Drought-mortality relationships for tropical forests

Oliver L. Phillips; Geertje van der Heijden; Simon L. Lewis; Gabriela Lopez-Gonzalez; Luiz E. O. C. Aragao; Jon Lloyd; Yadvinder Malhi; Abel Monteagudo; Samuel Almeida; Esteban Alvarez Davila; Ieda Amaral; Sandy Andelman; Ana Andrade; Luzmila Arroyo; Gerardo Aymard; Tim R. Baker; Lilian Blanc; Damien Bonal; Atila Cristina Alves de Oliveira; Kuo-Jung Chao; Nallaret Davila Cardozo; Lola da Costa; Ted R. Feldpausch; Joshua B. Fisher; Nikolaos M. Fyllas; Maria Aparecida Freitas; David Galbraith; Emanuel Gloor; Niro Higuchi; Euridice Honorio; Eliana Jimenez; Helen Keeling; Tim J. Killeen; Jon C. Lovett; Patrick Meir; Casimiro Mendoza; Alexandra Morel; Percy Nunez Vargas; Sandra Patino; Kelvin S-H. Peh; Antonio Pena Cruz; Adriana Prieto; Carlos A. Quesada; Fredy Ramirez; Hirma Ramirez; Agustin Rudas; Rafael Salamao; Michael Schwarz; Javier Silva; Marcos Silveira; J. W. Ferry Slik; Bonaventure Sonke; Anne Sota Thomas; Juliana Stropp; James R. D. Taplin; Rodolfo Vasquez; Emilio Vilanova

doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03359.x

Drought-mortality relationships for tropical forests

Oliver L. Phillips, Geertje van der Heijden, Simon L. Lewis, Gabriela Lopez-Gonzalez, Luiz E. O. C. Aragao, Jon Lloyd, Yadvinder Malhi, Abel Monteagudo, Samuel Almeida, Esteban Alvarez Davila, Ieda Amaral, Sandy Andelman, Ana Andrade, Luzmila Arroyo, Gerardo Aymard, Tim R. Baker, Lilian Blanc, Damien Bonal, Atila Cristina Alves de Oliveira, Kuo-Jung ChaoNallaret Davila Cardozo, Lola da Costa, Ted R. Feldpausch, Joshua B. Fisher, Nikolaos M. Fyllas, Maria Aparecida Freitas, David Galbraith, Emanuel Gloor, Niro Higuchi, Euridice Honorio, Eliana Jimenez, Helen Keeling, Tim J. Killeen, Jon C. Lovett, Patrick Meir, Casimiro Mendoza, Alexandra Morel, Percy Nunez Vargas, Sandra Patino, Kelvin S-H. Peh, Antonio Pena Cruz, Adriana Prieto, Carlos A. Quesada, Fredy Ramirez, Hirma Ramirez, Agustin Rudas, Rafael Salamao, Michael Schwarz, Javier Silva, Marcos Silveira, J. W. Ferry Slik, Bonaventure Sonke, Anne Sota Thomas, Juliana Stropp, James R. D. Taplin, Rodolfo Vasquez, Emilio Vilanova

Environment and Geography

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

The rich ecology of tropical forests is intimately tied to their moisture status. Multi-site syntheses can provide a macro-scale view of these linkages and their susceptibility to changing climates. Here, we report pan-tropical and regional-scale analyses of tree vulnerability to drought.

We assembled available data on tropical forest tree stem mortality before, during, and after recent drought events, from 119 monitoring plots in 10 countries concentrated in Amazonia and Borneo.

In most sites, larger trees are disproportionately at risk. At least within Amazonia, low wood density trees are also at greater risk of drought-associated mortality, independent of size. For comparable drought intensities, trees in Borneo are more vulnerable than trees in the Amazon. There is some evidence for lagged impacts of drought, with mortality rates remaining elevated 2 yr after the meteorological event is over.

These findings indicate that repeated droughts would shift the functional composition of tropical forests toward smaller, denser-wooded trees. At very high drought intensities, the linear relationship between tree mortality and moisture stress apparently breaks down, suggesting the existence of moisture stress thresholds beyond which some tropical forests would suffer catastrophic tree mortality.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	631-646
Number of pages	16
Journal	New Phytologist
Volume	187
Issue number	3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03359.x
Publication status	Published - Aug 2010

Keywords

Amazon
Borneo
drought
lags mortality
RAINFOR
trees
tropics
AMAZON RAIN-FOREST
EL-NINO DROUGHT
TREE MORTALITY
DIPTEROCARP FOREST
CLIMATE-CHANGE
WOOD DENSITY
LIFE-HISTORY
BIOMASS
BORNEO
IMPACT

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10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03359.x

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Phillips, O. L., van der Heijden, G., Lewis, S. L., Lopez-Gonzalez, G., Aragao, L. E. O. C., Lloyd, J., Malhi, Y., Monteagudo, A., Almeida, S., Alvarez Davila, E., Amaral, I., Andelman, S., Andrade, A., Arroyo, L., Aymard, G., Baker, T. R., Blanc, L., Bonal, D., Alves de Oliveira, A. C., ... Vilanova, E. (2010). Drought-mortality relationships for tropical forests. New Phytologist, 187(3), 631-646. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03359.x

