Tree Diversity Enhances Stand Carbon Storage but Not Leaf Area in a Subtropical Forest.

ABSTRACT: Research about biodiversity-productivity relationships has focused on herbaceous ecosystems, with results from tree field studies only recently beginning to emerge. Also, the latter are concentrated largely in the temperate zone. Tree species diversity generally is much higher in subtropical and tropical than in temperate or boreal forests, with reasons not fully understood. Niche overlap and thus complementarity in the use of resources that support productivity may be lower in forests than in herbaceous ecosystems, suggesting weaker productivity responses to diversity change in forests. We studied stand basal area, vertical structure, leaf area, and their relationship with tree species richness in a subtropical forest in south-east China. Permanent forest plots of 30 x 30 m were selected

SUBMITTER: Castro-Izaguirre N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5147976 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature