eprintid: 10071734 rev_number: 17 eprint_status: archive userid: 608 dir: disk0/10/07/17/34 datestamp: 2019-04-04 13:18:36 lastmod: 2021-09-20 22:25:46 status_changed: 2019-04-04 13:18:36 type: article metadata_visibility: show creators_name: Hubau, W creators_name: De Mil, T creators_name: Van den Bulcke, J creators_name: Phillips, OL creators_name: Ilondea, BA creators_name: Van Acker, J creators_name: Sullivan, MJP creators_name: Nsenga, L creators_name: Toirambe, B creators_name: Couralet, C creators_name: Banin, LF creators_name: Begne, SK creators_name: Baker, TR creators_name: Bourland, N creators_name: Chezeaux, E creators_name: Clark, CJ creators_name: Collins, M creators_name: Comiskey, JA creators_name: Cuni-Sanchez, A creators_name: Deklerck, V creators_name: Dierickx, S creators_name: Doucet, J-L creators_name: Ewango, CEN creators_name: Feldpausch, TR creators_name: Gilpin, M creators_name: Gonmadje, C creators_name: Hall, JS creators_name: Harris, DJ creators_name: Hardy, OJ creators_name: Kamdem, M-ND creators_name: Yakusu, EK creators_name: Lopez-Gonzalez, G creators_name: Makana, J-R creators_name: Malhi, Y creators_name: Mbayu, FM creators_name: Moore, S creators_name: Mukinzi, J creators_name: Pickavance, G creators_name: Poulsen, JR creators_name: Reitsma, J creators_name: Rousseau, M creators_name: Sonke, B creators_name: Sunderland, T creators_name: Taedoumg, H creators_name: Talbot, J creators_name: Mukendi, JT creators_name: Umunay, PM creators_name: Vleminckx, J creators_name: White, LJT creators_name: Zemagho, L creators_name: Lewis, SL creators_name: Beeckman, H title: The persistence of carbon in the African forest understory ispublished: pub divisions: UCL divisions: B03 divisions: C03 divisions: F26 keywords: Forest ecology, Forestry, Plant development, Plant ecology, Tropical ecology note: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. abstract: Quantifying carbon dynamics in forests is critical for understanding their role in long-term climate regulation. Yet little is known about tree longevity in tropical forests, a factor that is vital for estimating carbon persistence. Here we calculate mean carbon age (the period that carbon is fixed in trees) in different strata of African tropical forests using (1) growth-ring records with a unique timestamp accurately demarcating 66 years of growth in one site and (2) measurements of diameter increments from the African Tropical Rainforest Observation Network (23 sites). We find that in spite of their much smaller size, in understory trees mean carbon age (74 years) is greater than in sub-canopy (54 years) and canopy (57 years) trees and similar to carbon age in emergent trees (66 years). The remarkable carbon longevity in the understory results from slow and aperiodic growth as an adaptation to limited resource availability. Our analysis also reveals that while the understory represents a small share (11%) of the carbon stock, it contributes disproportionally to the forest carbon sink (20%). We conclude that accounting for the diversity of carbon age and carbon sequestration among different forest strata is critical for effective conservation management and for accurate modelling of carbon cycling. date: 2019-02 date_type: published publisher: NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP official_url: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-018-0316-5 oa_status: green full_text_type: other language: eng primo: open primo_central: open_green verified: verified_manual elements_id: 1629359 doi: 10.1038/s41477-018-0316-5 lyricists_name: Lewis, Simon lyricists_id: SLLEW24 actors_name: Allington-Smith, Dominic actors_id: DAALL44 actors_role: owner full_text_status: public publication: Nature Plants volume: 5 pagerange: 133-140 pages: 13 issn: 2055-0278 citation: Hubau, W; De Mil, T; Van den Bulcke, J; Phillips, OL; Ilondea, BA; Van Acker, J; Sullivan, MJP; ... Beeckman, H; + view all <#> Hubau, W; De Mil, T; Van den Bulcke, J; Phillips, OL; Ilondea, BA; Van Acker, J; Sullivan, MJP; Nsenga, L; Toirambe, B; Couralet, C; Banin, LF; Begne, SK; Baker, TR; Bourland, N; Chezeaux, E; Clark, CJ; Collins, M; Comiskey, JA; Cuni-Sanchez, A; Deklerck, V; Dierickx, S; Doucet, J-L; Ewango, CEN; Feldpausch, TR; Gilpin, M; Gonmadje, C; Hall, JS; Harris, DJ; Hardy, OJ; Kamdem, M-ND; Yakusu, EK; Lopez-Gonzalez, G; Makana, J-R; Malhi, Y; Mbayu, FM; Moore, S; Mukinzi, J; Pickavance, G; Poulsen, JR; Reitsma, J; Rousseau, M; Sonke, B; Sunderland, T; Taedoumg, H; Talbot, J; Mukendi, JT; Umunay, PM; Vleminckx, J; White, LJT; Zemagho, L; Lewis, SL; Beeckman, H; - view fewer <#> (2019) The persistence of carbon in the African forest understory. Nature Plants , 5 pp. 133-140. 10.1038/s41477-018-0316-5 <https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-018-0316-5>. Green open access document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10071734/1/Lewis_Hubau%20%20de%20Mil%20et%20al%20%20NaturePlants%202019%20main%20nw.pdf