Modeling the impact of liana infestation on the demography and carbon cycle of tropical forests.

ABSTRACT: There is mounting empirical evidence that lianas affect the carbon cycle of tropical forests. However, no single vegetation model takes into account this growth form, although such efforts could greatly improve the predictions of carbon dynamics in tropical forests. In this study, we incorporated a novel mechanistic representation of lianas in a dynamic global vegetation model (the Ecosystem Demography Model). We developed a liana-specific plant functional type and mechanisms representing liana-tree interactions (such as light competition, liana-specific allometries, and attachment to host trees) and parameterized them according to a comprehensive literature meta-analysis. We tested the model for an old-growth forest (Paracou, French Guiana) and a secondary forest (Gigante Peninsula, Panam

SUBMITTER: di Porcia E Brugnera M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6856694 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature