Tracking tree demography and forest dynamics at scale using remote sensing
© 2024 The Author(s). New Phytologist © 2024 New Phytologist Foundation.
| Veröffentlicht in: | The New phytologist. - 1979. - (2024) vom: 18. Okt. |
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| 1. Verfasser: | |
| Weitere Verfasser: | , , , , |
| Format: | Online-Aufsatz |
| Sprache: | English |
| Veröffentlicht: |
2024
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| Zugriff auf das übergeordnete Werk: | The New phytologist |
| Schlagworte: | Journal Article LiDAR competition growth mortality recruitment topography tree crown delineation wildfires |
| Zusammenfassung: | © 2024 The Author(s). New Phytologist © 2024 New Phytologist Foundation. Capturing how tree growth and survival vary through space and time is critical to understanding the structure and dynamics of tree-dominated ecosystems. However, characterising demographic processes at scale is inherently challenging, as trees are slow-growing, long-lived and cover vast expanses of land. We used repeat airborne laser scanning data acquired across 25 km2 of semi-arid, old-growth temperate woodland in Western Australia to track the height growth, crown expansion and mortality of 42 213 individual trees over 9 yr. We found that demographic rates are constrained by a combination of tree size, competition and topography. After initially investing in height growth, trees progressively shifted to crown expansion as they grew larger, while mortality risk decreased considerably with size. Across the landscape, both tree growth and survival increased with topographic wetness, resulting in vegetation patterns that are strongly spatially structured. Moreover, biomass gains from woody growth generally outpaced losses from mortality, suggesting these old-growth woodlands remain a net carbon sink in the absence of wildfires. Our study sheds new light on the processes that shape the dynamics and spatial structure of semi-arid woody ecosystems and provides a roadmap for using emerging remote sensing technologies to track tree demography at scale |
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| Beschreibung: | Date Revised 19.10.2024 published: Print-Electronic Citation Status Publisher |
| ISSN: | 1469-8137 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/nph.20199 |