Aboveground carbon stock in a successional ecosystem in the Amazon: is there an influence of climatic elements?
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Abstract
The conversion of forests is a global concern for climate security due to the carbon storage capacity of these ecosystems. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of climate elements on aboveground carbon stock in a secondary forest in the Eastern Amazon. In 2019 and 2023, litterfall was collected during periods of higher and lower precipitation each year, and individuals with diameter at breast height (DBH) ≥ 4.77 cm were inventoried. Carbon estimates were obtained by multiplying biomass by a factor of 0.5 in the case of litterfall, and through the Pantropical equation for aboveground biomass. Pearson’s correlation was used to assess relationships between carbon stock in litterfall and aboveground biomass with climate variables, which were obtained from a meteorological station near the study area. Litterfall carbon stock showed slightly positive relationships with air temperature (r = 0.05), solar radiation (r = 0.15), and precipitation (r = 0.25), and a negative relationship with relative humidity (r = -0.15). DBH had the highest correlation with aboveground biomass carbon stock (0.71). Therefore, management and restoration strategies in secondary Amazonian forests should consider both forest structure and climatic variability to ensure the maintenance of carbon stocks. As litterfall, carbon was observed to be more sensitive to immediate climatic conditions, while aboveground biomass carbon strongly depends on forest structure.
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