Estimation of biomass and carbon stocks: the case of the Atlantic Forest

Authors

  • Simone Aparecida Vieira Universidade de São Paulo, Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura, Laboratório de Ecologia Isotópica
  • Luciana Ferreira Alves Instituto de Botânica de São Paulo, Seção de Ecologia
  • Marcos Aidar Instituto de Botânica de São Paulo, Seção de Ecologia
  • Luciana Spinelli Araújo Universidade de São Paulo, Laboratório de Ecologia e Restauração Florestal
  • Tim Baker University of Leeds, School of Geography
  • João Luís Ferreira Batista Instituto de Botânica de São Paulo, Seção de Ecologia
  • Mariana Cruz Campos Universidade de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia
  • Plinio Barbosa Camargo Universidade de São Paulo, Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura, Laboratório de Ecologia Isotópica
  • Jerome Chave Université Paul Sabatier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
  • Welington Braz Carvalho Delitti Universidade de São Paulo, Instituto de Biociências
  • Niro Higuchi Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Departamento de Silvicultura Tropical e Manejo Florestal
  • Euridice Honorio Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana
  • Carlos Alfredo Joly Universidade de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia
  • Michael Keller Universidade de São Paulo, Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura, Laboratório de Ecologia Isotópica
  • Luiz Antonio Martinelli Universidade de São Paulo, Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura, Laboratório de Ecologia Isotópica
  • Eduardo Arcoverde de Mattos Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CCS, Instituto de Biologia
  • Thiago Metzker Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Departamento de Botânica
  • Oliver Phillips University of Leeds, School of Geography
  • Flavio Antonio Maes dos Santos Universidade de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia
  • Mônica Takako Shimabukuro Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais, Divisão de Sensoriamento Remoto
  • Marcos Silveira Universidade Federal do Acre, Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Natureza
  • Susan Elizabeth Trumbore University of California, Institute for Geophysics and Planetary Physics

Keywords:

Atlantic Forest, above-ground biomass, allometric model, carbon, Mata Atlântica

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to present and discuss the best methods to estimate live above ground biomass in the Atlantic Forest. The methods presented and conclusions are the products of a workshop entitled "Estimation of Biomass and Carbon Stocks: the Case of Atlantic Rain Forest". Aboveground biomass (AGB) in tropical forests is mainly contained in trees. Tree biomass is a function of wood volume, obtained from the diameter and height, architecture and wood density (dry weight per unit volume of fresh wood). It can be quantified by the direct (destructive) or indirect method where the biomass quantification is estimated using mathematical models. The allometric model can be site specific when elaborated to a particular ecosystem or general that can be used in different sites. For the Atlantic Forest, despite the importance of it, there are only two direct measurements of tree biomass, resulting in allometric models specific for this ecosystem. To select one or other of the available models in the literature to estimate AGB it is necessary take into account what is the main question to be answered and the ease with which it is possible to measure the independent variables in the model. Models that present more accurate estimates should be preferred. However, more simple models (those with one independent variable, usually DBH) can be used when the focus is monitoring the variation in carbon storage through the time. Our observations in the Atlantic Forest suggest that pan-tropical relations proposed by Chave et al. (2005) can be confidently used to estimated tree biomass across biomes as long as tree diameter (DBH), height, and wood density are accounted for in the model. In Atlantic Forest, we recommend the quantification of biomass of lianas, bamboo, palms, tree ferns and epiphytes, which are an important component in this ecosystem. This paper is an outcome of the workshop entitled "Estimation of Biomass and Carbon Stocks: the Case of Atlantic Rain Forest", that was conducted at Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil, between 4 and 8 December 2006 as part of the Brazilian project "Ombrophylus Dense Forest floristic composition, structure and function at the Núcleos Picinguaba and Santa Virginia of the Serra do Mar State Park", BIOTA Gradiente.

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Published

2008-06-01

How to Cite

Vieira, S. A., Alves, L. F., Aidar, M., Araújo, L. S., Baker, T., Batista, J. L. F., Campos, M. C., Camargo, P. B., Chave, J., Delitti, W. B. C., Higuchi, N., Honorio, E., Joly, C. A., Keller, M., Martinelli, L. A., Mattos, E. A. de, Metzker, T., Phillips, O., Santos, F. A. M. dos, Shimabukuro, M. T., Silveira, M., & Trumbore, S. E. (2008). Estimation of biomass and carbon stocks: the case of the Atlantic Forest. Biota Neotropica, 8(2). Retrieved from //www.biotaneotropica.org.br/BN/article/view/389

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