The pace of life for forest trees

Tree growth and longevity trade-offs fundamentally shape the terrestrial carbon balance. Yet, we lack a unified understanding of how such trade-offs vary across the world's forests. By mapping life history traits for a wide range of species across the Americas, we reveal considerable variation in life expectancies from 10 centimeters in diameter (ranging from 1.3 to 3195 years) and show that the pace of life for trees can be accurately classified into four demographic functional types. We found emergent patterns in the strength of trade-offs between growth and longevity across a temperature gradient. Furthermore, we show that the diversity of life history traits varies predictably across forest biomes, giving rise to a positive relationship between trait diversity and productivity. Our pan-latitudinal assessment provides new insights into the demographic mechanisms that govern the carbon turnover rate across forest biomes.

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Publication Details

Journal
Science
Published
2024-10-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adk9616
Citations
28
Primary Topic
Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
19.35

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article

The pace of life for forest trees

Kauane Maiara Bordin, Sandra Cristina Müller, David Neill, Guido Pardo et al.
28 citations
Science
Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
19.35
article

The pace of life for forest trees

Kauane Maiara Bordin, Sandra Cristina Müller, David Neill, Guido Pardo, Adriana Prieto Cruz, Julio Serrano, Marcelo Fragomeni Simon, Walter A. Palacios, Karina Melgaço, Amy Wolf, Olaf Bánki, Flavio Antônio Maës dos Santos, Ted R. Feldpausch, Vinícius Andrade Maia, William Frederick Laurance, Susan G. W. Laurance, Carlos Reynel, Zorayda Restrepo, Adriane Esquivel‐Muelbert, Fernanda Moreira Gianasi, Jorcely Barroso, Flávia R. C. Costa, Walter Huaraca Huasco, Lalasia Bialic‐Murphy, Agustín Rudas, Marcos Silveira, Everton Cristo de Almeida, Joeri A. Zwerts, R. Toby Pennington, Joice Klipel, Fabrício Beggiato Baccaro, James A. Comiskey, Mathias W. Tobler, Carolina V. Castilho, Marcelo Trindade Nascimento, Bruno Hérault, Vincent Antoine Vos, Beatriz Schwantes Marimon, Nigel C. A. Pitman, Robert W. Howe, Oliver Lawrence Phillips, William E. Magnusson, Thaíse Emilio, Patricia Álvarez-Loayza, Abel Monteagudo Mendoza, Verginia Wortel, Jhon del Águila Pasquel, Wendeson Castro, Isau Huamantupa‐Chuquimaco, Christopher W. Woodall, Kátia Janaína Zanini, Víctor Chama Moscoso, Antônio C. L. da Costa, Louis Duchesne, John Terborgh, Julen Astigarraga, Timothy J. Killeen, José Luís Camargo, Pieter A. Zuidema, Henrique Eduardo Mendonça Nascimento, Lourens Poorter, Esteban Álvarez‐Dávila, Camila Laís Farrapo, Johan van den Hoogen, Rodolfo Vásquez, Nadir Pallqui Camacho, Frans Bongers, Miguel Gama Reis, Luciana F. Alves, Vitor de Andrade Kamimura, Carlos Alfredo Joly, Juliana Stropp, Simone Aparecida Vieira, E.J.M.M. Arets, Rodrigo Scarton Bergamin, Luis Valenzuela Gamarra, Kyle Graham Dexter, Edmar Almeida de Oliveira, Emilio Vilanova, Karla Maria Pedra de Abreu, Omar Aurelio Melo Cruz, Robert M. McElderry, Fernanda de Oliveira, Géraldine Derroire, Thomas A. M. Pugh, Thomas Ward Crowther, Marco Aurélio Leite Fontes, Anthony Di Fiore, Gustavo Schwartz, Paulo S. Morandi, Rubens Manoel dos Santos, Hans ter Steege, Valéria Forni Martins, Simone Matias Reis, Lidiany Carolina Arantes da Silva, Ângelo Gilberto Manzatto, Juliana Schietti, Eurídice N. Honorio Coronado, Ben Hur Marimon-Junior, Geertje van der Heijden, André Maciel da Silva, Roel Brienen, Damien Bonal, José Luís Marcelo Peña, Rafael Flora Ramos, Lilian Blanc, Rafael Herrera, María Cristina Peñuela Mora, Timothy R. Baker, Wilmar López Oviedo, Alejandro Araujo‐Murakami, Sophie Fauset, Hirma Ramírez‐Angulo, Federick C. Draper, Marcelo Brilhante de Medeiros, Peter J. van de Meer, Casimiro Mendoza, Felipe Carvalho Araújo
article en
28 citations

