Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Allometric equations for biomass assessment of subalpine dwarf shrubs

  • Short Communication
  • Published:
Alpine Botany Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Shrubs are an important component of mountain ecosystems in terms of productivity and diversity. The estimate of shrub biomass via allometric equations represents a non-destructive alternative to obtain quantitative data. We propose allometric equations to estimate aboveground biomass from easily acquirable descriptive parameters of plant height and cover using linear models for five of the most abundant subalpine shrub species in European mountain or boreal ecosystems: Rhododendron ferrugineum, Vaccinium myrtillus, V. uliginosum, V. vitis-idaea and Juniperus sibirica. Samples used for the establishment of the equations are from non-disturbed Pinus cembra–Larix decidua stands, and from adjacent stands frequently disturbed by snow avalanches. The equations adequately predict shrub biomass for all species except V. uliginosum. They thus provide a useful and non-destructive method for estimating aboveground shrub biomass in subalpine ecosystems.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bebi P, Kulakowski D, Rixen C (2009) Snow avalanche disturbances in forest ecosystems—state of research and implications for management. Forest Ecol Manag 257:1883–1892

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beedlow PA, Tingey DT, Phillips DL, Hogsett WE, Olszyk DM (2004) Rising atmospheric CO2 and carbon sequestration in forests. Front Ecol Environ 2:315–322

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blanchet FG, Legendre P, Borcard D (2008) Forward selection of explanatory variables. Ecology 89:2623–2632

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Blarquez O, Carcaillet C, Mourier B, Bremond L, Radakovitch O (2010) Trees in the subalpine belt since 11700 cal. BP: origin, expansion and alteration of the modern forest. Holocene 20:139–146

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Canty A, Ripley B (2010) boot: Bootstrap R (S-Plus) Functions. R package version 1.2-43

  • Case BS, Hall RJ (2008) Assessing prediction errors of generalized tree biomass and volume equations for the boreal forest region of west-central Canada. Can J For Res 38:878–889

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chauchard S, Beihle F, Denis N, Carcaillet C (2010) An increase in the upper tree-limit of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) in the Alps since the mid-20th century: a land-use change phenomenon. Forest Ecol Manag 259:1406–1415

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davison AC, Hinkley DV (1997) Bootstrap methods and their application. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Dray S, Legendre P, Blanchet G (2009) packfor: Forward Selection with permutation (Canoco p.46). R package version 0.0-7/r58. http://R-Forge.R-project.org/projects/sedar/. Accessed 28 April 2011

  • Genries A, Morin X, Chauchard S, Carcaillet C (2009) The function of surface fires in the dynamics and structure of a formerly grazed old subalpine forest. J Ecol 97:728–741

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gerdol R, Anfodillo T, Gualmini M, Cannone N, Bragazza L, Brancaleoni L (2004) Biomass distribution of two subalpine dwarf-shrubs in relation to soil moisture and nutrient content. J Veg Sci 15:457–464

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larcher W, Wagner J (2004) Plant life of alpine rhododendrons in their environment: seventy years of ecological research in Innsbruck. Nat Med Ver Innsbruck 91:251–291

    Google Scholar 

  • Legendre P, Legendre L (1998) Numerical ecology, 2nd edn. Elsevier, Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu CJ, Westman CJ (2009) Biomass in a Norway spruce-Scots pine forest: a comparison of estimation methods. Boreal Environ Res 14:875–888

    Google Scholar 

  • MacKenzie MD, DeLuca TH (2006) Charcoal and shrubs modify soil processes in ponderosa pine forests of western Montana. Plant Soil 287:257–266

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Malanson GP, Butler DR (1984) Transverse pattern of vegetation on avalanche paths in the northern Rocky Mountains, Montana. Great Basin Nat 44:453–458

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayr S, Beikircher B, Obkircher MA, Schmid P (2010) Hydroulic plasticity and limitations of alpine Rhododendron species. Oecologia 164:321–330

