Diversity enhances carbon storage in tropical forests
Open accessAbstract
Aim: Tropical forests store 25% of global carbon and harbour 96% of the world's tree species, but it is not clear whether this high biodiversity matters for carbon storage. Few studies have teased apart the relative importance of forest attributes and environmental drivers for ecosystem functioning, and no such study exists for the tropics. Location: Neotropics. Methods: We relate aboveground biomass ( AGB ) to forest attributes (diversity and structure) and environmental drivers (annual rainfall and soil fertility) using data from 144,000 trees, 2050 forest plots and 59 forest sites. The sites span the complete latitudinal and climatic gradients in the lowland Neotropics, with rainfall ranging from 750 to 4350 mm year −1 . Relationships were analysed within forest sites at scales of 0.1 and 1 ha and across forest sites along large‐scale environmental gradients. We used a structural equation model to test the hypothesis that species richness, forest structural attributes and environmental drivers have independent, positive effects on AGB . Results: Across sites, AGB was most strongly driven by rainfall, followed by average tree stem diameter and rarefied species richness, which all had positive effects on AGB . Our indicator of soil fertility (cation exchange capacity) had a negligible effect on AGB , perhaps because we used a global soil database. Taxonomic forest attributes (i.e. species richness, rarefied richness and Shannon diversity) had the strongest relationships with AGB at small spatial scales, where an additional species can still make a difference in terms of niche complementarity, while structural forest attributes (i.e. tree density and tree size) had strong relationships with AGB at all spatial scales. Main conclusions: Biodiversity has an independent, positive effect on AGB and ecosystem functioning, not only in relatively simple temperate systems but also in structurally complex hyperdiverse tropical forests. Biodiversity conservation should therefore be a key component of the UN Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation strateg y.
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Tree species complementarity increases carbon storage, accelerating forest recovery after disturbances.
“Tree species complementarity increases carbon storage, accelerating forest recovery after disturbances108.”
From Critical transitions in the Amazon forest system (2024) · cites this paper as [108]
The Discussion (page unavailable) reports a positive relationship between species richness and above-ground biomass, supporting the carbon-storage part of the claim. The Introduction presents complementarity as a proposed mechanism, not one the study establishes. The discussion of gap dynamics says richness and biomass may both rise after disturbance; it does not show that complementarity accelerates forest recovery. (LLM, conf=0.88)
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- Authors
- Poorter, L., van der Sande, M. T., Thompson, J., Arets, E. J. M. M., Alarcón, A., Álvarez‐Sánchez, J., Ascarrunz, N., Balvanera, P., Barajas‐Guzmán, G., Boit, A., Bongers, F., Carvalho, F. A., Casanoves, F., Cornejo‐Tenorio, G., Costa, F. R. C., de Castilho, C. V., Duivenvoorden, J. F., Dutrieux, L. P., Enquist, B. J., Fernández‐Méndez, F., Finegan, B., Gormley, L. H. L., Healey, J. R., Hoosbeek, M. R., Ibarra‐Manríquez, G., Junqueira, A. B., Levis, C., Licona, J. C., Lisboa, L. S., Magnusson, W. E., Martínez‐Ramos, M., Martínez‐Yrizar, A., Martorano, L. G., Maskell, L. C., Mazzei, L., Meave, J. A., Mora, F., Muñoz, R., Nytch, C., Pansonato, M. P., Parr, T. W., Paz, H., Pérez‐García, E. A., Rentería, L. Y., Rodríguez‐Velazquez, J., Rozendaal, D. M. A., Ruschel, A. R., Sakschewski, B., Salgado‐Negret, B., Schietti, J., Simões, M., Sinclair, F. L., Souza, P. F., Souza, F. C., Stropp, J., ter Steege, H., Swenson, N. G., Thonicke, K., Toledo, M., Uriarte, M., van der Hout, P., Walker, P., Zamora, N., & Peña‐Claros, M.
