Marine & Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles

Authors

Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert, University of Birmingham; University of Leeds
Oliver Phillips, University of Leeds
Roel Brienen, University of Leeds
Sophie Fauset, University of Plymouth
Martin Sullivan, University of Leeds; Manchester Metropolitan University
Timothy Baker, University of Leeds
Kuo-Jung Chao, National Chung Hsing University
Ted Feldpausch, University of Exeter
Emanuel Gloor, University of Leeds
Niro Higuchi, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia
Jeanne Houwing-Duistermaat, University of Leeds
Jon Lloyd, Imperial College London Sciences
Haiyan Liu, University of Leeds
Yadvinder Malhi, University of Oxford
Beatriz Marimon, Campus de Nova Xavantina
Ben Hur Marimon Junior, Campus de Nova Xavantina
Abel Monteagudo-Mendoza, Jardín Botánico de Missouri
Lourens Poorter, Wageningen University and Research
Marcos Silveira, Universidade Federal do Acre
Emilio Vilanova Torre, Universidad de Los Andes; University of California
Esteban Alvarez Dávila, Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia; Fundación ConVida
Jhon del Aguila Pasquel, Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonia Peruana
Everton Almeida, Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará
Patricia Alvarez Loayza, University in Durham
Ana Andrade, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia Florestais
Luiz E. O. C. Aragão, National Institute for Space Research (INPE), São José dos Campos
Alejandro Araujo-Murakami, Universidad Autónoma Gabriel Rene Moreno
Eric Arets, Wageningen University and Research
Luzmila Arroyo, Universidad Autónoma Gabriel René Moreno
Gerardo A. Aymard C., Herbario Universitario (PORT); Compensation International Progress S.A. Ciprogress
Michel Baisie, Université des Antilles; Université de Guyane
Christopher Baraloto, Florida International University
Plínio Barbosa Camargo, Universidade de São Paulo
Jorcely Barroso, Universidade Federal do Acre
Lilian Blanc, La Recherche Argonomique Pour Le Developpement (CIRAD)
Damien Bonal, Université des Antilles; Université de Guyane
Frans Bongers, Wageningen University and Research
René Boot, Utrecht
Foster Brown, Woods Hole Research Center
Benoit Burban, Université des Antilles; Université de Guyane
José Luís Camargo, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia Florestais
Wendeson Castro, Universidade Federal do Acre
Victor Chama Moscoso, Jardín Botánico de Missouri
Jerome Chave, Le Centre national de la recherche scientifique
James Comiskey, National Park Service, Fort Collins, CO
Fernando Cornejo Valverde, Madre de Dios
Antonio Lola da Costa, Universidade Federal do Para
Nallaret Davila Cardozo, Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonia Peruana
Anthony Di Fiore, University of Texas at Austin
Aurélie Dourdain, Université des Antilles; Université de Guyane
Terry Erwin, Smithsonian Institute
Gerardo Flores Llampazo, Universidad Nacional Jorge Basadre de Grohmann
Ima Célia Guimarães Vieira, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi
Rafael Herrera, Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (IVIC); Universitat Politécnica de València
Eurídice Honorio Coronado, Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonia Peruana
Isau Huamantupa-Chuquimaco, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco
Eliana Jimenez-Rojas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia Sede Amazonia
Timothy Killeen, Agteca
Susan Laurance, James Cook University
William Laurance, James Cook University
Aurora Levesley, University of Leeds
Simon L. Lewis, University of Leeds; University College London
Karina Liana Lisboa Melgaço Ladvocat, University of Leeds
Gabriela Lopez-Gonzalez, University of Leeds
Thomas Lovejoy, George Mason University
Patrick Meir, Australian National University; University of Edinburgh
Casimiro Mendoza, Universidad Mayor de San Simón
Paulo Morandi, UNEMAT – Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso PPG-Ecologia e Conservação
David Neill, Universidad Estatal Amazónica
Adriano José Nogueira Lima, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia
Percy Nuñez Vargas, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco
Edmar Almeida de Oliveira, UNEMAT – Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso PPG-Ecologia e Conservação
Nadir Pallqui Camacho, University of Leeds; Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco
Guido Pardo, Universidad Autónoma del Beni José Ballivián
Julie Peacock, University of Leeds
Marielos Peña-Claros, Wageningen University and Research
Maria Cristina Peñuela-Mora, Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam
Georgia Pickavance, University of Leeds
John Pipoly III, Nova Southeastern University; Broward County Parks RecreationFollow
Nigel Pitman, Keller Science Action Center
Adriana Prieto, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Thomas A. M. Pugh, University of Birmingham
Carlos Quesada, Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia
Hirma Ramirez-Angulo, Universidad de los Andes
Simone Matias de Almeida Reis, University of Oxford; UNEMAT – Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso PPG-Ecologia e Conservação
Maxime Rejou-Machain, Université des Antilles; Université de Guyane
Zorayda Restrepo Correa, Socioecosistemas y Cambio Climatico
Lily Rodriguez Bayona, CIMA Cordillera Azul
Agustín Rudas, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Rafael Salomão, Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi; Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia
Julio Serrano, Universidad de Los Andes
Javier Silva Espejo, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco; Universidad de La Serena
Natalino Silva, Universidade Federal Rural da Amazônia
James Singh, Guyana Forestry Commission
Clement Stahl, Université des Antilles; Université de Guyane
Juliana Stropp, Federal University of Alagoas
Varun Swamy, Institute for Conservation Research
Joey Talbot, University of Leeds
Hans ter Steege, Naturalis Biodiversity Center; Free University
John Terborgh, University of Florida
Raquel Thomas, Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development
Marisol Toledo, Universidad Autónoma Gabriel Rene Moreno
Armando Torres-Lezama, Universidad de los Andes
Luis Valenzuela Gamarra, Jardín Botánico de Missouri
Geertje van der Heijden, University of Nottingham
Peter van der Meer, Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences
Peter van der Hout, Van der Hoult Forestry Consulting
Rodolfo Vasquez Martinez, Jardín Botánico de Missouri
Simone Aparecida Vieira, Núcleo de Estudos e Pesquisas Ambientais – Universidade Estadual de Campinas
Jeanneth Villalobos Cayo, Universidad de San Francisco Xavier de Chuquisaca
Vincent Vos, Universidad Autónoma del Beni José Ballivián
Roderick Zagt, Tropenbos International
Pieter Zuidema, Wageningen University and Research
David Galbraith, University of Leeds

