A Look at Amazon Basin Seasonal Dynamics with the Biophysical ...

Patiño, S. 1,2,a , Mercado, L. 2 , Paiva, R. 3 , Quesada, A. 4 , Schmerler, J. 2 , Baker T.R. 2,4 ,Phillips, O.L. 5 , Malhi, Y. 6 & Lloyd, J. 21. Instituto de Investigaciones de Recursos Biologicos Alexander von Humboldt,Bogota, Colombia, 2. Max-Planck-Institut fur Biogeochemie, Jena, Germany. 3.INPA, Manaus, Brasil. 4. Universidade Nacional de Brasilia, Brasilia, Brasil. 5. Deptof Geography, University of Leeds, UK. 6. Institute of Ecology and ResourceManagement, University of Edinburgh, Scotland, UK.a. Corresponding author: Instituto de Investigaciones de Recursos BiologicosAlexander von Humboldt, Calle 37, #8-40 Mezzaine, Bogota, Colombia.spatino@humboldt.org.coA comparison of the relationships between leaf area index, Huber value andabove-ground biomass within Amazonian forests.The Amazon Forest Inventory Network (RAINFOR) has been established to monitorthe biomass and dynamics of Amazonian forests. An important aim is to understandthe physiological mechanisms that underlie observed differences in forest structurealong resource gradients. Here, we report results from 1 ha plots in Ecuador, Peru,Brazil and Bolivia. For each plot, leaf area index (LAI) was measured usinghemispherical photographs, and above-ground biomass estimated using allometricequations. Huber values (wood cross sectional area per unit leaf area) were calculatedfor branches sampled from 20 - 45 trees per plot. We examine how LAI variesbetween forests that are growing under different climatic and edaphic conditions. Wecompare Huber values between different forests and examine whether there arecorrelations between physiological functional groups and phylogeny. We discuss thesignificance of our results in relation to the ecological and physiologicalcharacteristics of species within diverse forest stands and predict how global climatechange might influence forest structure.