Malhi, Y, Girardin, C, Metcalfe, DB et al. (18 more authors) (2021) The Global Ecosystems Monitoring network: Monitoring ecosystem productivity and carbon cycling across the tropics. Biological Conservation, 253. 108889. p. 108889. ISSN 0006-3207
Abstract
A rich understanding of the productivity, carbon and nutrient cycling of terrestrial ecosystems is essential in the context of understanding, modelling and managing the future response of the biosphere to global change. This need is particularly acute in tropical ecosystems, home to over 60% of global terrestrial productivity, over half of planetary biodiversity, and hotspots of anthropogenic pressure. In recent years there has been a surge of activity in collecting data on the carbon cycle, productivity, and plant functional traits of tropical ecosystems, most intensively through the Global Ecosystems Monitoring network (GEM). The GEM approach provides valuable insights by linking field-based ecosystem ecology with the needs of Earth system science. In this paper, we review and synthesize the context, history and recent scientific output from the GEM network. Key insights have emerged on the spatial and temporal variability of ecosystem productivity and on the role of temperature and drought stress on ecosystem function and resilience. New work across the network is now linking carbon cycling to nutrient cycling and plant functional traits, and subsequently to airborne remote sensing. We discuss some of the novel emerging patterns and practical and methodological challenges of this approach, and examine current and possible future directions, both within this network and as lessons for a more general terrestrial ecosystem observation scheme.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021, Elsevier. All rights reserved. This is an author produced version of an article published in Biological Conservation. Uploaded in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Keywords: | Tropical forests; Net primary productivity; Carbon cycle; Allocation; Traits; Monitoring |
Dates: |
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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) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 01 Feb 2021 11:27 |
Last Modified: | 04 Jan 2022 01:38 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108889 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:170505 |
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