@article{62a7dd3890ae4ffc856f696519af7895,

title = "Drought-mortality relationships for tropical forests",

abstract = "The rich ecology of tropical forests is intimately tied to their moisture status. Multi-site syntheses can provide a macro-scale view of these linkages and their susceptibility to changing climates. Here, we report pan-tropical and regional-scale analyses of tree vulnerability to drought.We assembled available data on tropical forest tree stem mortality before, during, and after recent drought events, from 119 monitoring plots in 10 countries concentrated in Amazonia and Borneo.In most sites, larger trees are disproportionately at risk. At least within Amazonia, low wood density trees are also at greater risk of drought-associated mortality, independent of size. For comparable drought intensities, trees in Borneo are more vulnerable than trees in the Amazon. There is some evidence for lagged impacts of drought, with mortality rates remaining elevated 2 yr after the meteorological event is over.These findings indicate that repeated droughts would shift the functional composition of tropical forests toward smaller, denser-wooded trees. At very high drought intensities, the linear relationship between tree mortality and moisture stress apparently breaks down, suggesting the existence of moisture stress thresholds beyond which some tropical forests would suffer catastrophic tree mortality.",

keywords = "Amazon, Borneo, drought, lags mortality, RAINFOR, trees, tropics, AMAZON RAIN-FOREST, EL-NINO DROUGHT, TREE MORTALITY, DIPTEROCARP FOREST, CLIMATE-CHANGE, WOOD DENSITY, LIFE-HISTORY, BIOMASS, BORNEO, IMPACT",

author = "Phillips, {Oliver L.} and {van der Heijden}, Geertje and Lewis, {Simon L.} and Gabriela Lopez-Gonzalez and Aragao, {Luiz E. O. C.} and Jon Lloyd and Yadvinder Malhi and Abel Monteagudo and Samuel Almeida and {Alvarez Davila}, Esteban and Ieda Amaral and Sandy Andelman and Ana Andrade and Luzmila Arroyo and Gerardo Aymard and Baker, {Tim R.} and Lilian Blanc and Damien Bonal and {Alves de Oliveira}, {Atila Cristina} and Kuo-Jung Chao and {Davila Cardozo}, Nallaret and {da Costa}, Lola and Feldpausch, {Ted R.} and Fisher, {Joshua B.} and Fyllas, {Nikolaos M.} and Freitas, {Maria Aparecida} and David Galbraith and Emanuel Gloor and Niro Higuchi and Euridice Honorio and Eliana Jimenez and Helen Keeling and Killeen, {Tim J.} and Lovett, {Jon C.} and Patrick Meir and Casimiro Mendoza and Alexandra Morel and {Nunez Vargas}, Percy and Sandra Patino and Peh, {Kelvin S-H.} and {Pena Cruz}, Antonio and Adriana Prieto and Quesada, {Carlos A.} and Fredy Ramirez and Hirma Ramirez and Agustin Rudas and Rafael Salamao and Michael Schwarz and Javier Silva and Marcos Silveira and Slik, {J. W. Ferry} and Bonaventure Sonke and Thomas, {Anne Sota} and Juliana Stropp and Taplin, {James R. D.} and Rodolfo Vasquez and Emilio Vilanova",

year = "2010",

month = aug,

doi = "10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03359.x",

language = "English",

volume = "187",

pages = "631--646",

journal = "New Phytologist",

issn = "0028-646X",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell",

number = "3",

}

Phillips, OL, van der Heijden, G, Lewis, SL, Lopez-Gonzalez, G, Aragao, LEOC, Lloyd, J, Malhi, Y, Monteagudo, A, Almeida, S, Alvarez Davila, E, Amaral, I, Andelman, S, Andrade, A, Arroyo, L, Aymard, G, Baker, TR, Blanc, L, Bonal, D, Alves de Oliveira, AC, Chao, K-J, Davila Cardozo, N, da Costa, L, Feldpausch, TR, Fisher, JB, Fyllas, NM, Freitas, MA, Galbraith, D, Gloor, E, Higuchi, N, Honorio, E, Jimenez, E, Keeling, H, Killeen, TJ, Lovett, JC, Meir, P, Mendoza, C, Morel, A, Nunez Vargas, P, Patino, S, Peh, KS-H, Pena Cruz, A, Prieto, A, Quesada, CA, Ramirez, F, Ramirez, H, Rudas, A, Salamao, R, Schwarz, M, Silva, J, Silveira, M, Slik, JWF, Sonke, B, Thomas, AS, Stropp, J, Taplin, JRD, Vasquez, R & Vilanova, E 2010, 'Drought-mortality relationships for tropical forests', New Phytologist, vol. 187, no. 3, pp. 631-646. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03359.x

TY - JOUR

T1 - Drought-mortality relationships for tropical forests

AU - Phillips, Oliver L.

