@article{e33f38677dd7484484b0e4a71a3bd0de,
title = "Species richness is a strong driver of forest biomass along broad bioclimatic gradients in the Himalayas",
abstract = "Forest biomass is an important component of terrestrial carbon pools. However, how climate, biodiversity, and structural attributes co-determine spatiotemporal variation in forest biomass remains not well known. We aimed to shed light on these drivers of forest biomass by measuring diversity and structural attributes of tree species in 400-m2 plots located every 100 m along a 4200-m elevational gradient in the eastern Himalayas. We applied structural equation models to test how climate, species richness, structural attributes, and their interactions influence forest biomass. Importantly, species richness was a stronger driver of biomass than environmental and structural attributes such as annual air temperature or stem density. Integrating the availability of energy and the demand for water, potential evapotranspiration was more strongly correlated with biomass than water availability, likely due to the strong influence of the Indian summer monsoon. Thus, interactions between climate and tree community composition ultimately control how much carbon is stored in woody biomass across bioclimatic gradients. This fundamental understanding will support predictive efforts of the forest carbon sink in this hydroclimatically important region and help preserving regional forests as a potent natural solution for climate change mitigation.",
keywords = "alpine treeline, carbon, climate, diversity, elevation, potential evapotranspiration, tropical forest",
author = "Nita Dyola and Sigdel, {Shalik Ram} and Eryuan Liang and Flurin Babst and Camarero, {J. Julio} and Sugam Aryal and Nakul Chettri and Shan Gao and Xiaoming Lu and Jian Sun and Tao Wang and Gengxin Zhang and Haifeng Zhu and Shilong Piao and Josep Pe{\~n}uelas",
note = "Funding Information: This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42030508 and 41988101) and the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program (STEP) (2019QZKK0301). Nita Dyola was supported by CAS-TWAS President's Fellowship Program for International Ph.D. students. Josep Pe{\~n}uelas was supported by the “Fundaci{\'o}n Ram{\'o}n Areces” project ELEMENTAL-CLIMATE and the Spanish Government project PID2019-110521GB-I00. The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, and the Department of Forests and Soil Conservation, Government of Nepal, are especially acknowledged for granting research permission. We thank the several assistants and local residents for their help during the field work. Funding Information: This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (42030508 and 41988101) and the Second Tibetan Plateau Scientific Expedition and Research Program (STEP) (2019QZKK0301). Nita Dyola was supported by CAS‐TWAS President's Fellowship Program for International Ph.D. students. Josep Pe{\~n}uelas was supported by the “Fundaci{\'o}n Ram{\'o}n Areces” project ELEMENTAL‐CLIMATE and the Spanish Government project PID2019‐110521GB‐I00. The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, and the Department of Forests and Soil Conservation, Government of Nepal, are especially acknowledged for granting research permission. We thank the several assistants and local residents for their help during the field work. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2022 The Authors. Ecosphere published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of The Ecological Society of America.",
year = "2022",
month = jun,
doi = "10.1002/ecs2.4107",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "13",
journal = "Ecosphere",
issn = "2150-8925",
publisher = "Ecological Society of America",
number = "6",
}