New ways for (in)validating the forest carbon neutrality hypothesis
© 2023 The Authors. Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
| Veröffentlicht in: | Global change biology. - 1999. - 30(2024), 1 vom: 26. Jan., Seite e16982 |
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| Format: | Online-Aufsatz |
| Sprache: | English |
| Veröffentlicht: |
2024
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| Zugriff auf das übergeordnete Werk: | Global change biology |
| Schlagworte: | Journal Article Odum's ecological hypotheses carbon sequestration forest management mature forests metabolic theory Carbon 7440-44-0 |
| Zusammenfassung: | © 2023 The Authors. Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Over 50 years ago, Eugene Odum postulated that mature or climax forests reside in carbon neutrality. As climate change rose to prominence in the international environmental agenda, the neutrality hypothesis transformed from an ecological principle to a justification for using forest management in combating climate change. Despite persistent efforts, Odum's neutrality hypothesis has resisted both confirmation and refutation. In this opinion we show the limitations of past efforts to (in)validate Odum's neutrality hypothesis and propose new research directions for the community to permit a more general confirmation or refutation with current and near-future observations. We then demonstrate such an approach by using metabolic theory to formulate testable predictions for the total sink strength considering soil, litter, and biomass of mature or climax forests based on observations of tree biomass and individual density. In doing so, we show that ecological theory can create additional relevant, testable hypotheses to provide timely support to decision-makers seeking to address one of the world's most pressing environmental challenges |
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| Beschreibung: | Date Completed 29.01.2024 Date Revised 29.01.2024 published: Print-Electronic Citation Status MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1365-2486 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/gcb.16982 |