Shifting dynamics of climate-functional groups in old-growth Amazonian forests

Butt, Nathalie; Malhi, Yadvinder; New, Mark; Macía, Manuel J.; Lewis, Simon L.; Lopez‐Gonzalez, Gabriela; Laurance, William F.; Laurance, Susan G.; Luizão, Regina C. C.; Andrade, Ana; Baker, Timothy R.; Almeida, Samuel; Phillips, Oliver L.

doi:10.1080/17550874.2012.715210

Cited by 22 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 44 publications

(57 reference statements)

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“…We detected an increase in the abundance of drought-tolerant genera across Amazonia when analysing the recruitment and mortality within tree communities (Table 1, Figure 3), consistent with the hypothesis that tree communities are responding to the changes in climate. Our large-scale results are consistent with tree community shifts towards more drought-tolerant taxa reported in some neotropical (Butt et al, 2014;Enquist & Enquist, 2011;Feeley, Silman, et al, 2011) and west African forest localities (Fauset et al, 2012), and some temperate localities (McIntyre et al, 2015). Across Amazonia we find that greater mortality of wet-affiliated taxa over time is related to the degree to which water stress has increased within each community, providing direct evidence of the influence of climate on community dynamics (Figure 4).…”

Section: Climate-induced Changes In Floristic Compositionsupporting

confidence: 87%

“…If drought is increasingly affecting Amazonian forests, we might therefore expect concerted shifts in tree communities towards more dry-affiliated components. A compositional shift towards more dry-tolerant taxa as a consequence of an increase in moisture stress has been reported locally for sites in southern Ghana (Fauset et al, 2012), Central America (Enquist & Enquist, 2011;Feeley, Davies, et al, 2011), and parts of the Amazon (Butt et al, 2014).…”

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confidence: 70%

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Compositional response of Amazon forests to climate change

Esquivel‐Muelbert

Baker

Dexter

et al. 2018

Global Change Biology

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Most of the planet's diversity is concentrated in the tropics, which includes many regions undergoing rapid climate change. Yet, while climate‐induced biodiversity changes are widely documented elsewhere, few studies have addressed this issue for lowland tropical ecosystems. Here we investigate whether the floristic and functional composition of intact lowland Amazonian forests have been changing by evaluating records from 106 long‐term inventory plots spanning 30 years. We analyse three traits that have been hypothesized to respond to different environmental drivers (increase in moisture stress and atmospheric CO 2 concentrations): maximum tree size, biogeographic water‐deficit affiliation and wood density. Tree communities have become increasingly dominated by large‐statured taxa, but to date there has been no detectable change in mean wood density or water deficit affiliation at the community level, despite most forest plots having experienced an intensification of the dry season. However, among newly recruited trees, dry‐affiliated genera have become more abundant, while the mortality of wet‐affiliated genera has increased in those plots where the dry season has intensified most. Thus, a slow shift to a more dry‐affiliated Amazonia is underway, with changes in compositional dynamics (recruits and mortality) consistent with climate‐change drivers, but yet to significantly impact whole‐community composition. The Amazon observational record suggests that the increase in atmospheric CO 2 is driving a shift within tree communities to large‐statured species and that climate changes to date will impact forest composition, but long generation times of tropical trees mean that biodiversity change is lagging behind climate change.

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Section: Climate-induced Changes In Floristic Compositionsupporting

confidence: 87%

mentioning

confidence: 70%

Compositional response of Amazon forests to climate change

Esquivel‐Muelbert

Baker

Dexter

et al. 2018

Global Change Biology

Self Cite

322

254

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“…Nevertheless, rapid ecological change does not necessarily imply vulnerability. For example, in core western Amazon forests a recent study (Butt et al 2014) has shown a possible shift in forest composition to tree taxa affiliated to drier habitats, suggesting potential for increased forest persistence under projected drier conditions in the future. The vegetation in the ZOT is, however, already on the edge in climate terms, and thus maybe more sensitive than core Amazonian forests to changing climate.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Disequilibrium and hyperdynamic tree turnover at the forest–cerrado transition zone in southern Amazonia

