Tree canopies do not protect against global warming

June 3 () –

Assumptions that tropical forest canopies protect from the effects of climate change are unfounded.

On the contrary. New study reveals that crucial biodiversity strongholds are under threat as temperatures rise in tropical foreststhe most diverse terrestrial ecosystems in the world.

It has long been assumed that the subcanopy and understory of the forest, where direct sunlight is reduced, would be insulated from the worst impacts of climate change by the protective effect of the forest canopy.

But the new research, published in the journal Nature Climate Changeused a microclimate model to examine temperatures beneath the rainforest canopy in the global tropics.

This showed that between 2005 and 2019, most of the world’s undisturbed tropical forests experienced climate conditions at least partially outside the range of historical conditions. Many areas had moved to almost entirely new temperature averages.

Until recently, temperatures below the canopy in rainforests have remained relatively stable, meaning that the wildlife living there have evolved within a narrow range of temperatures. This means that it does not adapt well to temperatures outside this range.

The study found pronounced changes in climate regimes in a significant proportion of tropical forests, including globally important national parks, indigenous reserves and large tracts of ecologically unfragmented areas.

Recent studies in primary or largely undisturbed lowland tropical forests have found changes in species composition and significant declines in animal, insect and plant populations. These changes are attributed to warming temperatures and are consistent with the findings of the new research.

“Tropical forests are the true powerhouses of global biodiversity, and the complex networks of species they contain support vast carbon reserves that help mitigate climate change. A serious risk is that species can no longer survive within tropical forests. as climate change intensifies, further exacerbating the global extinction crisis and degrading rainforest carbon stocks,” he said it’s a statement Professor David Edwards from the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Cambridge, co-author of the study.

“Our study challenges the prevailing idea that tropical forest canopies will mitigate the impacts of climate change and helps us understand how to prioritize the conservation of these key biodiversity areas effectively,” Dr Alexander said. Lees, associate professor of Biodiversity at Manchester Metropolitan University, co-author of the study.

He added: “It is essential that the distant and wealth-related drivers of deforestation and degradation are addressed and that the future of the forests we act as climate shelters through legal protection and empowerment of indigenous communities.

“Despite the fundamental need to reduce global carbon emissions, prioritizing and protecting refugia and restoring highly threatened forests is vital to mitigate further damage to global tropical forest ecosystems.”

“Tropical forests, home to many of the world’s highly specialized species, They are particularly sensitive to even small changes in climate“said Dr. Brittany Trew, conservation scientist at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and lead author of the study.

“Our research shows that climate change is already affecting vast areas of pristine tropical forest globally. To give species the best chance of adapting to these changes, These forests must be protected from additional human-caused threats,” he added.

“The world’s rainforests are incredible reservoirs of biodiversity, hosting species that live in microenvironments where climatic conditions are generally stable. Therefore, they are particularly sensitive to any changes caused by climate change. It is vital that we take action to safeguard these ecosystems from human pressures,” said Ilya Maclean, professor of Global Change Biology at the University of Exeter and lead author of the study.