Increasing tree size across Amazonia

Climate change and increasing availability of resources such as carbon dioxide are modifying forest functioning worldwide, but the effects of these changes on forest structure are unclear. As additional resources become available, for example, through CO<sub>2</sub> fertilization or nitrogen deposition, large trees, with greater access to light, may be expected to gain further advantages. Conversely, smaller light-suppressed trees might benefit more if their light compensation point changes, while bigger trees may be the most negatively impacted by increasing heat and drought. We assessed recent changes in the structure of Earth's largest tropical forest by analysing 30 years of Amazonian tree records across 188 mature forest plots. We find that, at a stand level, trees have become larger over time, with mean tree basal area increasing by 3.3% per decade (95% CI 2.4; 4.1). Larger trees have increased in both number and size, yet we observed similar rates of relative size gain in large and small trees. This evidence is consistent with a resource-driven boost for larger trees but also a reduction in suppression among smaller trees. These results, especially the persistence and consistency of tree size increases across Amazonian forest plots, communities and regions, indicate that any negative impacts of climate change on forests and large trees here have so far been mitigated by the positive effects of increased resources.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nature Plants
Published
2025-09-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-025-02097-4
Citations
2
Primary Topic
Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.21

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article

Increasing tree size across Amazonia

Anand Roopsind, Foster Brown, Olaf Bánki, William Frederick Laurance et al.
2 citations
Nature Plants
Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
2.21
article

Increasing tree size across Amazonia

Anand Roopsind, Foster Brown, Olaf Bánki, William Frederick Laurance, Susan G. W. Laurance, Rafael Paiva Salomão, Adriane Esquivel‐Muelbert, Aurora Levesley, Jorcely Barroso, Yadvinder Singh Malhi, Marcos Silveira, Rebecca Banbury Morgan, James A. Comiskey, Joey Talbot, Beatriz Schwantes Marimon, Nigel C. A. Pitman, Oliver Lawrence Phillips, Ima Célia Guimarães Vieira, Abel Monteagudo Mendoza, Jhon del Águila Pasquel, Wendeson Castro, Isau Huamantupa‐Chuquimaco, Víctor Chama Moscoso, Antônio C. L. da Costa, Simon L. Lewis, Timothy J. Killeen, José Luís Camargo, Jérôme Chave, Casimiro Mendoza Bautista, Esteban Álvarez‐Dávila, Rodolfo Vásquez, Ezequiel Chavez, Juliana Stropp, Lily O. Rodríguez, Simone Aparecida Vieira, E.J.M.M. Arets, E. Jiménez, Luis Valenzuela Gamarra, Luiz E. O. C. Aragão, Edmar Almeida de Oliveira, Emilio Vilanova, Irina Polo, Ana Andrade, Géraldine Derroire, Hans ter Steege, Simone Matias Reis, Plínio Barbosa de Camargo, Roel Brienen, Emanuel Gloor, Lilian Blanc, Rafael Herrera, Timothy R. Baker, Alejandro Araujo‐Murakami, Adriana Prieto, Sophie Fauset, Julie Peacock, Peter van der Hout, Raquel Thomas, Luzmila Arroyo, María Cristina Peñuela-Mora, Natalino Silva, Freddy Ramirez Arevalo, Alexander Parada Gutierrez, John Terborgh, Roderick Zagt, René Guillén Villaroel, Percy Núñez Vargas
article en
2 citations

Abstract

Climate change and increasing availability of resources such as carbon dioxide are modifying forest functioning worldwide, but the effects of these changes on forest structure are unclear. As additional resources become available, for example, through CO<sub>2</sub> fertilization or nitrogen deposition, large trees, with greater access to light, may be expected to gain further advantages. Conversely, smaller light-suppressed trees might benefit more if their light compensation point changes, while bigger trees may be the most negatively impacted by increasing heat and drought. We assessed recent changes in the structure of Earth's largest tropical forest by analysing 30 years of Amazonian tree records across 188 mature forest plots. We find that, at a stand level, trees have become larger over time, with mean tree basal area increasing by 3.3% per decade (95% CI 2.4; 4.1). Larger trees have increased in both number and size, yet we observed similar rates of relative size gain in large and small trees. This evidence is consistent with a resource-driven boost for larger trees but also a reduction in suppression among smaller trees. These results, especially the persistence and consistency of tree size increases across Amazonian forest plots, communities and regions, indicate that any negative impacts of climate change on forests and large trees here have so far been mitigated by the positive effects of increased resources.

Nature PlantsVol. 11(10)
Forest Research Institute (IN), Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR), Naturalis Biodiversity Center (NL), National Park Service (US), University of Leeds (GB), Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (FR), Woodwell Climate Research Center (US), Universidade Federal do Oeste do Pará (BR), