Dynamics of Functional Composition of a Brazilian Tropical Forest in Response to Drought Stress

Authors: Theodore N.S. Karfakis, Anna Andrade

Abstract:

The aim of this study was to examine the dynamics of functional composition of a non flooded Amazonian forest in response to drought stress in terms of diameter growth, recruitment and mortality. The survey was carried out in the continuous forest of the Biological dynamics of forest fragments project 90 km outside the city of Manaus, state of Amazonas Brazil. All stems >10 cm dbh where identified to species level and monitored in 18 one hectare permanent sample plots from 1981 to 2004.For statistical analysis all species where aggregated in three ecological guilds. Two distinct drought events occurred in 1983 and 1997. Results showed that more early successional species performed better than later successional ones. Response was significant for both events but for the 1997 event this was more pronounced possibly because of the fact that the event was in the middle of the dry rather than the wet period as was the 1983 one.

Keywords: Brazil, functional composition, drought, Amazonian non flooded forest.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1078777

References:

[1] D.C.Allen,A.K.Macalady,H.Chenchouni,D.Bachellet,N.Mcdowell,M.Ve nnetier T.Kitzberger, A.Rigling, B.D.Breshears, E.H.Hogg, Gonzalez, R.Fensham, Z. Zhang, J.Castro, N.Demidova, J.H.Lim, G.Allard, S.W.Running, A.Semerci, N.Cobb, "A global overview of drought and heat induced tree mortality reveals emerging climate change risks for forests," Forest Ecology and Management ,2010, vol.259,no 4,pp 660- 684.
[2] D.A.Clark, and D.B.Clark,"Life history diversity of canopy and emergent trees in a neotropical rain forest,"1992, Ecological Monographs, vol.62, pp 315-344.
[3] R.Condit, S.P. Hubbell, and R.B. Foster "Mortality rates of 205 Neotropical tree and shrub species and the impact of a severe drought,"1992,Ecological Monographs vol.65, 419-439.
[4] R.Condit, S. Aguilar, A. Hernandez, R.Perez, S.Lao, G.Angehr, S.P. Hubbell, and R. B.Foster "Tropical forest dynamics across a rainfall gradient and the impact of an El Nino dry season," 2004,Journal of Tropical Ecology, vol.20,pp. 51-72.
[5] A.C.L.da Costa, D.Galbraith,S.Almeida , B.T.T.Portela, M.Da Costa, J.de Athaydes Silva, A.P.Braga, P.H.L.de Goncalves, A.A.R.de Oliveira, R.Fisher, O.L.Phillips, D.L.Metcalfe, P.Levy and P.Meir "Effect of 7 yr of experimental drought on vegetation dynamics and biomass storage of an eastern Amazonian rainforest" 2010, New Phytologist vol. pp 187,pp.579-591.
[6] B.M.J.Engelbrecht, L.S.Comita, R.Condit, T.A.Kursar, M.T.Tyree, B.L Turner.and S.P. Hubbell "Drought sensitivity shapes species distribution patterns in tropical forests," 2007, Nature Letters, vol.447 pp 80-82.
[7] K.J.Feeley, S.J. Wright, M.N. Nur Supardi, Rahman A. Kassim, and S.J.Davies "Decelerating growth in tropical forest trees" 2010,Ecology Letters, vol.10, pp. 461-469.
[8] S.Gourlet-Fleury, L.B.Lanc, N.P.Piccard, P.S Sist., J.Dick, R.B. Asi, M. Swaine and E.F.Forni "Grouping tree species for predicting mixed tropical forest dynamics: looking for a strategy,"2005, Ann. For. Sci, vol.62, pp.785-796.
[9] D. King, S.J.Davies, M.N. Nur Supadi and S. Tan "Tree growth is related to light interception and wood density in two mixed dipterocarp forests of Malaysia,"2005, Functional Ecology, vol.19, pp. 445-453.
[10] D. King, S.J. Davies, and N.S.Md Noor "Growth and mortality are related to adult tree size in a Malaysian mixed dipterocarp forest," 2006, Forest Ecology and Management, vol.223, pp. 152-158.
[11] P.Kohler, T. Ditzer and A. Huth "Concepts for the aggregation of tropical tree species into functional types and the application to Sabah's lowland rain forests,"2000, J. Trop. Ecol., vol.16,pp.591-602.
[12] W.F.Laurance, L.V. Ferreira, J.M. Rankin and S.G. Laurance "Rain forest fragmentation and the dynamics of Amazonian tree communities 1998, Ecology vol.79, pp.2032-2040.
[13] S. Lewis, O. Phillips, D. Sheil, B. Vinceti, T.R. Baker, S. Brown, A.W. Graham, N. Higuchi, D.W. Hilbert, W. Laurance, J. Lejoly, Y. Malhi, A. Monteagudo, P Nunez-Vargas, S. Bonaventure, M.N. Nur Surpardi, J.W.Terborgh, R.Vazquez-Martinez "Tropical forest tree mortality, recruitment and turnover rates: calculation, interpretation and comparison when census intervals vary" 2004,Journal of Ecology, vol.10 pp.1365-2745