Abstract

Tree growth and longevity trade-offs fundamentally shape the terrestrial carbon balance. Yet, we lack a unified understanding of how such trade-offs vary across the world's forests. By mapping life history traits for a wide range of species across the Americas, we reveal considerable variation in life expectancies from 10 centimeters in diameter (ranging from 1.3 to 3195 years) and show that the pace of life for trees can be accurately classified into four demographic functional types. We found emergent patterns in the strength of trade-offs between growth and longevity across a temperature gradient. Furthermore, we show that the diversity of life history traits varies predictably across forest biomes, giving rise to a positive relationship between trait diversity and productivity. Our pan-latitudinal assessment provides new insights into the demographic mechanisms that govern the carbon turnover rate across forest biomes.

ScienceVol. 386(6717)
Smithsonian Institution (US), Gabriel René Moreno Autonomous University (BO), Universidade Federal de Rondônia (BR), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), University of Wisconsin–Green Bay (US), Naturalis Biodiversity Center (NL), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (BR), National Park Service (US), University of Leeds (GB), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (FR), Florida Museum of Natural History (US), US Forest Service (US), Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará (BR), Universidade Federal de Lavras (BR), Universidade Federal do Acre (BR), Zoological Society of San Diego (US), Wildlife Conservation Society (US), University of Nottingham (GB), University of Liverpool (GB), Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (GB), University of St Andrews (GB), Duke University (US), Universidade Federal de São Carlos (BR), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) (BR), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (BR), Lund University (SE), Universidad de Alcalá (ES), Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (VE), Utrecht University (NL), Université de Montpellier (FR), Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (BR), Universidad de Los Andes (VE), AgroParisTech (FR), University of Exeter (GB), Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola (PE), Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (CH), Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences (NL), University of French Guiana (GF), Field Museum of Natural History (US), Missouri Botanical Garden (US), Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso (BR), State University of Norte Fluminense (BR), Colombia Adventist University (CO), Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana (PE), National University of Saint Anthony the Abbot in Cuzco (PE), Universidad Mayor de San Simón (BO), University of Tolima (CO), ETH Zurich (CH), Universidad Nacional de Colombia (CO), University of Oxford (GB), Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado (BO), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR), Sustainability Institute (ZA), Amazon National University of Madre de Dios (PE), Amazon Research Foundation (BR), Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana (PE), Fundación Universitaria del Área Andina (CO), Silva (FR), Universidad Estatal Amazónica (EC), Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (EC), ProPacífico (CO), Forests and Societies (FR), Forest Research (GB), Universidad Autónoma del Beni (BO), Real Jardín Botánico (ES), Universidade Federal de Roraima (BR), Universidad Nacional Abierta y a Distancia (CO), Multi Electrical System (Suriname) (SR), Instituto Federal do Espírito Santo (BR), Vale Technological Institute (BR), Universidad Regional Amazónica IKIAM (EC), Digital Research Alliance of Canada, Universidade Federal do Pará (BR), Universidade Federal do Amazonas (BR), Universidad San Francisco de Quito (EC), Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina (PE), University of Birmingham (GB), James Cook University (AU), The University of Texas at Austin (US), University of Plymouth (GB), Universität Trier (DE), Université de Lorraine (FR), Wageningen University & Research (NL)
National Science Foundation, Smithsonian Institution, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, U.S. Department of Agriculture, United States Agency for International Development, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, UK Research and Innovation, European Space Agency, Sight Research UK, University of Leeds, European Commission, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Amazonas, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Goiás, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Mato Grosso, Goddard Space Flight Center, U.S. Forest Service, Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, Natural Environment Research Council, International Institute of Tropical Forestry
Openalex Percentile: Top 0%
Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
19.35
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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