Abstract
The importance of populations of the Socotra dragon’s blood trees (Dracaena cinnabari Balf.f., 1882) for horizontal precipitation capture was estimated for the first time. Dragon’s blood trees (Asparagaceae) inhabit semiarid cloud forests with low levels of rainfall that strongly depend on additional moisture from fog and clouds. Our estimation was based on a detailed description of the aboveground biomass structure of stands of the dragon’s blood trees on Socotra Island. The aboveground biomass was described using non-destructive methods. An example of a well-preserved forest was measured in terms of the basic biometric characteristics of each tree, and the trees were divided into three classes based on crown projections. For each class, we took detailed measurements of one representative tree. All measured and counted growth characteristics were converted to the stand level. The tree population at the whole island level was investigated using remotely sensed data. The estimation of horizontal precipitation was performed using detailed and precise evaluation of the available climate data in half-hour intervals over the period of June 2009 and June 2010 and the ambulatory direct measurements (12.6.2009–26.6.2009). The mean annual horizontal precipitation below the crown of the dragon’s blood tree was estimated to be 792 mm in the highest (951–1545 m a.s.l.), 373 mm in the middle (601–950 m a.s.l.) and 46 mm in the lowest (180–600 m a.s.l.) altitudinal zones. Our model showed that the horizontal precipitation exceeded 40% of the total annual precipitation. The decline in the dragon’s blood tree forest could therefore cause the loss of additional water from the island’s hydrological cycle.
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Acknowledgments
This research was funded by the Internal Grant Agency of the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno (Grant Number LDF_VP_2016019). The authors express many thanks to the Environmental Protection Authority (Socotra Branch) for sustainable support and help and also to many local inhabitants for their kindly support, especially Muhamad Keybani family.
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This research was funded by the Internal Grant Agency of the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Mendel University in Brno (Grant Number LDF_VP_2016019).
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The authors have no conflict of interest. Our research needed no ethics approval regarding the experiment, and all field observations were carried out in agreement with local authorities, the Environmental Protection Authority of Socotra. All authors confirmed their participation and allowed their consent for publication. All data are available upon request by the corresponding author.
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Kalivodová, H., Culek, M., Čermák, M. et al. Potential importance of Socotra dragon’s blood tree cloud forests and woodlands for capturing horizontal precipitation. Rend. Fis. Acc. Lincei 31, 607–621 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-020-00933-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12210-020-00933-7