Lack of intermediate-scale disturbance data prevents robust extrapolation of plot-level tree mortality rates for old-growth tropical forests

Abstract

Lloyd et al. (2009) question the methods, concepts and conclusions of Fisher et al. (2008). We address these assertions, and place our work into a broader context. We demonstrate the veracity of Fisher et al., and further show that lack of data for intermediate-scale tree mortality disturbance events for old-growth tropical forests might prevent robust extrapolation of forest plot biomass accumulation data, and accurate estimates of distribution parameters such as power-law exponents (α). © 2009 Blackwell Publishing Ltd/CNRS.