アマゾンの森林では,大型ライアナの優位性が高まっています
Oliver L Phillips1, Rodolfo Vásquez Martínez, Luzmila Arroyo
1Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation, School of Geography, University of Leeds LS2 9JT, UK. o.phillips@geog.leeds.ac.uk
Nature
|August 16, 2002
まとめ
アマゾンの老樹林は,ライアナ (木質の爬行植物) の豊富さが大幅に増加しています. 森林の組成の変化は,これらの重要な生態系が将来炭素を貯蔵する能力を低下させる可能性があります.
科学分野:
- トロピカル生態学 トロピカル生態学
- 森林の炭素ダイナミクス
- 気候変動の影響は,気候変動の影響です.
背景:
- 旧生林は伝統的に動的均衡状態にあると考えられていた.
- 最近の研究によると,新熱帯雨林は炭素とバイオマスを蓄積しており,大気中の二酸化炭素の上昇が原因である可能性があります.
- 森林コミュニティの組成の変化が炭素貯蔵に与える影響は不明である.
研究 の 目的:
- 新熱帯雨林における木のバイオマスの増加が,コミュニティの組成の変化と関連しているかどうかを調査する.
- アマゾンの旧生林におけるライアナ (木質の爬行植物) の豊富さと支配における変化を定量化するために.
- これらの変化が熱帯の陸上の炭素吸収槽に及ぼす影響を評価する.
主な方法:
- 断片化されていないアマゾンの森林からの長期森林在庫データの分析.
- 20年以上にわたるライアナ密度,基礎面積,平均サイズの変化の定量化.
- 木と比較してライアナの優位性の相対的な増加の評価.
主要な成果:
- アマゾンの老樹林では,ライアナの密度,基礎面積,平均サイズが一貫して増加することが観察されました.
- 20世紀後半に,木に比べて大型ライアナの優位性は毎年1.7-4.6%増加しました.
- リアナは木の死亡率を増やし,木の成長を抑制することが判明しました.
結論:
- ライアナの豊富さの急速な増加は,アマゾンの古い成長の森林のコミュニティ組成の重要な変化を意味します.
- この組成の変化は,熱帯の陸上の炭素沈殿地の将来に重大な影響を及ぼします.
- 熱帯の炭素の流れを予測する現在のモデルでは,干渉されていないと思われる森林の中で起こる動的変化を組み込む必要があります.
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