1. Long-term thermal sensitivity of Earth's tropical forests.
- Author
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Sullivan MJP, Lewis SL, Affum-Baffoe K, Castilho C, Costa F, Sanchez AC, Ewango CEN, Hubau W, Marimon B, Monteagudo-Mendoza A, Qie L, Sonké B, Martinez RV, Baker TR, Brienen RJW, Feldpausch TR, Galbraith D, Gloor M, Malhi Y, Aiba SI, Alexiades MN, Almeida EC, de Oliveira EA, Dávila EÁ, Loayza PA, Andrade A, Vieira SA, Aragão LEOC, Araujo-Murakami A, Arets EJMM, Arroyo L, Ashton P, Aymard C G, Baccaro FB, Banin LF, Baraloto C, Camargo PB, Barlow J, Barroso J, Bastin JF, Batterman SA, Beeckman H, Begne SK, Bennett AC, Berenguer E, Berry N, Blanc L, Boeckx P, Bogaert J, Bonal D, Bongers F, Bradford M, Brearley FQ, Brncic T, Brown F, Burban B, Camargo JL, Castro W, Céron C, Ribeiro SC, Moscoso VC, Chave J, Chezeaux E, Clark CJ, de Souza FC, Collins M, Comiskey JA, Valverde FC, Medina MC, da Costa L, Dančák M, Dargie GC, Davies S, Cardozo ND, de Haulleville T, de Medeiros MB, Del Aguila Pasquel J, Derroire G, Di Fiore A, Doucet JL, Dourdain A, Droissart V, Duque LF, Ekoungoulou R, Elias F, Erwin T, Esquivel-Muelbert A, Fauset S, Ferreira J, Llampazo GF, Foli E, Ford A, Gilpin M, Hall JS, Hamer KC, Hamilton AC, Harris DJ, Hart TB, Hédl R, Herault B, Herrera R, Higuchi N, Hladik A, Coronado EH, Huamantupa-Chuquimaco I, Huasco WH, Jeffery KJ, Jimenez-Rojas E, Kalamandeen M, Djuikouo MNK, Kearsley E, Umetsu RK, Kho LK, Killeen T, Kitayama K, Klitgaard B, Koch A, Labrière N, Laurance W, Laurance S, Leal ME, Levesley A, Lima AJN, Lisingo J, Lopes AP, Lopez-Gonzalez G, Lovejoy T, Lovett JC, Lowe R, Magnusson WE, Malumbres-Olarte J, Manzatto ÂG, Marimon BH Jr, Marshall AR, Marthews T, de Almeida Reis SM, Maycock C, Melgaço K, Mendoza C, Metali F, Mihindou V, Milliken W, Mitchard ETA, Morandi PS, Mossman HL, Nagy L, Nascimento H, Neill D, Nilus R, Vargas PN, Palacios W, Camacho NP, Peacock J, Pendry C, Peñuela Mora MC, Pickavance GC, Pipoly J, Pitman N, Playfair M, Poorter L, Poulsen JR, Poulsen AD, Preziosi R, Prieto A, Primack RB, Ramírez-Angulo H, Reitsma J, Réjou-Méchain M, Correa ZR, de Sousa TR, Bayona LR, Roopsind A, Rudas A, Rutishauser E, Abu Salim K, Salomão RP, Schietti J, Sheil D, Silva RC, Espejo JS, Valeria CS, Silveira M, Simo-Droissart M, Simon MF, Singh J, Soto Shareva YC, Stahl C, Stropp J, Sukri R, Sunderland T, Svátek M, Swaine MD, Swamy V, Taedoumg H, Talbot J, Taplin J, Taylor D, Ter Steege H, Terborgh J, Thomas R, Thomas SC, Torres-Lezama A, Umunay P, Gamarra LV, van der Heijden G, van der Hout P, van der Meer P, van Nieuwstadt M, Verbeeck H, Vernimmen R, Vicentini A, Vieira ICG, Torre EV, Vleminckx J, Vos V, Wang O, White LJT, Willcock S, Woods JT, Wortel V, Young K, Zagt R, Zemagho L, Zuidema PA, Zwerts JA, and Phillips OL
- Subjects
- Acclimatization, Biomass, Carbon metabolism, Earth, Planet, Wood, Carbon Cycle, Climate Change, Forests, Hot Temperature, Trees metabolism, Tropical Climate
- Abstract
The sensitivity of tropical forest carbon to climate is a key uncertainty in predicting global climate change. Although short-term drying and warming are known to affect forests, it is unknown if such effects translate into long-term responses. Here, we analyze 590 permanent plots measured across the tropics to derive the equilibrium climate controls on forest carbon. Maximum temperature is the most important predictor of aboveground biomass (-9.1 megagrams of carbon per hectare per degree Celsius), primarily by reducing woody productivity, and has a greater impact per °C in the hottest forests (>32.2°C). Our results nevertheless reveal greater thermal resilience than observations of short-term variation imply. To realize the long-term climate adaptation potential of tropical forests requires both protecting them and stabilizing Earth's climate., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.)
- Published
- 2020
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