Drivers and Mechanisms of Ecosystem Multifunctionality in Secondary Tropical Forests

Area of Science:

• Ecology
• Tropical Forest Ecology
• Ecosystem Functioning

Background:

• Tropical forests are crucial for ecosystem services but face increasing disturbances and expansion of secondary forests.
• Understanding the recovery of ecosystem multifunctionality in young secondary forests is vital for conservation and restoration efforts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the drivers and mechanisms influencing ecosystem multifunctionality recovery in young tropical secondary forests.
• To determine the conditions that promote faster recovery of ecosystem functions related to carbon, water, and nutrient cycling.

Main Methods:

• Established 36 study plots in young secondary forests (2.3-3.6 years old) in Ghana's dry and wet regions.
• Measured forest structure, diversity, functional composition, soil properties, and 16 ecosystem functions.
• Utilized structural equation modeling to assess the influence of environmental conditions and forest attributes on ecosystem functioning.

Main Results:

• Climatic wetness and soil conditions were the strongest drivers of ecosystem functions, followed by forest structure, diversity, and functional composition.
• The carbon cycle was most influenced by forest attributes, while water and nutrient cycles were primarily shaped by environmental conditions.
• Ecosystem multifunctionality in early successional stages is more strongly influenced by environmental factors and vegetation quantity than biodiversity.

Conclusions:

• Environmental conditions and vegetation quantity, rather than biodiversity, are key drivers of early-stage ecosystem multifunctionality recovery.
• Different environmental conditions are required for the recovery of distinct biogeochemical cycles (carbon, water, nutrient).
• Low previous land-use intensity facilitates rapid forest recovery, making natural regeneration a scalable and cost-effective restoration strategy, particularly in wet tropical forests.