image: View of wet tropical rainforest in northern Peru from canopy tower view more
Credit: Image credit: Roel J. W. Brienen.
A study examines the growth and longevity of trees in the tropics. Tropical forests are among the largest above-ground organic carbon stocks, and the capacity of forests to store biomass over long periods of time significantly depends on tree longevity. Giuliano Locosselli, Marcos Buckeridge, and colleagues examined the influence of climate on tree growth and lifespans by analyzing tree-ring datasets of 438 tree species from across the globe. Compared with trees in temperate and boreal regions, trees in tropical climates grew two times faster on average, but exhibited significantly shorter lifespans. Within the tropics, tree longevity was strongly related to water availability; compared with moist tropical biomes, dry tropical biomes exhibited a 52% reduction in tree longevity. Mean annual temperatures above 25.4?C were associated with significant decreases in longevity of trees in warm, tropical lowlands. The findings suggest that trees in dry and warm climates die younger than trees exposed to lower temperatures and wet conditions, likely because of significant water stress on tropical trees that may limit their maximum diameter and height. Thus, temperature increases and decreased moisture availability could reduce tropical tree longevity in the future and impact organic carbon stocks, according to the authors.
###
Article #20-03873: "Global tree-ring analysis reveals rapid decrease in tropical tree longevity with temperature," by Giuliano Maselli Locosselli et al.
MEDIA CONTACT: Giuliano Maselli Locosselli, University of São Paulo, BRAZIL; tel: +55-1130917592, +55-11999624399; e-mail: <locosselli@yahoo.com.br>, <g.locosselli@gmail.com>
Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences