Diversity and carbon storage across the tropical forest biome
Authors: Sullivan Martin J. P. , Talbot Joey , Lewis Simon L. , Phillips Oliver L. , Qie Lan , Begne Serge K. , Chave Jerôme , Cuni-Sanchez Aida , Hubau Wannes , Lopez-Gonzalez Gabriela , Miles Lera , Monteagudo-Mendoza Abel , Sonké Bonaventure , Sunderland Terry , ter Steege Hans , White Lee J. T. , Affum-Baffoe Kofi , Aiba Shin-ichiro , de Almeida Everton Cristo , de Oliveira Edmar Almeida , Alvarez-Loayza Patricia , Dávila Esteban Álvarez , Andrade Ana , Aragão Luiz E. O. C. , Ashton Peter , Aymard C. Gerardo A. , Baker Timothy R. , Balinga Michael , Banin Lindsay F. , Baraloto Christopher , Bastin Jean-Francois , Berry Nicholas , Bogaert Jan , Bonal Damien , Bongers Frans , Brienen Roel , Camargo José Luís C. , Cerón Carlos , Moscoso Victor Chama , Chezeaux Eric , Clark Connie J. , Pacheco Álvaro Cogollo , Comiskey James A. , Valverde Fernando Cornejo , Coronado Eurídice N. Honorio , Dargie Greta , Davies Stuart J. , De Canniere Charles , Djuikouo K. Marie Noel , Doucet Jean-Louis , Erwin Terry L. , Espejo Javier Silva , Ewango Corneille E. N. , Fauset Sophie , Feldpausch Ted R. , Herrera Rafael , Gilpin Martin , Gloor Emanuel , Hall Jefferson S. , Harris David J. , Hart Terese B. , Kartawinata Kuswata , Kho Lip Khoon , Kitayama Kanehiro , Laurance Susan G. W. , Laurance William F. , Leal Miguel E. , Lovejoy Thomas , Lovett Jon C. , Lukasu Faustin Mpanya , Makana Jean-Remy , Malhi Yadvinder , Maracahipes Leandro , Marimon Beatriz S. , Junior Ben Hur Marimon , Marshall Andrew R. , Morandi Paulo S. , Mukendi John Tshibamba , Mukinzi Jaques , Nilus Reuben , Vargas Percy Núñez , Camacho Nadir C. Pallqui , Pardo Guido , Peña-Claros Marielos , Pétronelli Pascal , Pickavance Georgia C. , Poulsen Axel Dalberg , Poulsen John R. , Primack Richard B. , Priyadi Hari , Quesada Carlos A. , Reitsma Jan , Réjou-Méchain Maxime , Restrepo Zorayda , Rutishauser Ervan , Salim Kamariah Abu , Salomão Rafael P. , Samsoedin Ismayadi , Sheil Douglas , Sierra Rodrigo , Silveira Marcos , Slik J. W. Ferry , Steel Lisa , Taedoumg Hermann , Tan Sylvester , Terborgh John W. , Thomas Sean C. , Toledo Marisol , Umunay Peter M. , Gamarra Luis Valenzuela , Vieira Ima Célia Guimarães , Vos Vincent A. , Wang Ophelia , Willcock Simon , Zemagho Lise 
Published: January 2017

Tropical forests are global centres of biodiversity and carbon storage. Many tropical countries aspire to protect forest to fulfil biodiversity and climate mitigation policy targets, but the conservation strategies needed to achieve these two functions depend critically on the tropical forest tree diversity-carbon storage relationship. Assessing this relationship is challenging due to the scarcity of inventories where carbon stocks in aboveground biomass and species identifications have been simultaneously and robustly quantified. Here, we compile a unique pan-tropical dataset of 360 plots located in structurally intact old-growth closed-canopy forest, surveyed using standardised methods, allowing a multi-scale evaluation of diversity-carbon relationships in tropical forests. Diversity-carbon relationships among all plots at 1 ha scale across the tropics are absent, and within continents are either weak (Asia) or absent (Amazonia, Africa). A weak positive relationship is detectable within 1 ha plots, indicating that diversity effects in tropical forests may be scale dependent. The absence of clear diversity-carbon relationships at scales relevant to conservation planning means that carbon-centred conservation strategies will inevitably miss many high diversity ecosystems. As tropical forests can have any combination of tree diversity and carbon stocks both require explicit consideration when optimising policies to manage tropical carbon and biodiversity.