Above-ground biomass and structure of 260 African tropical forests.
Abstract
We report above-ground biomass (AGB), basal area, stem density and wood mass density
estimates from 260 sample plots (mean size: 1.2 ha) in intact closed-canopy tropical
forests across 12 African countries. Mean AGB is 395.7 Mg dry mass ha⁻¹ (95% CI: 14.3),
substantially higher than Amazonian values, with the Congo Basin and contiguous forest
region attaining AGB values (429 Mg ha⁻¹) similar to those of Bornean forests, and
significantly greater than East or West African forests. AGB therefore appears generally
higher in palaeo- compared with neotropical forests. However, mean stem density is
low (426 ± 11 stems ha⁻¹ greater than or equal to 100 mm diameter) compared with both
Amazonian and Bornean forests (cf. approx. 600) and is the signature structural feature
of African tropical forests. While spatial autocorrelation complicates analyses, AGB
shows a positive relationship with rainfall in the driest nine months of the year,
and an opposite association with the wettest three months of the year; a negative
relationship with temperature; positive relationship with clay-rich soils; and negative
relationships with C : N ratio (suggesting a positive soil phosphorus-AGB relationship),
and soil fertility computed as the sum of base cations. The results indicate that
AGB is mediated by both climate and soils, and suggest that the AGB of African closed-canopy
tropical forests may be particularly sensitive to future precipitation and temperature
changes.
Type
Journal articleSubject
TreesSoil
Conservation of Natural Resources
Biomass
Tropical Climate
Models, Biological
Africa
Climate Change
Carbon Cycle
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https://hdl.handle.net/10161/17633Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1098/rstb.2012.0295Publication Info
Lewis, Simon L; Sonké, Bonaventure; Sunderland, Terry; Begne, Serge K; Lopez-Gonzalez,
Gabriela; van der Heijden, Geertje MF; ... Zemagho, Lise (2013). Above-ground biomass and structure of 260 African tropical forests. Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences, 368(1625). pp. 20120295. 10.1098/rstb.2012.0295. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/17633.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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