pre-disturbance forest composition and in the post-disturbance climate significantly change the forest recovery trajectory. Pioneer-rich forests have slower recovery rates than assemblages of late-successional species. Soil water saturation during the wet season strongly impedes ecosystem recovery but not seasonal drought. From a sensitivity analysis, we highlight the pre-disturbance forest composition and the post-disturbance climate conditions as the primary factors controlling the recovery trajectory. Conclusions: Highly-disturbed forests and secondary forests because they are composed of a lot of pioneer species will be less able to cope with new disturbance. In the context of increasing tree mortality due to both (i) severe droughts imputable to climate change and (ii) human-induced perturbations, tropical forest management should focus on reducing disturbances by developing Reduced Impact Logging techniques.
Keywords: Amazonia; Carbon fluxes; Climate change; Ecological resilience; Ecosystem modeling; Tropical forests
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Jabiol, J., Corbara, B., Dejean, A., & Cereghino, R. (2009). Structure of aquatic insect communities in tank-bromeliads in a East-Amazonian rainforest in French Guiana. For. Ecol. Manage., 257(1), 351–360.
Abstract: Tank-bromeliads are discrete habitats which contain distinct aquatic communities, and which commonly occur in the neotropics. Because they span a broad range of ecological gradients in terms of habitat structure and amount of resources, researchers study the associations between the biodiversity of communities and these gradients in rainforests, where the very high species richness and densities within other continuous habitats makes it difficult to quantify animal communities. We analysed the diversity of aquatic insect communities in relation to different tank-bromeliad species in a primary rainforest (French Guiana) using artificial intelligence and complex optimization techniques to classify communities and model their determinants. First, the self-organizing map (neural network) was used to classify 158 bromeliads according to the quantitative structure of the insect communities. Catopsis berteroniana and Guzmania lingulata formed separate clusters of plants on the virtual map, while Vriesea splendens, Vriesea pleiosticha and Aechmea melinonii were grouped together in the remaining clusters. Some insect taxa occurred in all bromeliads, while other taxa were specific to a given species. Second, general linear modelling allowed us to specify the influence of the bromeliad species; water volume and volume of fine particulate organic matter inside of the tank; elevation above the ground; and sampling site on taxonomic richness and insect abundance. The number of taxa and individuals per plant increased with greater water volume, but the slope of the relationships depended on the bromeliad species. The significant influence of bromeliad species suggested that at similar water volumes different plant species had different taxon richness and insect abundance. Greater amounts of fine particulate organic matter were detrimental to community diversity in the tanks, probably because they decreased available space by clogging it and/or affected oxygen concentrations. The influence of tank-bromeliad species on the aquatic insect community was primarily related to their physical (and probably chemical) features rather than to species-specific associations sensu stricto. The classification of bromeliads with respect to animal species is likely to provide referential schemes for those biodiversity patterns to be expected under certain conditions, and may help to target model communities for subsequent experimental research. (C) 2008 Elsevier B,V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Bromeliaceae; Classification; Community structure; Insects; Microcosms; Neural networks; Nouragues; Phytotelmata; Species richness
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Scotti, I., Gugerli, F., Pastorelli, R., Sebastiani, F., & Vendramin, G. G. (2008). Maternally and paternally inherited molecular markers elucidate population patterns and inferred dispersal processes on a small scale within a subalpine stand of Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst.). For. Ecol. Manage., 255(11), 3806–3812.
Abstract: The within-population spatial structure of genetic diversity is shaped by demographic processes, including historical accidents such as forest perturbations. Information drawn from the analysis of the spatial distribution of genetic diversity is therefore inherently linked to demographic-historical processes that ultimately determine the fate of populations. All adult trees and saplings in a 1.4-ha plot within a mixed Norway spruce (Picea abies [L.] Karst) stand were characterised by means of chloroplast (paternally inherited) markers, and a large sub-sample of these were genotyped at mitochondrial (maternally inherited) molecular markers. These data were used to analyse the spatial distribution of genetic variation and to compare the patterns corresponding to the two marker types. The plot presented non-homogeneous local stem density in the younger cohorts, and the indirect effect of this source of variation on the spatial genetic structure was investigated. Results suggest that (i) spatially limited seed dispersal induced patchiness in genotype distribution, while pollen flow had a homogenising effect; (ii) deviations from random spatial structure were stronger in the demographically most stable portions of the stand, while they were weaker where sudden bursts of regeneration occurred; (iii) spatially overlapping adult and sapling cohorts displayed the same spatial genetic structure (stronger on stable areas, weaker in portions of the stand undergoing events of intense regeneration), which was substantiated by the influence of local demographic processes. Regeneration dynamics as modulated by demography thus influences the distribution of genetic diversity within the stand both in the younger life stages and in the adult population. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: chloroplast microsatellites; mitochondrial minisatellites; pollen/seed dispersal; demography; spatial autocorrelation
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Rockwell, C. A., Kainer, K. A., Staudhammer, C. L., & Baraloto, C. (2007). Future crop tree damage in a certified community forest in southwestern Amazonia. For. Ecol. Manage., 242(2-3), 108–118.
