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Science 11 November 2005:
Vol. 310. no. 5750, p. 939
DOI: 10.1126/science.310.5750.939n
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This Week in Science

The carbon storage potential of vegetation is critical for accurate modeling of climate warming. Bunker et al. (p. 1029, published online 20 October) provide evidence that tree species composition governs the potential for tropical forests to store or sequester atmospheric carbon. The study uses a computer simulation of the loss of different trait-based suites of tree species from a Panamanian rain forest to reveal how species composition affects carbon storage patterns. Different extinction scenarios resulted in a wide range of consequences for carbon storage, and there was a general increase in variability of carbon stocks as species losses progressed. Management options that favor higher functional diversity would tend to increase predictability of carbon stocks.




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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)