The productivity, carbon dynamics and energetics of tropical forests: new insights from a global monitoring network
Professor of Ecosystem Science at Oxford University
Director of the Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery President of the British Ecological Society
Member of the Biodiversity, Ecosystems and Conservation research cluster and of the Climate Systems and Policy research cluster.[VICM1]
Tropical forests show strong geographical variation in ecosystem functions, but the role of climate, soils and biogeography in shaping these patterns remains unclear. I show results from our studies across the tropics as part of the GEM (Global Ecosystems Monitoring Network), exploring the factors that contribute to geographical variation in productivity and carbon cycling, their link to canopy traits and the possibility of mapping this geographical variation using satellite remote sensing. I then explore a case study along a logging gradient in Malaysian Borneo in more detail, describing how nutrient and carbon cycling vary with logging intensity and also what fraction of productivity ends up in birds and mammals. The energy analysis finds some surprising results, suggesting that logged forests can be more ecologically vibrant than expected and questioning the widespread use of the concept of degradation.
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YADVINDER MALHI
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YADVINDER MALHI
Doctor Malhi was educated at Southend High School for Boys and Queens' College, Cambridge where he graduated with a Master of Arts degree in natural sciences (specialising in physics). He completed postgraduate study at the University of Reading where he was awarded a PhD in meteorology research on the earth's energy budget and heat.
He is Professor of Ecosystem Science, Programme Leader in Ecosystems Research, Environmental Change Institute, Jackson Senior Research Fellow at Oriel College, Oxford, member of the Biodiversity, Ecosystems and Conservation research cluster and a member of the Climate Systems and Policy research cluster.
Professor Malhi explores the functioning of the biosphere and its interactions with global change, including climate change. He has a particular fascination with and love for tropical forests, though he has recently been spotted in ecosystems ranging from savannas, the Arctic, tropical coral reefs and Oxfordshire's woodlands and floodplain meadows.
He looks at how natural ecosystems may be shifting in response to global atmospheric change, and how protecting or restoring natural ecosystems can help tackle climate change, and help adaptation to the consequences of climate change.
His team at the Environmental Change Institute is known for collecting intensive field data from fascinating but sometimes tough and remote forests. They have ongoing programmes of research in Asia, Africa, the Amazon and Andes regions, and Oxford's own Wytham Woods. A new recent focus has been on nature recovery and biodiversity restoration in the UK.
While addressing fundamental questions about ecosystem function and dynamics, his research findings are significant for conservation and adaptation to climate change. He is a Trustee of the Natural History Museum of London, President-Elect of the British Ecological Society, chairs a number of programmes on biodiversity at the Royal Society, and is a scientific advisor on nature restoration for the UK government and the government of Scotland.
He leads an active Ecosystem Dynamics research lab focussing on forest vegetation-atmosphere interactions, employing field studies, satellite remote sensing and ecosystem modelling.