Abstract: Field studies in Acre, Brazil assessed logging impacts of a certified community timber management project. The main objectives of the study were: (1) to determine if damage incidence to future crop trees (FCTs; >= 20 cm diameter at breast height (dbh)) differs between (a) forest with and without bamboo (Guadua spp.), and (b) trees with and without lianas; (2) to what extent harvesting can be conducted more intensely (m(3)ha(-1)), without incurring greater FCT damage; and (3) to what extent marking diminishes FCT damage. Full inventories of FCTs of 50 commercial species complexes were conducted before and after logging in 50 m-radius zones of impact around each designated harvest tree in three 10 ha (200 m x 500 m) logging blocks. We also mapped all forested areas potentially influenced by logging, including skid trails, log landings and felling gaps, throughout the 30 ha logged. More than 28% of the forest area was disturbed by logging, with 12.1% in skid trails and 16.8% in gap clearings, indicating that the forest gap mosaic can be significantly altered even when reduced-impact logging guidelines are followed. Overall, 15% of FCTs inventoried were damaged. Damage rates were not significantly reduced by marking treatment, location in bamboo-dominated forest, or liana load on FCT damage. Harvest intensity did not influence the probability of FCT damage. For future studies, it would be prudent to address impacts of timber extraction on other livelihood activities, such as non-timber forest product collection, particularly in such regions as the Brazilian Amazon, where many communities are attempting to integrate a suite of income-generating activities. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: bamboo; community forest management; forest certification; Guadua; liana; marking; reduced-impact logging; RIL; timber management; tropical forest
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Rockwell, C., Kainer, K. A., Marcondes, N., & Baraloto, C. (2007). Ecological limitations of reduced-impact logging at the smallholder scale. For. Ecol. Manage., 238(1-3), 365–374.
Abstract: Reduced-impact logging (RIL) has many demonstrated benefits to the industrial logging operations for which they were developed. It is less clear whether these gains remain consistent in smallholder forest systems that increasingly play an important role in global conservation and that target a broader suite of outputs in their management schemes. We evaluate potential ecological consequences of five RIL components (pre-harvest inventories, harvest intensity, cutting cycles, skid trail planning, and liana cutting) when applied to small-scale operations in the Brazilian Amazon and provide suggestions for modifications to RIL guidelines for smallholder systems. Rapid assessment inventories of the entire landholding should be a part of crop tree selection to minimize inbreeding and recruitment failure. Additionally, while community-based taxonomists accurately identify species to common names, botanical samples must be verified with herbarium specimens to avoid market and ecological problems when multiple species share a single common name. We advocate that smallholder managers move beyond an emphasis on RIL guidelines, while still incorporating its basic tenets into practical application. Based on our analysis, this would include evaluating benefits of particular RIL components and assessing potential advantages that smallholders have over industrial operations. We suggest incorporating anthropogenically-generated forest patches of varying sizes and successional stages into a more formalized management system, incorporating and expanding on traditional ecological knowledge acquired over generations, and integrating enrichment plantings and tending of regeneration. (c) 2006 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Keywords: community forest management; forest inventories; liana cutting; sustained yield; timber management; tropical forest conservation
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Gourlet-Fleury, S., Comu, G., Jesel, S., Dessard, H., Jourget, J. G., Blanc, L., et al. (2005). Using models to predict recovery and assess tree species vulnerability in logged tropical forests: A case study from French Guiana. For. Ecol. Manage., 209(1-2), 69–86.
