Abstract
To test whether there are general patterns in biomass partitioning in relation to environmental variation when stand biomass is considered, we investigated biomass allocation in leaves, stems, and roots in China’s forests using both the national forest inventory data (2004–2008) and our field measurements (2011–2012). Distribution patterns of leaf, stem, and root biomass showed significantly different trends according to latitude, longitude, and altitude, and were positively and significantly correlated with stand age and mean annual precipitation. Trade-offs among leaves, stems, and roots varied with forest type and origin and were mainly explained by stand biomass. Based on the constraints of stand biomass, biomass allocation was also influenced by forest type, origin, stand age, stand density, mean annual temperature, precipitation, and maximum temperature in the growing season. Therefore, after stand biomass was accounted for, the residual variation in biomass allocation could be partially explained by stand characteristics and environmental factors, which may aid in quantifying carbon cycling in forest ecosystems and assessing the impacts of climate change on forest carbon dynamics in China.
Highlights
It remains unclear whether general patterns in biomass partitioning exist that are linked to environmental variation after plant size is accounted for
The distribution of leaf, stem, and root biomass was examined, and we revealed a large variation among forests in China (Fig. 2, Table 1)
Leaf biomass showed significant positive longitudinal trends while it was characterized by significant negative latitudinal trends
Summary
It remains unclear whether general patterns in biomass partitioning exist that are linked to environmental variation after plant size is accounted for. We hypothesized that (1) leaf, stem, and root biomass would show significant biogeographic patterns, since the ability of forest plants to utilize available energy is limited by water and temperature conditions[30,31,32]; (2) the relative importance of tree size (biomass) to trade-offs in biomass allocation would be greater than that of other factors[5,25]; and (3) after constraints imposed by tree size were accounted for, variation in patterns of biomass allocation would be modulated by forest stand characteristics and environmental factors[14,25] Exploring these important questions and hypotheses is essential for quantifying carbon cycles in forest ecosystems and assessing the impacts of climate change on forest carbon dynamics in China[6,10,33]
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