Significance of topographic gradient in stem diameter - Height allometry for precise biomass estimation of a tropical moist forest in the central Amazon

• Autor(a) principal: Suwa, Rempei
• Data de Publicação: 2013
• Outros Autores: Sakai, Takeshi, Santos, Joaquim dos, Silva, Roseana Pereira da, Kajimoto, Takuya, Ishizuka, Moriyoshi, Higuchi, Niro
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional do INPA
• Texto Completo: https://repositorio.inpa.gov.br/handle/1/16073

We developed a stem diameter D-height H allometric model that included variability in the D-H relationship along a topographic gradient. The study site was located along a belt transect (2500 × 20 m) established in a primary tropical forest near Manaus, Brazil. The transect included typical topography of the region, characterized by plateaus and valleys called "baixios". The D-H allometric model (n = 1307) indicated that potential tree height increased significantly, from 28 m at the lowest baixio plot to 35 m at the highest plateau plot. Consequently, by combining the D-H allometric model and an allometric equation with the variable D2H, biomass was estimated for trees (D > 10 cm) in each sub-plot (20 × 20 m). Ignoring variability in the D-H relationship introduced wide-ranging error to biomass estimation; error values ranged from -5% at a baixio plot to +6% at a plateau plot. Average biomass was 317 ± 28 (SE) Mg ha-1, and tree density and biomass fell significantly with decreasing relative elevation.