Understanding the Importance of Forest Biodiversity
Measurements of forest tree biodiversity—including those that account for the evolutionary relationships between species—may be good indicators of the goods and services that forest communities provide. To test whether and when this is the case, an Eastern Threat Center cooperating scientist from North Carolina State University is working with Forest Service and Purdue University scientists to understand how tree biodiversity influences the ecological functions of forests across the United States. Using measurements from nearly 80,000 Forest Inventory and Analysis plots, results published in the journal Forest Ecology and Management show that biodiversity was associated with greater live aboveground tree biomass in forests with poor growing conditions, but not in forests with better growing conditions. This shows that measurements of biodiversity are important for maximizing biomass/carbon for future carbon sequestration or bioenergy needs and should serve as indicators of forest function in forest resource assessments, especially in forests where biomass accumulation or management for climate change adaptations are priorities. Two papers testing the association between tree biodiversity and resistance to invasion by nonnative species are currently under review.
Right: Tree species that are more distinct in terms of their evolutionary past may have uniquely important ecosystem functions in a forest community. Pictured is a diverse oak-hickory forest in North Carolina.
References:
Potter, K.M.; Woodall, C.W. 2014. Does biodiversity make a difference? Relationships between species richness, evolutionary diversity, and aboveground live tree biomass across U.S. forests. Forest Ecology and Management. 321:117-129.
Forest Service Partners/Collaborators: Northern Research Station; Forest Health Monitoring Program
External Partners/Collaborators: North Carolina State University
Contact: Kevin Potter
