Aboveground tree growth varies with belowground carbon allocation in a tropical rainforest environment.

ABSTRACT: Young secondary forests and plantations in the moist tropics often have rapid rates of biomass accumulation and thus sequester large amounts of carbon. Here, we compare results from mature forest and nearby 15-20 year old tree plantations in lowland Costa Rica to evaluate differences in allocation of carbon to aboveground production and root systems. We found that the tree plantations, which had fully developed, closed canopies, allocated more carbon belowground - to their root systems - than did mature forest. This increase in belowground carbon allocation correlated significantly with aboveground tree growth but not with canopy production (i.e., leaf fall or fine litter production). In contrast, there were no correlations between canopy production and either tree growth or belowground ca

SUBMITTER: Raich JW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4063787 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature