The RAINFOR database: monitoring forest biomass and dynamics

Abstract Problem: Data from over 100 permanent sample plots which have been studied for 10–20 years need a suitable system for storage which allows simple data manipulation and retrieval for analysis. Methods: A relational database linking tree records, taxonomic nomenclature and corresponding environmental data has been built in MS Access as part of the RAINFOR project. Conclusion: The database allows flexible and long-term use of a large amount of data: more than 100 tree plots across Amazonia, incorporating over 80 000 records of individual trees and over 300 000 total records of tree diameter measurements from successive censuses. The database is designed to enable linkages to existing soil, floristic or plant-trait databases. This database will be a useful tool for exploring the impact of environmental factors on forest structure and dynamics at local to continental scales, and long term changes in forest ecology. As an early example of its potential, we explore the impact of different methodological assumptions on estimates of tropical forest biomass and carbon storage.

[1]  M. G. Le Due,et al.  A database application for long-term ecological field experiments , 2007 .

[2]  A. Di Fiore,et al.  Variation in wood density determines spatial patterns inAmazonian forest biomass , 2004 .

[3]  Yadvinder Malhi,et al.  Tropical forests and global atmospheric change: a synthesis. , 2004, Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences.

[4]  A. Di Fiore,et al.  Increasing biomass in Amazonian forest plots. , 2004, Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences.

[5]  Phillips,et al.  Changes in the carbon balance of tropical forests: evidence from long-term plots , 1998, Science.

[6]  J. Schaminée,et al.  TURBOVEG, a comprehensive data base management system for vegetation data , 2001 .

[7]  Lillian Le-Cointe,et al.  Applied Statistics: A Handbook of Techniques (2nd ed.) , 1998 .

[8]  S L Lewis,et al.  Pattern and process in Amazon tree turnover, 1976-2001. , 2004, Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences.

[9]  Jeffrey Q. Chambers,et al.  Tree damage, allometric relationships, and above-ground net primary production in central Amazon forest , 2001 .

[10]  J. Schmee.  Applied Statistics—A Handbook of Techniques , 1984 .

[11]  E. Leigh,et al.  Tropical forest diversity and dynamism : findings from a large-scale plot network , 2004 .

[12]  Jérôme Chave,et al.  Estimation of biomass in a neotropical forest of French Guiana: spatial and temporal variability , 2001, Journal of Tropical Ecology.

[13]  Daniel Sabatier,et al.  A spatial model of tree α-diversity and tree density for the Amazon , 2003, Biodiversity & Conservation.

[14]  J. Terborgh,et al.  Concerted changes in tropical forest structure and dynamics: evidence from 50 South American long-term plots. , 2004, Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences.

[15]  O. Phillips,et al.  An international network to monitor the structure, composition and dynamics of Amazonian forests (RAINFOR) , 2002 .

[16]  R. Primack,et al.  Tropical rainforests and the need for cross-continental comparisons. , 2006, Trends in ecology & evolution.

[17]  Robert J. Scholes,et al.  The Carbon Cycle and Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide , 2001 .

[18]  Simon L Lewis,et al.  Tropical forests and the changing earth system , 2006, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

[19]  Richard Condit,et al.  Error propagation and scaling for tropical forest biomass estimates. , 2004, Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences.