The same tree biomass in Congo and Canada

2001/05/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Botanika

Without exhausting the head much, it seems reasonable to think that there is more biomass in the tropics than in more temperate regions. In fact, in the tropics there are more tree species and, as previously thought, the more species exist, the greater the biomass.

However, according to estimates made by Professor of Plant Biology Niklas and biologist Enquist, the amount of biomass per surface unit is the same in both the equator and the northern territories. To carry out the research, biologist Alwyn Gentry has used data collected in 227 locations around the world. Before his death, Gentry counted and measured plants of different latitudes.

With this data, the researchers determined the statistical distribution of the frequency of trees of a certain diameter for each place and subsequently calculated tree biomass. According to the researchers, the biodiversity does not affect biomass much, since all the trees play the same way in the competition for the place where they throw the roots and the sunlight. In short, they say that the tree is always a tree.