A new insight in the structure, composition and functioning of central African moist forests
A new insight in the structure, composition and functioning of central African moist forests
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DOI：
10.1016/j.foreco.2014.06.014
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发表时间：
2014-10-01
影响因子：
3.7
通讯作者：
Gourlet-Fleury, Sylvie
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Fayolle, Adeline;Picard, Nicolas;Gourlet-Fleury, Sylvie
刚果盆地的大部分半落叶湿润森林已交给伐木公司开采。在未来几十年中，这些森林中将只有极少数保持完好。在本文中，我们旨在确定非洲湿润森林在结构、组成和功能方面的大规模变化，以作为管理和保护目的的基准。我们收集了 49,711 块 0.5 公顷地块的商业森林资源数据，覆盖面积超过 600 万公顷，跨越喀麦隆、中非共和国和刚果共和国三国边境。对实地可靠鉴定的 176 个属的植物组成进行了分析。我们从不同来源收集了热带树木的三个关键功能特征：再生能力、叶片物候学和木材比重，并将其归入属种一级。我们首先调查了森林结构和组成的主要变化，并根据这些变化确定了七种森林类型。我们测试了不同森林类型在先锋茎和落叶茎比例以及平均木材比重方面的差异。研究区的大部分地区都是由森林结构变化的马赛克组成，其特点是出现了凯尔特木（榆科）树种，这些树种大多由常见和丰富的属种组成，形成了该地区的共同植物群。Musanga（桑科）次生林位于道路沿线和主要城市周围的反复受干扰地区；Manilkara（无患子科）混交林在中非共和国南部和刚果共和国北部覆盖了大片地区；而 Gilbertiodendron（豆科）单优势林则稀疏地分布在河流沿岸。这些森林类型的结构、组成和功能截然不同，意味着种群和生态系统过程存在明显差异，需要采取相应的管理和保护策略。(C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. 版权所有。保留所有权利。
The greater part of the semi-deciduous moist forests of the Congo basin has been given to logging companies for exploitation. In the next decades, very few of these forests will remain intact. In this paper, we aimed to identify large-scale variations in the structure, composition and functioning of African moist forests that could serve as a baseline for both management and conservation purposes. Commercial forest inventory data were assembled for 49,711 0.5-ha plots, covering an area of more than six million hectares, crossing the borders of Cameroon, Central African Republic and Republic of Congo. Floristic composition was analyzed for a subset of 176 genera reliably identified in the field. Three key functional traits of tropical trees: regeneration guild, leaf phenology, and wood specific gravity, were collected at the species level from various sources, and assigned at the genus level. We first investigated the main variations in forest structure and composition, and identified seven forest types based on these variations. Differences in the percentage of pioneer and deciduous stems, and mean wood specific gravity were tested between forest types. Most of the study area was composed of a mosaic of the structural variations of the forests characterized by the occurrence of Celtis (Ulmaceae) species, which are mostly composed of frequent and abundant genera that formed the common floristic pool of the region. Secondary Musanga (Moraceae) forest is located in repeatedly disturbed areas, along roads and around main cities; mixed Manilkara (Sapotaceae) forest covers a huge area in the southern Central African Republic and in the northern Republic of Congo; and monodominant Gilbertiodendron (Fabaceae) forest is sparsely distributed along rivers. The contrasted structure, composition, and functioning of the forest types imply pronounced differences in population and ecosystem processes, and call for adapted management and conservation strategies. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.