AU - van der Heijden, Geertje

AU - Lewis, Simon L.

AU - Lopez-Gonzalez, Gabriela

AU - Aragao, Luiz E. O. C.

AU - Lloyd, Jon

AU - Malhi, Yadvinder

AU - Monteagudo, Abel

AU - Almeida, Samuel

AU - Alvarez Davila, Esteban

AU - Amaral, Ieda

AU - Andelman, Sandy

AU - Andrade, Ana

AU - Arroyo, Luzmila

AU - Aymard, Gerardo

AU - Baker, Tim R.

AU - Blanc, Lilian

AU - Bonal, Damien

AU - Alves de Oliveira, Atila Cristina

AU - Chao, Kuo-Jung

AU - Davila Cardozo, Nallaret

AU - da Costa, Lola

AU - Feldpausch, Ted R.

AU - Fisher, Joshua B.

AU - Fyllas, Nikolaos M.

AU - Freitas, Maria Aparecida

AU - Galbraith, David

AU - Gloor, Emanuel

AU - Higuchi, Niro

AU - Honorio, Euridice

AU - Jimenez, Eliana

AU - Keeling, Helen

AU - Killeen, Tim J.

AU - Lovett, Jon C.

AU - Meir, Patrick

AU - Mendoza, Casimiro

AU - Morel, Alexandra

AU - Nunez Vargas, Percy

AU - Patino, Sandra

AU - Peh, Kelvin S-H.

AU - Pena Cruz, Antonio

AU - Prieto, Adriana

AU - Quesada, Carlos A.

AU - Ramirez, Fredy

AU - Ramirez, Hirma

AU - Rudas, Agustin

AU - Salamao, Rafael

AU - Schwarz, Michael

AU - Silva, Javier

AU - Silveira, Marcos

AU - Slik, J. W. Ferry

AU - Sonke, Bonaventure

AU - Thomas, Anne Sota

AU - Stropp, Juliana

AU - Taplin, James R. D.

AU - Vasquez, Rodolfo

AU - Vilanova, Emilio

PY - 2010/8

Y1 - 2010/8

N2 - The rich ecology of tropical forests is intimately tied to their moisture status. Multi-site syntheses can provide a macro-scale view of these linkages and their susceptibility to changing climates. Here, we report pan-tropical and regional-scale analyses of tree vulnerability to drought.We assembled available data on tropical forest tree stem mortality before, during, and after recent drought events, from 119 monitoring plots in 10 countries concentrated in Amazonia and Borneo.In most sites, larger trees are disproportionately at risk. At least within Amazonia, low wood density trees are also at greater risk of drought-associated mortality, independent of size. For comparable drought intensities, trees in Borneo are more vulnerable than trees in the Amazon. There is some evidence for lagged impacts of drought, with mortality rates remaining elevated 2 yr after the meteorological event is over.These findings indicate that repeated droughts would shift the functional composition of tropical forests toward smaller, denser-wooded trees. At very high drought intensities, the linear relationship between tree mortality and moisture stress apparently breaks down, suggesting the existence of moisture stress thresholds beyond which some tropical forests would suffer catastrophic tree mortality.

AB - The rich ecology of tropical forests is intimately tied to their moisture status. Multi-site syntheses can provide a macro-scale view of these linkages and their susceptibility to changing climates. Here, we report pan-tropical and regional-scale analyses of tree vulnerability to drought.We assembled available data on tropical forest tree stem mortality before, during, and after recent drought events, from 119 monitoring plots in 10 countries concentrated in Amazonia and Borneo.In most sites, larger trees are disproportionately at risk. At least within Amazonia, low wood density trees are also at greater risk of drought-associated mortality, independent of size. For comparable drought intensities, trees in Borneo are more vulnerable than trees in the Amazon. There is some evidence for lagged impacts of drought, with mortality rates remaining elevated 2 yr after the meteorological event is over.These findings indicate that repeated droughts would shift the functional composition of tropical forests toward smaller, denser-wooded trees. At very high drought intensities, the linear relationship between tree mortality and moisture stress apparently breaks down, suggesting the existence of moisture stress thresholds beyond which some tropical forests would suffer catastrophic tree mortality.

KW - Amazon

KW - Borneo

KW - drought

KW - lags mortality

KW - RAINFOR

KW - trees

KW - tropics

KW - AMAZON RAIN-FOREST

KW - EL-NINO DROUGHT

KW - TREE MORTALITY

KW - DIPTEROCARP FOREST

KW - CLIMATE-CHANGE

KW - WOOD DENSITY

KW - LIFE-HISTORY

KW - BIOMASS

KW - BORNEO

KW - IMPACT

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77955161276&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03359.x

DO - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2010.03359.x

M3 - Article

SN - 0028-646X

VL - 187

SP - 631

EP - 646

JO - New Phytologist

JF - New Phytologist

IS - 3

ER -

Drought-mortality relationships for tropical forests

Abstract

Keywords

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