Floristics stand structure and aboveground biomass of a 25-ha rainforest plot in the wet tropics of Australia

Liddell M. J., . and Metcalfe D. J., . and McKeown A., . and Bradford M. G., . and Ford A., . Floristics stand structure and aboveground biomass of a 25-ha rainforest plot in the wet tropics of Australia. pp. 543-553. ISSN 0128-1283

Australian wet tropical rainforests are both floristically diverse and high in endemism and their restricted distribution sees them particularly vulnerable to climate change and other anthropogenic influences. Historically there were no large-scale studies of the dynamics and drivers of these systems in Australia. We established a 25- ha rainforest plot in the Wet Tropics bioregion of Australia to undertake intensive collection of floristic structural and ecosystem measurements. An initial census of all stems 10 cm diameter at breast height (dbh) recorded 23 416 stems from 208 species in 128 genera and 53 families; Lauraceae Rutaceae Proteaceae and Elaeocarpaceae were dominant. Endemism was high with 80.3 of species of stems 10 cm dbh found on the plot endemic to Australia and 45.2 endemic to the Wet Tropics bioregion. We provide the first measured estimate of basal area (52.0 m2 ha-1) and aboveground living biomass (418.5 Mg ha-1) for a large area of Australian rainforest. The data collected from the 25-ha plot provide a baseline description of floristics and stand structure that will facilitate and encourage long-term ecological research of forest dynamics and allow direct comparisons to be made with similar plots on a global scale.

Full text available from: Official URL: http://www.frim.gov.my/v1/JTFSOnline/jtfs/v26n4/54...

Abstract

Australian wet tropical rainforests are both floristically diverse and high in endemism and their restricted distribution sees them particularly vulnerable to climate change and other anthropogenic influences. Historically there were no large-scale studies of the dynamics and drivers of these systems in Australia. We established a 25- ha rainforest plot in the Wet Tropics bioregion of Australia to undertake intensive collection of floristic structural and ecosystem measurements. An initial census of all stems 10 cm diameter at breast height (dbh) recorded 23 416 stems from 208 species in 128 genera and 53 families; Lauraceae Rutaceae Proteaceae and Elaeocarpaceae were dominant. Endemism was high with 80.3 of species of stems 10 cm dbh found on the plot endemic to Australia and 45.2 endemic to the Wet Tropics bioregion. We provide the first measured estimate of basal area (52.0 m2 ha-1) and aboveground living biomass (418.5 Mg ha-1) for a large area of Australian rainforest. The data collected from the 25-ha plot provide a baseline description of floristics and stand structure that will facilitate and encourage long-term ecological research of forest dynamics and allow direct comparisons to be made with similar plots on a global scale.

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Item Type:	Article
AGROVOC Term:	Climate change
AGROVOC Term:	Biomass
AGROVOC Term:	Rain forests
AGROVOC Term:	Tropical rain forests
AGROVOC Term:	Humid tropics
AGROVOC Term:	Ecosystem diversity
AGROVOC Term:	Lauraceae
AGROVOC Term:	Rutaceae
AGROVOC Term:	Proteaceae
AGROVOC Term:	Elaeocarpaceae
Depositing User:	Ms. Suzila Mohamad Kasim
Last Modified:	24 Apr 2025 06:27
URI:	http://webagris.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/21389

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