Abstract
The aboveground biomass (AGB) of shrubs and small trees is the main component for the productivity and carbon storage of understory vegetation in subtropical secondary forests. However, few allometric models exist to accurately evaluate understory biomass. To estimate the AGB of five common shrub (diameter at base < 5 cm, < 5 m high) and one small tree species (< 8 m high, trees’s seedling), 206 individuals were harvested and species-specific and multi-species allometric models developed based on four predictors, height (H), stem diameter (D), crown area (Ca), and wood density (ρ). As expected, the six species possessed greater biomass in their stems compared with branches, with the lowest biomass in the leaves. Species-specific allometric models that employed stem diameter and the combined variables of D2H and ρDH as predictors accurately estimated the components and total AGB, with R2 values from 0.602 and 0.971. A multi-species shrub allometric model revealed that wood density × diameter × height (ρDH) was the best predictor, with R2 values ranging from between 0.81 and 0.89 for the components and total AGB, respectively. These results indicated that height (H) and diameter (D) were effective predictors for the models to estimate the AGB of the six species, and the introduction of wood density (ρ) improved their accuracy. The optimal models selected in this study could be applied to estimate the biomass of shrubs and small trees in subtropical regions.
Highlights
Shrubs and small trees (Mbow et al 2014, Bayen et al 2020) are important components of understory vegetation (MacDonald et al 2012, Flade et al 2020)
The plant component aboveground biomass (AGB) was derived from shrubs and small trees growing in the natural secondary forests of Qiaomu Township, located 22 km northeast of Qingyang County (30°19′N to 30°50′ and 117°40′ to 118°07′E), in Anhui Province, China
For Acer ginnala, Diospyros rhombifolia, and Dendrobenthamia japonica, D2H was the best predictor of stem biomass (SB) and AGB (R2 = 0.858 ~ 0.971 and R2 = 0.908 ~ 0.961; P < 0.001, respectively)
Summary
Shrubs (stem ramifications < 1.3 m, < 5 m high) and small trees (stem ramifications > 1.3 m, < 8 m high) (Mbow et al 2014, Bayen et al 2020) are important components of understory vegetation (MacDonald et al 2012, Flade et al 2020). An accurate assessment of the biomass of shrubs and small trees is critical for the estimation of carbon storage in ecosystems. The most accurate technique for estimating the biomass of individual trees or shrubs is direct harvesting and weighing. This strategy is only suitable at a small-scale due to its being labor intensive and time-consuming (MacDonald et al 2012, Ali et al 2015). The aboveground biomass (AGB) of shrubs and small trees is the main component for the productivity and carbon storage of understory vegetation in subtropical natural secondary forests. Few allometric models exist for shrubs and small trees, even though they can accurately evaluate understory vegetative biomass
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