[14] Y.Malhi, T.R.Baker, O.L.Phillips, S.Almeida, E.Alvarez, L.Arroyo, J. Chave, C.I.Czimczic, A.Di Fiore, N.Higuchi, T.J.Kileen, S.Laurance, W.Laurance, S.Lewis, M. Mercado-Montoya, A.Monteagudo, D.A.Neill, P.Quesada, R. Salomao, J.N.M. Silva, A.Lezzama-Torres, R.Vasquez-Martinez, J.Terborgh, B.Vincenti and J. Lloyd "The aboveground coarse woody productivity of 104 Neotropical forest plots,"2004,Global Change Biology, vol.10, pp. 563-591.
[15] D.C. Nepstad, I.M Tohver., D.Ray, P.Moutinho and G.Cardinot "Mortality of large trees and lianas Following experimental drought in an Amazon Forest," 2007, Ecology, vol.88, no.9, pp. 2259-2269.
[16] M.P. Oatham and R. Seepersad "Dynamics of pioneer and primary successional stage trees in a logged Trinidadian tropical rainforest and the influence of drought"2006, Tropical Ecology,vol. 47,no.1,pp. 13-26.
[17] O.L. Phillips,. L. E.Arag├úo, Lewis S. L., J. B.Fisher, J. Lloyd, G. L├│pez- Gonz├ílez, Y. Malhi, A. Monteagudo ,J. Peacock ,C.A. Quesada, G.van der Heijden , S.Almeida , I.Amaral , L. Arroyo , G. Aymard ,T.R. Baker ,O. B├ínki , L. Blanc , D. Bonal, P. Brando , J.Chave , ├ü. C. Alves de Oliveira, N. D.Cardozo, C. I.Czimczik, T. R.Feldpausch, M. Aparecida Freitas, E. Gloor, N. Higuchi, E. Jiménez, G. Lloyd, P. Meir, C. Mendoza, A. Morel, D. A.Neill, D. Nepstad, S. Pati├▒o, M. C. Pe├▒uela, A. Prieto F. Ram├¡rez, M. Schwarz, J. Silva, M. Silveira, A. Sota Thomas, H. ter Steege, J. Stropp, R. V├ísquez, P. Zelazowski, E. Alvarez D├ívila, S. Andelman, A. Andrade, K. Chao, T. Erwin, A. Di Fiore, C. E. Honorio, H.Keeling, T. J.Killeen, W. F.Laurance, A. Pe├▒a Cruz, N. C. A. Pitman, P. N├║├▒ez Vargas, H. Ram├¡rez-Angulo, A. Rudas, R. Salam├úo, N. Silva, J. Terborgh and A. Torres-Lezama "Drought Sensitivity of the Amazon Rainforest," 2009, Science,vol.323,pp. 1344-1347.
[18] L.Poorter, S.J.Wright, H. Paz, D.Ackerly, R. Condit, G. Ibara- Manriquez, K.E. Harms, J.C.Licona, M. Martinez-Ramos, S.G. Mazer, H.C.Muller-Landau, M. Pena-Claros, C.O.Webb, I.J.Wright "Are functional traits good predictors of demographic rates? Evidence from five Neotropical forests," 2008, Ecology, vol.89, no.7,pp. 1908-20.
[19] D.Sheil, D.F.R.P. Burslem and D. Alder, "The interpretation and misinterpretation of mortality rate measures," 1995, Journal of Ecology, vol.83, pp. 331-333.
[20] D. Sheil, and R.M. May. "Mortality and recruitment rate evaluations in heterogeneous tropical forests," 1996, Journal of Ecology, vol.84, pp. 91-100.
[21] Slik J.W.F, "El Nino droughts and their effects on tree species composition and diversity in tropical rain forests,"2004, Oecologia, vol.141, pp. 114-120.
[22] M.D. Swaine and T.C. Whitmore "On the definition of ecological species groups in tropical rain forests," 1988, Vegetatio, vol.75 pp. 81- 86.
[23] H.ter Steege, N.Pitman, D.Sabatier, H.Castellanos, P.van der Hout, D.C.Daly M. Silveira, O.Phillips, R.Vasquez, T.van Andel, J.Duivenvoorden, A.A.de Oliveira, R.Ek, R.Lilwah, R.Thomas, J.van Essen, C.Baider, P.Maas, S.Mori, J.Terborgh, P.N├║├▒ez Vargaz, H. Mogoll├│n, and W. Morawetz, "A spatial model of tree ╬▒-diversity and tree density for the Amazon,"2003, Biodiversity and Conservation, vol.12,pp. 2255-2277.
[24] H.terSteege,N.C.A.Pittman,O.L.Phillips,J.Chave,D.Sabatier,A.Duque,J.F .Molino,M.F.Prevost R.Spichiger, H.Castellanos, P . von Hildebrand and R. Vasquez "Continental-scale patterns of canopy tree composition and function across Amazonia," 2006, Letters to Nature vol.443, no.28, pp. 444-447.
[25] G.Vincent, H.de Foresta and R.Mulia "Co-occurring tree species show contrasting sensitivity to ENSO-related droughts in planted dipterocarp forests," 2009, Forest Ecology and Management, vol. 258, pp.1316- 1322.
[26] C.Whitmore"Forty Years of Rain Forest Ecology: 1948-1988 in Perspective,"1989, Geojournal, vol.19 pp. 347-360.
[27] B.Williamson,W.F. Laurance, A.Oliveira, Delamonica P., C. Gauscon, T. Lovejoy and L. Pohl "Amazonian tree mortality during the 1997 El Nino drought,"2000,Conservation Biology, vol.14,no.5,pp. 1538-1542.