Abstract: A major challenge for forest managers is to define the optimal cutting cycle to ensure that the resource is sustained in the long term. Matrix models of forest dynamics allow time-projection of diameter-class distributions and thus assessment of the time needed, after logging, to recover a given part of the exploitable stock. They are easy to build and they only require, as input variables, the diameter structure of the population(s) under scope. However, such models are based on a coarse description of tree population dynamics and must be used with caution. In particular, as trees are only described from a diameter threshold (usually 10 cm dbh), recruitment of a new tree cannot be linked with the preceding generation since too much time elapsed between seed dispersal and the installation of a 10-cm recruit. This causes predictions of matrix models to be highly questionable in the long term when ingrowth to larger dbh classes greatly depends on the way recruitment has been modelled. We used a case study from French Guiana to test whether or not a simple matrix model is reliable enough to help forest managers choose between management alternatives. We focused on the major timber species Dicorynia guianensis Amshoff (Caesalpiniaceae) harvested under a selective cutting regime. We compared predictions of D. guianensis stock recovery in the short and long term provided by two models: StoMat, a non-regulated matrix model, and SELVA, a single-tree distance dependent model explicitly simulating the entire species life cycle. Both models were independently calibrated on data from Paracou permanent sample plots. We showed that: (i) the short-term recovery of the exploitable stock predicted by StoMat is reliable for a large range of disturbance conditions; (ii) recruitment implementation in StoMat does not influence projections until the third felling cycle; (iii) for shared initial stand conditions SELVA and StoMat give consistent mid- and long-term predictions: the simple recruitment model used into StoMat could efficiently summarise the regeneration processes of the species under low felling intensity. Our results indicate that the current felling regime used in French Guiana may not be sustainable on a long-term basis. In any case, no more than 60% of the initial stock would be recovered after logging. We conclude that simple models can provide as reliable predictions as more complicated ones. They may be sufficient to assess the recovery of a species' exploitable stock even in the long term, or at least assess the (un)sustainability of particular harvesting regimes. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: matrix model; individual-based spatially explicit model; regeneration; recruitment; long-term population dynamics
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Konig, A. O., Ziegenhagen, B., van Dam, B. C., Csaikl, U. M., Coart, E., Degen, B., et al. (2002). Chloroplast DNA variation of oaks in western Central Europe and genetic consequences of human influences. For. Ecol. Manage., 156(1-3), 147–166.
Abstract: Oak chloroplast DNA (cpDNA) variation was studied in a grid-based inventory in western Central Europe, including Belgium, The Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany, the Czech Republic, and the northern parts of Upper and Lower Austria. A total of 2155 trees representing 426 populations of Quercus robur L. and Q. petraea (Matt.) Liebl. were screened for polymorphism in up to four PCR-amplified cpDNA fragments. Eleven haplotypes belonging to four lineages were detected; these lineages were formerly restricted to glacial refugia in the Iberian Peninsula, the Apennine Peninsula and the Balkan Peninsula. The haplotypes originating from the Apennines are particularly well represented in the study region, but there is also a significant contribution from the other refugia, which explain the high overall level of cpDNA diversity. The strong human impact in western Central Europe during the past centuries, which has resulted in the clearance of most forests, was followed by reforestation, sometimes involving seed transfers. Despite this strong human impact, broad geographic patterns of lineages and haplotypes could still be detected. To evaluate further the consequences of the former human activities on the present day oak cpDNA genetic structure, four regions where increasingly strong human impact was anticipated (ranging from hilly regions in southern Germany to roadsides plantations in The Netherlands) were selected. There, a comparison of the levels of intrapopulation cpDNA diversity and spatial structuring was made. Over the whole area, within stand diversity was significantly higher in Q. robur than in Q. petraea (h(S) = 0.24 vs. 0.16). Since total diversity is identical for both species, this results in a significantly lower level of fixation for Q. robur than for Q. petraea (G(ST) = 0.68 vs. 0.79). The analyses also reveal a decrease of fixation with increasing human impact on oak populations. The Dutch roadside plantations (Q. robur) exhibit a very low level of fixation (G(ST) = 0.28) as compared to Q. petraea in southern Germany (G(ST) = 0.91). The significance of the spatial genetic structure was tested using geostatistical methods. For the complete data set, a strong spatial genetic structure is confirmed, with higher than average genetic similarities between populations distant from up to 270 km, whereas there is no spatial structure in the roadside plantations in The Netherlands or in the northern German lowlands. These results should help to differentiate introduced from autochthonous populations, and provide a framework for the identification of the geographic origin of seed lots. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Q. robur; Q. petraea; PCR-RFLPs; haplotypes; spatial genetic patterns; genetic differentiation; deforestation; seed transfer
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