Spatial distribution of forest biome energetics in China

Abstract

Understanding the spatial pattern of energetics characters in forest biomes is important for forestry planning and forest management on a national scale. In this research we used information from 690 stands from 17 forest types in six forest biomes in China to study some ecological energetics characters of forest biomes. Results showed that the average ratio of photosynthetically available radiation/total radiation in China is about 0.448, but the ratio is highest in the area 19-30° N, 100-115° E. Both radiation use efficiency and bioaccumulation efficiency decrease with increasing latitude. For the area studied the highest values of radiation use efficiency occur in the area 25-30° N, 107-118° E. There is highest bioaccumulation efficiency in the area 19-30° N, 110-134° E. The ratio of net primary productivity/biomass (P/B) is greatest in the area 19-40° N, 102-134° E. For different biomes in China the average ratios of P/B are close to 0.1. There is an allometric relationship between P/B and energy equivalents of body mass for all forest biomes; the scaling exponents are close to -0.60 and -0.95 by using simple linear regression and reduced major axis techniques, respectively. Forests with the highest leaf area index occur in the area 20-25° N, 118-123° E. We argue that such spatial energetics characteristics of forest biomes have significant implications for forestry policy making, in the selection of plantation locations and management of forest ecosystems on the national scale. © Institute of Chartered Foresters, 2005. All rights reserved.