Publication Details

Category Text Publication
Reference Category Journals
DOI 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2020.109226
Licence creative commons licence
Title (Primary) A multi-scaled analysis of forest structure using individual-based modeling in a costa rican rainforest
Author Armstrong, A.H.; Huth, A.; Osmanoglu, B.; Sun, G.; Ranson, K.J.; Fischer, R. ORCID logo
Source Titel Ecological Modelling
Year 2020
Department OESA; iDiv
Volume 433
Page From art. 109226
Language englisch
Supplements https://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0304380020302969-mmc1.pdf
Abstract Consideration of scale is essential when examining structural relationships in forests. In this study, we present a parameterization of the FORMIND individual-based forest model for old growth Atlantic lowland rainforest in La Selva, Costa Rica. Results show that the simulated forest reproduces the structural complexity of Costa Rican rainforest within 2.3% of aboveground biomass values, based on comparisons with CARBONO inventory plot data. The Costa Rica FORMIND simulation was then used to investigate the relationship between canopy height and aboveground biomass (AGB), leaf area index (LAI) and gross primary productivity (GPP) at different spatial scales (20 × 20 m, 60 × 60 m, 100mx100m). The relationship between aboveground biomass and height is of particular importance toward the calibration of various remote sensing products including lidar and radar, whereas the LAI and GPP relationships are understudied in this context. We found that the relationship between all three variables and height varies considerably: the relationship is stronger at finer scales and weaker at coarser resolution. However, in all three comparisons, RMSE also decreased as scales coarsened, with the largest difference shown between 100 m and 10 m resolutions in relating AGB to Lorey's height (R2 decreased by 0.3; RMSE decreased by 114.5 Mg/ha). This suggests that a trade-off between accuracy and precision exists, and further highlights the importance of spatial scale in determining the relatability of forest structure variables.
Persistent UFZ Identifier https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=23448
Armstrong, A.H., Huth, A., Osmanoglu, B., Sun, G., Ranson, K.J., Fischer, R. (2020):
A multi-scaled analysis of forest structure using individual-based modeling in a costa rican rainforest
Ecol. Model. 433 , art. 109226 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2020.109226