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

nature communications

ISSN

2041-1723

Publication Date

9-9-2020

Keywords

Forest ecology, Tropical ecology

Abstract

The carbon sink capacity of tropical forests is substantially affected by tree mortality. However, the main drivers of tropical tree death remain largely unknown. Here we present a pan-Amazonian assessment of how and why trees die, analysing over 120,000 trees representing > 3800 species from 189 long-term RAINFOR forest plots. While tree mortality rates vary greatly Amazon-wide, on average trees are as likely to die standing as they are broken or uprooted—modes of death with different ecological consequences. Species-level growth rate is the single most important predictor of tree death in Amazonia, with faster-growing species being at higher risk. Within species, however, the slowest-growing trees are at greatest risk while the effect of tree size varies across the basin. In the driest Amazonian region species-level bioclimatic distributional patterns also predict the risk of death, suggesting that these forests are experiencing climatic conditions beyond their adaptative limits. These results provide not only a holistic pan-Amazonian picture of tree death but large-scale evidence for the overarching importance of the growth–survival trade-off in driving tropical tree mortality.

DOI

10.1038/s41467-020-18996-3

Volume

11

First Page

5515

Comments

This manuscript is an outcome of efforts over three decades of hundreds of researchers across Amazonia as well as the sustained support of rural communities and Amazonian institutions and their funding agencies that make the RAINFOR network possible. We thank the following individuals in particular for their contribution to the long-term monitoring of South American forests: Alwyn Gentry, Sandra Patiño, Samuel Almeida, Miguel Alexiades, Olaf Banki, Desmo Betian, Vincent Bezard, Ezequiel Chavez, René Guillen Villaroel, Antonio S. Lima, Irina Mendoza Polo, Petrus Naisso, Atila Alves de Oliveira, Alexander Parada Gutierrez, Jean Pierre Veillon, Freddy Ramirez Arevalo and Marc Steininger. The analysis undertaken here was largely funded by the NERC-funded TREMOR project (NE/N004655/1) to D.G., R.J.W.B., E.G. and O.L.P. A.E.-M. was funded by TREMOR and by two ERC awards (T-FORCES 291585, TreeMort 758873). D.G. acknowledges further support from a Newton-funded consortium award (ARBOLES, NE/S011811/1). O.L.P. was supported by an ERC Advanced Grant and a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award. T.A.M.P. was funded by the ERC award TreeMort 758873. This is paper number 47 of the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research. T.R.F., L.E.O.C.A. and O.L.P. were supported by NERC NE/N011570/1. Support for RAINFOR has come from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Urgency Grants and NERC Consortium Grants AMAZONICA (NE/F005806/1), TROBIT (NE/D005590/1) and BIO-RED (NE/N012542/1), a European Research Council (ERC) grant T-FORCES (291585), the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (#1656), the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (282664, AMAZALERT) and the Royal Society (CH160091). This is paper #47 of the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research (BIFoR). A.E.-M. thanks LES female writing group. Data from RAINFOR and other tropical networks are stored and curated by ForestPlots.net, a collaborative cyber-infrastructure initiative developed at the University of Leeds that unites permanent plot records and their contributing scientists from the world’s tropical forests. All the bodies listed above have funded the development of ForestPlots.net and curation of data analysed here. This work is an outcome of the ForestPlots.net approved research project #8.

Additional Comments

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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