Plant Functional Diversity Is Linked to Carbon Storage in Deciduous Dipterocarp Forest Edges in Northern Thailand

Abstract

Studies of carbon storage using functional traits have shown that it is strongly affected by functional diversity. We explored the effects of functional diversity on carbon storage at the edge of a deciduous dipterocarp forest (DDF) ecosystem in Thailand. Aboveground biomass carbon (AGBC), soil organic carbon (SOC), and total ecosystem carbon (TEC) were used as indicators of carbon storage. Five functional traits were measured in 49 plant species to calculate the community-weighted mean (CWM) and Rao’s quadratic diversity (FQ). We assessed which functional diversity metrics best-explained carbon storage. The results indicated that AGBC had a significant, positive relationship with the FQ of wood density, and a negative relationship with the CWM of leaf thickness. SOC had a significant, negative association with the FQ of leaf thickness and a positive relationship with the CWM of specific leaf area (SLA). TEC was best predicted by increases in the FQ of wood density and the CWM of SLA. These findings indicate that CWM and FQ are important for understanding how plant traits influence carbon storage in DDF edge ecosystems and suggest that promoting a high diversity of species with dissimilar wood density and high SLA may increase carbon storage in chronically disturbed DDF ecosystems.