Dalagnol, R, Wagner, FH, Galvão, LS et al. (6 more authors) (2021) Large-scale variations in the dynamics of Amazon forest canopy gaps from airborne lidar data and opportunities for tree mortality estimates. Scientific Reports, 11 (1). 1388. ISSN 2045-2322
Abstract
We report large-scale estimates of Amazonian gap dynamics using a novel approach with large datasets of airborne light detection and ranging (lidar), including five multi-temporal and 610 single-date lidar datasets. Specifically, we (1) compared the fixed height and relative height methods for gap delineation and established a relationship between static and dynamic gaps (newly created gaps); (2) explored potential environmental/climate drivers explaining gap occurrence using generalized linear models; and (3) cross-related our findings to mortality estimates from 181 field plots. Our findings suggest that static gaps are significantly correlated to dynamic gaps and can inform about structural changes in the forest canopy. Moreover, the relative height outperformed the fixed height method for gap delineation. Well-defined and consistent spatial patterns of dynamic gaps were found over the Amazon, while also revealing the dynamics of areas never sampled in the field. The predominant pattern indicates 20–35% higher gap dynamics at the west and southeast than at the central-east and north. These estimates were notably consistent with field mortality patterns, but they showed 60% lower magnitude likely due to the predominant detection of the broken/uprooted mode of death. While topographic predictors did not explain gap occurrence, the water deficit, soil fertility, forest flooding and degradation were key drivers of gap variability at the regional scale. These findings highlight the importance of lidar in providing opportunities for large-scale gap dynamics and tree mortality monitoring over the Amazon.
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2021. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Institution: | The University of Leeds | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Geography (Leeds) > Ecology & Global Change (Leeds) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Date Deposited: | 22 Jan 2021 15:46 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Last Modified: | 26 Jul 2022 14:54 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Status: | Published | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Publisher: | Nature Research | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
Identification Number: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-80809-w | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Filename: Dalagnol_et_al_Large_scale_Amazon_canopy_gap_dynamics_2021.pdf
Licence: CC-BY 4.0