Keller, M, Alencar, A, Asner, GP et al. (7 more authors) (2004) Ecological research in the large-scale biosphere-atmosphere experiment in Amazonia: Early results. Ecological Applications, 14 (4). S3 - S16 . ISSN 1051-0761
Abstract
The Large-scale Biosphere-Atmosphere Experiment in Amazonia (LBA) is a multinational, interdisciplinary research program led by Brazil. Ecological studies in LBA focus on how tropical forest conversion, regrowth, and selective logging influence carbon storage, nutrient dynamics, trace gas fluxes, and the prospect for sustainable land use in the Amazon region. Early results from ecological studies within LBA emphasize the variability within the vast Amazon region and the profound effects that land-use and land-cover changes are having on that landscape. The predominant land cover of the Amazon region is evergreen forest; nonetheless, LBA studies have observed strong seasonal patterns in gross primary production, ecosystem respiration, and net ecosystem exchange, as well as phenology and tree growth. The seasonal patterns vary spatially and interannually and evidence suggests that these patterns are driven not only by variations in weather but also by innate biological rhythms of the forest species. Rapid rates of deforestation have marked the forests of the Amazon region over the past three decades. Evidence from ground-based surveys and remote sensing show that substantial areas of forest are being degraded by logging activities and through the collapse of forest edges. Because forest edges and logged forests are susceptible to fire, positive feedback cycles of forest degradation may be initiated by land-use-change events. LBA studies indicate that cleared lands in the Amazon, once released from cultivation or pasture usage, regenerate biomass rapidly. However, the pace of biomass accumulation is dependent upon past land use and the depletion of nutrients by unsustainable land-management practices. The challenge for ongoing research within LBA is to integrate the recognition of diverse patterns and processes into general models for prediction of regional ecosystem function.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Keywords: | Amazon, carbon, cerrado, land-use and land cover change, LBA, nutrients, Oxisol, savanna, trace gases, tropical forest, Ultisol, boundary-layer experiment, tropical forests, rain-forest, land-use, secondary vegetation, Brazilian Amazon, Eastern Amazonia, biomass, deforestation, emissions |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Geography (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 06 Jan 2012 12:17 |
Last Modified: | 04 Nov 2016 02:41 |
Published Version: | http://www.jstor.org/stable/4493625 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Ecological Society of America |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:43568 |