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Increased mortality of tropical tree seedlings during the extreme 2015-16 El Niño.
- Source :
-
Global change biology [Glob Chang Biol] 2021 Oct; Vol. 27 (20), pp. 5043-5053. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Jul 29. - Publication Year :
- 2021
-
Abstract
- As extreme climate events are predicted to become more frequent because of global climate change, understanding their impacts on natural systems is crucial. Tropical forests are vulnerable to droughts associated with extreme El Niño events. However, little is known about how tropical seedling communities respond to El Niño-related droughts, even though patterns of seedling survival shape future forest structure and diversity. Using long-term data from eight tropical moist forests spanning a rainfall gradient in central Panama, we show that community-wide seedling mortality increased by 11% during the extreme 2015-16 El Niño, with mortality increasing most in drought-sensitive species and in wetter forests. These results indicate that severe El Niño-related droughts influence understory dynamics in tropical forests, with effects varying both within and across sites. Our findings suggest that predicted increases in the frequency of extreme El Niño events will alter tropical plant communities through their effects on early life stages.<br /> (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
- Subjects :
- Droughts
Forests
Seasons
Seedlings
Tropical Climate
El Nino-Southern Oscillation
Trees
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1365-2486
- Volume :
- 27
- Issue :
- 20
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Global change biology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 34273223
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15809