Chronosequence Studies
Global Carbon Budget 2025Background“Global Carbon Budget 2025” extends the living dataset on anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and their redistribution among atmosphere, ocean, and land, updating trends through 2024, and providing preliminary 2025 estimates. Atmospheric CO2 has risen from about 278 ppm in 1750 to 422.8 ± 0.1 ppm in 2024, with recent growth amplified by the 2023–2024 El Niño event. This paper highlights the continued dominance of fossil fuel emissions, persistent sources of land-use change, and climate-driven modulation of land and ocean sinks within the broader carbon-climate system. Open access copy available |
Global Carbon Budget 2024Background“Global Carbon Budget 2024” assesses how anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions disrupt the global carbon cycle relative to pre-industrial conditions, when atmospheric CO2 was about 278 ppm in 1750. The study focuses on emissions from fossil fuels and land-use change and how these are partitioned between the atmosphere, ocean, and terrestrial biosphere. Recent changes, in the context of long-term trends since 1958, emphasize the role of deforestation, fossil fuel combustion, and climate variability, such as El Niño, in shaping CO2 fluxes. Open access copy available |
The potential of secondary forests to restore biodiversity of the lost forests in semi-deciduous West AfricaBACKGROUND:The human population in West Africa has increased considerably over the past four decades, leading to a high demand for food. This has led to the conversion of vast forest lands to agricultural lands in the region. Degraded forest landscapes have the capacity to regain fertility and naturally regenerate, resulting in the widespread spread of secondary forests in West Africa. Despite the significant presence of secondary forests in the region, there is rare knowledge about forest successional stages and general dynamics. Open access copy available |
Carbon sequestration and biodiversity following 18 years of active tropical forest restorationBACKGROUND:Vast tropical forests have been degraded and converted to other land uses such as agriculture. Degraded forests can regenerate naturally to improve biodiversity and carbon sequestration. However, major degradation factors, such as wildfires, hinder natural regeneration. Forest restoration can play an essential role in such circumstances. Nonetheless, research on methods to increase carbon storage and improve the ecosystem function of tropical forests is limited. Open access copy available |
Fire and tree species diversity in tropical peat swamp forestsBackgroundIndonesia houses a large quantity of peat swamps, an ecosystem type that contains diverse plant species, and provides a habitat for endangered animals. Peat swamps are degraded due to logging and agriculture expansion, specifically with the use of fire. Peat swamps are highly susceptible to fires due to peat flammability. Peat swamps also house a large quantity of carbon, so restoration is a high priority. Available with subscription or purchase |
Multidimensional tropical forest recoveryBackgroundTropical forests are disappearing at a high rate due to deforestation. They also have the potential to regenerate to diverse and high-quality forest once more. The authors analyze 12 forest attributes to assess how forest recovery and succession progresses. This review is a compiled analysis done in a chronosequence across three continents and multiple latitudes globally. Open access copy available |
Changing gears during succession: shifting functional strategies in young tropical secondary forestsBackgroundAdaptations toresource availability strongly shape patterns of community composition along successional gradients in environmental conditions. This study examines the extent to which variation in functional composition explains shifts in trait-based functional strategies in young tropical secondary forests during the most dynamic stage of succession (0–20 years). Open access copy available |
Changes in vegetation structure and composition along a tropical forest chronosequence: implications for wildlifeBackgroundChanges in tropical forest structure and species composition that occur during regeneration following land abandonment may have important consequences for wildlife populations. Many animals rely on forest resources as sites for foraging, nesting, and protection that may vary in abundance in forests of different ages. This study examines aspects of forest composition and structure thought to be important to wildlife along a tropical moist forest chronosequence in the Barro Colorado Nature Monument of central Panama. Available with subscription or purchase |
Self-restoration of post-agrogenic soils of Calcisol-Solonetz complex: Soil development, carbon stock dynamics of carbon poolsBackgroundAbandoned land may move towards self-restoration without human intervention. In the European part of Russia, over half a million km2 was abandoned between 1987 and 2007; another 200,000 km2 was abandoned in Eastern Russia. The majority of abandonments occurred in unirrigated dry steppe, land that is arable but less favorable for agriculture. This study compares differences in self-restoration based on underlying soil types, climate, and land-use history across a chronosequence of abandoned land in the dry steppe zone of Russia in a Calcisol–Solonetz complex, reporting on vegetation and soil characteristics. Available with subscription or purchase |
Cronología de la regeneración del bosque tropical seco en Santa Rosa, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. I. Características edáficas (Chronology of tropical dry forest regeneration in Santa Rosa, Guanacaste, Costa Rica)EspañolantecedentesEl objetivo del presente estudio es caracterizar las propiedades químicas y físicas de los suelos a lo largo de una cronosecuencia de ocho fragmentos de bosque tropical estacionalmente seco en Santa Rosa, Costa Rica. Open access copy available |