- Affiliations
- Wageningen University & Research (NL)
- Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group Wageningen University PO Box 47 6700 AA Wageningen The Netherlands
- University of Puerto Rico at Río Piedras (PR)
- Gabriel René Moreno Autonomous University (BO)
- Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México México DF México
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (MX)
- Berlin Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (DE)
- Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (BR)
- Centro Agronomico Tropical de Investigacion y Ensenanza Catie (CR)
- Embrapa Roraima Boa Vista Brazil
- University of Amsterdam (NL)
- Santa Fe Institute (US)
- Universidade Federal de Viçosa (BR)
- Bangor University (GB)
- ESALQ USP Piracicaba Brazil
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México Morelia México
- Embrapa Amazônia Oriental (BR)
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) Lancaster UK
- University of Connecticut (US)
- Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute (CO)
- Embrapa Solos (BR)
- Universidade Federal de Alagoas (BR)
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center Leiden Netherlands
- University of Maryland, College Park (US)
- Columbia University (US)
- Van der Hout Forestry Consulting Rotterdam The Netherlands
- Wildtracks PO Box 278 Belize City Belize
- National Biodiversity Institute (CR)
- Corresponding author
- Poorter, L.
- ORCID
- Poorter, L.
- Thompson, J.
- Arets, E. J. M. M.
- Balvanera, P.
- Bongers, F.
- Carvalho, F. A.
- Casanoves, F.
- Cornejo‐Tenorio, G.
- Costa, F. R. C.
- Duivenvoorden, J. F.
- Dutrieux, L. P.
- Enquist, B. J.
- Fernández‐Méndez, F.
- Finegan, B.
- Healey, J. R.
- Hoosbeek, M. R.
- Ibarra‐Manríquez, G.
- Junqueira, A. B.
- Levis, C.
- Magnusson, W. E.
- Martínez‐Yrizar, A.
- Martorano, L. G.
- Maskell, L. C.
- Mazzei, L.
- Meave, J. A.
- Mora, F.
- Muñoz, R.
- Nytch, C.
- Pansonato, M. P.
- Paz, H.
- Rozendaal, D. M. A.
- Ruschel, A. R.
- Sakschewski, B.
- Salgado‐Negret, B.
- Schietti, J.
- Simões, M.
- Sinclair, F. L.
- Souza, F. C.
- Stropp, J.
- Swenson, N. G.
- Thonicke, K.
- Toledo, M.
- Uriarte, M.
- Peña‐Claros, M.
- Venue
- Global Ecology and Biogeography
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2015-09-08
- Volume
- 24
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 1314-1328
- ISSN
- 1466-822X (ISSN-L)
- 1466-8238
- OpenAlex
- W1509240185
- Cited by
- 611
- References
- 6
- Citations by year
- 2026: 71 · 2025: 68 · 2024: 79 · 2023: 71 · 2022: 54 · 2021: 60 · 2020: 59 · 2019: 48 · 2018: 39 · 2017: 39 · 2016: 23
- FWCI
- 34.89
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Global Ecology and Biogeography (publishedVersion)
- UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) (publishedVersion)
- Bangor University Research Portal (Bangor University) (acceptedVersion)
- NERC Open Research Archive (Natural Environment Research Council) (acceptedVersion)
- Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling (acceptedVersion)
- UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) (submittedVersion)
- Publication Database PIK (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK)) (submittedVersion)
- Bangor University Research Portal (Bangor University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (283093)
- ReserBos project (SEP-CONACyT/2009-129740)
- Luquillo Long Term Ecological Research program (LTER)
- USA National Science Foundation
- US National Science Foundation
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Forest ecology and management
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Nature and Landscape Conservation › Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Remote Sensing and LiDAR Applications
- Keywords
- aboveground biomass, species richness, forest structure, rainfall, soil fertility, cation exchange capacity, tree diameter, niche complementarity, biodiversity-ecosystem functioning, REDD+, Neotropical forests, latitudinal gradient
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