Development of allometric relationships for accurate estimation of above- and below-ground biomass in tropical secondary forests in Sarawak, Malaysia

• Published in: Journal of tropical ecology Vol. 25; no. 4; pp. 371 - 386
• Main Authors: Kenzo, Tanaka, Ichie, Tomoaki, Hattori, Daisuke, Itioka, Takao, Handa, Chihiro, Ohkubo, Tadahiro, Kendawang, Joseph Jawa, Nakamura, Masashi, Sakaguchi, Mari, Takahashi, Narumi, Okamoto, Mayumi, Tanaka-Oda, Ayumi, Sakurai, Katsutoshi, Ninomiya, Ikuo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.07.2009
• Subjects: allometry; Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomass; Borneo; Forest ecology; Forest trees; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Old growth forests; Plant roots; Rainforests; Root biomass; rooting depth; Secondary forests; secondary succession; Synecology; Terrestrial ecosystems; Trees; Tropical forests; Tropical rain forests; wood density; Southeast Asia; allometry; Borneo; rooting depth; secondary succession; root biomass; wood density; Root; Development; Tropical forest; Biomass; Depth
• ISSN: 0266-4674; 1469-7831
• DOI: 10.1017/S0266467409006129

We developed allometric relationships between tree size parameters (stem diameter at breast height (dbh), at ground surface (D0) and tree height) and leaf, stem, small-root (diameter <5 mm) and total root biomass in various tropical secondary-forest trees in Sarawak, Malaysia. In total, 136 individuals from 23 species were harvested to measure above-ground parts. Root systems of 77 individuals of 16 species were also excavated. The coefficients of correlation for the obtained allometric relationships between tree diameter and plant-part biomass showed high values, ranging from 0.83 to 0.99. In addition, there were few interspecific differences in relationships for all biomass parts, except for leaves. We also found relatively high coefficients of allometric relationships between tree height and plant-part biomass ranging from 0.83 to 0.94. Comparison of above- and below-ground biomass equations for various tropical rainforests implies that our allometric equations differ largely from the equations for tropical primary forests. Thus, choosing both above- and below-ground allometric equations for biomass estimation in tropical secondary forests of South-East Asia requires careful consideration of their suitability.