查看文章

A better understanding of carbon use efficiency (CUE) and carbon allocation during disturbance is critical to improve simulations of the global carbon cycle and understanding future climate impacts. Forest thinning of high‐stem density, high elevation dry western US forests is becoming more common to reduce severe fire danger but there are uncertainties about how forest thinning may impact forest CUE, carbon allocation and energy flow through the food chain. In three, quarter ha stands with similar soils, elevation and climate along a forest thinning gradient near Flagstaff (AZ), we measured total net primary production (NPP of wood, fine root, and leaves), total autotrophic respiration (R_a of wood, rhizosphere, and canopy respiration), gross primary production (GPP = NPP + R_a) and large mammal herbivory (with camera traps and dung counts) over a ∼2‐year period. We found strong seasonality in all carbon …