Jucker, T, Bongalov, B, Burslem, DFRP et al. (6 more authors) (2018) Topography shapes the structure, composition and function of tropical forest landscapes. Ecology Letters, 21 (7). pp. 989-1000. ISSN 1461-023X
Abstract
Topography is a key driver of tropical forest structure and composition, as it constrains local nutrient and hydraulic conditions within which trees grow. Yet, we do not fully understand how changes in forest physiognomy driven by topography impact other emergent properties of forests, such as their aboveground carbon density (ACD). Working in Borneo – at a site where 70‐m‐tall forests in alluvial valleys rapidly transition to stunted heath forests on nutrient‐depleted dip slopes – we combined field data with airborne laser scanning and hyperspectral imaging to characterise how topography shapes the vertical structure, wood density, diversity and ACD of nearly 15 km² of old‐growth forest. We found that subtle differences in elevation – which control soil chemistry and hydrology – profoundly influenced the structure, composition and diversity of the canopy. Capturing these processes was critical to explaining landscape‐scale heterogeneity in ACD, highlighting how emerging remote sensing technologies can provide new insights into long‐standing ecological questions.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
---|---|
Authors/Creators: |
|
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2018 The Authors. Ecology Letters published by CNRS and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
Keywords: | Aboveground carbon density; airborne laser scanning (or LiDAR); biodiversity; canopy height; gap fraction; hyperspectral imaging; remote sensing; terrain elevation, slope and curvature; wood density |
Dates: |
|
Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Geography (Leeds) > Ecology & Global Change (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 24 Apr 2018 09:58 |
Last Modified: | 13 Jul 2018 11:04 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Identification Number: | 10.1111/ele.12964 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:128855 |