Marimon

Feldpausch

Oliveira‐Santos

et al. 2013

Plant Ecology & Diversity

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113

114

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Background:The zone of transition (ZOT) between the Cerrado and the Amazon forest in southern Amazonia represents a unique and rapidly shrinking area due to land-use change. Aims: To compare the dynamics and above-ground biomass of vegetation located in the ZOT with core Amazon forest and to determine how ZOT dynamics differ within vegetation types for different tree diameter classes. Methods: Censuses of trees were conducted in seven plots in monodominant forest, semi-deciduous seasonal forest, gallery forest, cerrado sensu stricto and cerradão, in north-eastern Mato Grosso, Brazil from 1996 to 2010, including data for the 2005 drought year. Separate analyses of stem dynamics and biomass were carried out for two different diameter (d) classes: 5 ≤ d < 10 cm and d ≥ 10 cm. Results: For trees with d ≥ 10 cm the average mortality rate was 2.8% year −1 , with an estimated above-ground dry biomass of 210 Mg ha −1 . Trees with 5 ≤ d < 10 cm constituted only a small fraction of the total biomass store (ca. 10 Mg ha −1 ) and had a mortality rate of 7.4% year −1 and recruitment of 6.5% year −1 . Overall, mortality and recruitment in the ZOT were greater than in core Amazonian forests (1-2% year −1 ). Conclusions:The distinct vegetation formations of the southern Amazon ZOT are markedly more dynamic than core Amazonian forest. Continued long-term monitoring throughout the region is required to assess whether they also respond differently to climate change.

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“…For instance, droughts can influence forest dynamics and composition and might be increasing in parts of the Amazon (Lewis et al 2011, Butt et al 2012, Fu et al 2013). Additionally, multidecadal shifts in solar radiation or cloudiness could potentially increase forest productivity, although evidence for such shifts in the tropics is limited (Lewis et al 2009a).…”

Section: Changes In Intact Forestsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Apparent environmental synergism drives the dynamics of Amazonian forest fragments

Laurance

Andrade

Magrach

et al. 2014

Ecology

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Abstract. Many contemporary ecosystems are likely to be affected by multiple environmental drivers, complicating efforts to predict future changes in those ecosystems. We studied long-term changes in forest dynamics and liana (woody vine) abundance and biomass in fragmented and intact forests of the central Amazon. We did so by contrasting trends in 33 permanent 1-ha plots near forest edges (plot center ,100 m from the nearest edge) with those in 36 1-ha plots in intact-forest interiors (150-3300 m from nearest edge). In fragmented and edge-affected forests, rates of tree (!10 cm diameter at breast height) mortality and recruitment were often sharply elevated, especially in the first 10-15 years after fragmentation. Lianas (!2 cm stem diameter) also increased markedly in abundance (mean 6 SD ¼ 1.78 6 1.23% per yr) and biomass (1.30 6 1.39% per yr) over time, especially in plots with high edge-related tree mortality. However, plots in undisturbed forest interiors, which were originally established as experimental controls, also experienced long-term changes. In these plots, tree mortality and recruitment rose significantly over time, as did liana abundance (1.00 6 0.88% per yr) and biomass (0.32 6 1.37% per yr). These changes were smaller in magnitude than those in fragments but were nonetheless concerted in nature and highly statistically significant. The causes of these changes in forest interiors are unknown, but are broadly consistent with those expected from rising atmospheric CO 2 or regional climate drivers that influence forest dynamics. Hence, the dynamics of Amazonian forest fragments cannot be understood simply as a consequence of forest fragmentation. Rather, the changes we observed appear to arise from an interaction of fragmentation with one or more global-or regional-scale drivers affecting forest dynamics. Both sets of phenomena are evidently increasing forest dynamics and liana abundances in fragmented forests, changes that could reduce carbon storage and alter many aspects of forest ecology.

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Shifting dynamics of climate-functional groups in old-growth Amazonian forests

Cited by 22 publications

References 44 publications

Compositional response of Amazon forests to climate change

Compositional response of Amazon forests to climate change

Disequilibrium and hyperdynamic tree turnover at the forest–cerrado transition zone in southern Amazonia

Apparent environmental synergism drives the dynamics of Amazonian forest fragments

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