From a lose–lose to a win–win situation: user-friendly biomass models for Acacia longifolia to aid research, management and valorisation

  • Articles in SCI Journals
  • Nov, 2022

Ulm, F., Estorninho, M., Jesus, J.G., Prado, M.G.S., Cruz, C. & Máguas, C. (2022) From a lose–lose to a win–win situation: user-friendly biomass models for Acacia longifolia to aid research, management and valorisation.

Plants-Basel, 11(21), 2865. DOI:10.3390/plants11212865 (IF2022 4,5; Q2 Plant Sciences)
Summary:

Woody invasive species pose a big threat to ecosystems worldwide. Among them, Acacia longifolia is especially aggressive, fundamentally changing ecosystem structure through massive biomass input. This biomass is rarely harvested for usage; thus, these plants constitute a nuisance for stakeholders who invest time and money for control without monetary return. Simultaneously, there is an increased effort to valorise its biomass, e.g., for compost, growth substrate or as biofuel. However, to incentivise A. longifolia harvest and usage, stakeholders need to be able to estimate what can be obtained from management actions. Thus, the total biomass and its quality (C/N ratio) need to be predicted to perform cost–benefit analyses for usage and determine the level of invasion that has already occurred. Here, we report allometric biomass models for major biomass pools, as well as give an overview of biomass quality. Subsequently, we derive a simplified volume-based model (BM ~ 6.297 + 0.982 × Vol; BM = total dry biomass and Vol = plant volume), which can be applied to remote sensing data or with in situ manual measurements. This toolkit will help local stakeholders, forest managers or municipalities to predict the impact and valorisation potential of this invasive species and could ultimately encourage its management.


https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/21/2865

Team

  • From a lose–lose to a win–win situation: user-friendly biomass models for Acacia longifolia to aid research, management and valorisation Cristina Maria Filipe Máguas Silva Hanson Environmental Stress & Functional Ecology - ESFE
  • From a lose–lose to a win–win situation: user-friendly biomass models for Acacia longifolia to aid research, management and valorisation Cristina Maria Nobre Sobral de Vilhena da Cruz Houghton Plant-Soil Ecology - PSE
  • From a lose–lose to a win–win situation: user-friendly biomass models for Acacia longifolia to aid research, management and valorisation Florian Ulm SymAction
  • From a lose–lose to a win–win situation: user-friendly biomass models for Acacia longifolia to aid research, management and valorisation Joana Guedes de Jesus Environmental Stress & Functional Ecology - ESFE