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Motta R, Lingua E (2005) Human impact on size, age, and spatial structure in a mixed European larch and Swiss stone pine forest in the western Italian Alps. Can J For Res 35:1809–1820

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mourier B, Poulenard J, Faivre P, Chauvel C, Carcaillet C (2008) Distinguishing subalpine soil types using extractible Al and Fe fractions and REE geochemistry. Geoderma 145:107–120

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Muukkonen P (2007) Generalized allometric volume and biomass equations for some tree species in Europe. Eur J For Res 126:157–166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson MC, Wardle DA (2005) Understory vegetation as a forest ecosystem driver: evidence from the northern Swedish boreal forest. Front Ecol Environ 3:421–428

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ponge JF, André J, Zackrisson O, Bernier N, Nilsson MC, Gallet C (1998) The forest regeneration puzzle. Bioscience 48:523–530

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pornon A, Doche B (1996) Age structure and dynamics of Rhododendron ferrugineum L. populations in the northwestern French Alps. J Veg Sci 7:265–272

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R Development Core Team (2011) R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. ISBN 3-900051-07-0. http://www.R-project.org/. Accessed 28 April 2011

  • Rammig A, Jonas T, Zimmermann NE, Rixen C (2010) Changes in alpine plant growth under future climate conditions. Biogeosciences 7:2013–2024

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tappeiner U, Tasser E, Leitinger G, Cernusca A, Tappeiner G (2008) Effects of historical and likely future scenarios of land use on above- and belowground vegetation carbon stocks of an alpine valley. Ecosystems 11:1383–1400

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tasser E, Tappeiner U (2002) Impact of land use changes on mountain vegetation. Appl Veg Sci 5:173–184

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tasser E, Walde J, Tappeiner U, Teutsch A, Noggler W (2007) Land-use changes and natural reforestation in the Eastern Central Alps. Agr Ecosyst Environ 118:115–129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Viglietti D, Letey S, Motta R, Maggioni M, Freppaz M (2010) Avalanche release in forest ecosystems: a case study in the Aosta Valley (NW-Italy). Cold Reg Sci Technol 64:167–173

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wardle DA, Zackrisson O, Hörnberg G, Gallet C (1997) The influence of island area on ecosystem properties. Science 277:1296–1299

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wickham H (2009) ggplot2: elegant graphics for data analysis. Springer, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Zeileis A, Hothorn T (2002) Diagnostic checking in regression relationships. R News B(3):7–10. http://CRAN.R-project.org/doc/Rnews/. Accessed 28 April 2011

Download references

Acknowledgments

Financial support was provided by the FIREMAN program (ANR/ERA-net BiodivERsA) to CC, and by grants from the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) to TME, from the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (EPHE-Paris) to OB and OG. We thank Loïc Bircker, Benoit Brossier, Serge Cadet, Bérangère Leys, and Frédéric Saltré for their contributions during the fieldwork.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Paleoenvironments and Chronoecology (PALECO EPHE), École Pratique des Hautes Études, Institut de Botanique, 163 rue Broussonet, 34090, Montpellier, France

    Tasneem M. Elzein, Olivier Blarquez, Olivier Gauthier & Christopher Carcaillet

  2. Centre for Bio-Archaeology and Ecology (UMR5059 CNRS), Institut de Botanique, Université Montpellier 2, 163 rue Broussonet, 34090, Montpellier, France

    Tasneem M. Elzein, Olivier Blarquez, Olivier Gauthier & Christopher Carcaillet

Authors
  1. Tasneem M. Elzein
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Olivier Blarquez
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Olivier Gauthier
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Christopher Carcaillet
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Christopher Carcaillet.

Additional information

T. M. Elzein and O. Blarquez are co-first authors and contributed equally to this paper.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Elzein, T.M., Blarquez, O., Gauthier, O. et al. Allometric equations for biomass assessment of subalpine dwarf shrubs. Alp Botany 121, 129–134 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-011-0095-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00035-011-0095-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation