Biogeosciences Discussions www.biogeosciences-discuss.net 1810-6277 1810-6285 6 2 2009 10.5194/bgd-6-2723-2009 http://www.biogeosciences-discuss.net/6/2723/2009/ http://www.biogeosciences-discuss.net/6/2723/2009/bgd-6-2723-2009.html http://www.biogeosciences-discuss.net/6/2723/2009/bgd-6-2723-2009.pdf 2723 2753 2009-03-03 Applying biomass and stem fluxes to quantify temporal and spatial fluctuations of an old-growth forest in disturbance S. Liu Y. -L. Li yuelin.li@uni-bayreuth.de G. -Y. Zhou K. O. Wenigmann Y. Luo D. Otieno J. Tenhunen South China Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510650, PR, China Agro-Environmental Protection Institute, Ministry of Agriculture, Tianjin 300191, PR, China Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100039, PR, China Barr Engineering, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55435, USA Climatic and Agrometeorological Center of Guangdong Province, Guangzhou 510080, PR, China Department of Plant Ecology, University of Bayreuth, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany A subtropical old-growth forest was analyzed over a twelve year period to investigate temporal and spatial fluctuations of biomass and stem fluxes under disturbances. Vegetations were categorized into three types caused by biotic factors and abiotic factors, including <i>Castanopsis chinensis</i> population, insect direct-influenced population, and insect indirect-influenced population according to disturbance scenarios. The biomass fluxes (including biomass growth and mortality) and stem fluxes (including stem recruitment and mortality) were used to quantify the fluctuation of population. The results showed that annual average biomass growth rate was stable throughout the three periods, 1992–1994, 1994–1999, and 1999–2004, while annual biomass mortality and stem fluxes kept increasing through the three periods. <i>Castanopsis chinensis</i> population contributed the most in biomass fluxes of the community. Biomass and stem mortalities of insect direct-influenced population increased significantly during the whole study period (1992–2004). Dynamics of indirect-influenced population were compared by dominate species, diameter classes, and spatial patterns of subplots, respectively. Results of indirect-influenced population showed that (1) the increase of biomass of the dominant species was well correlated between different intervals. 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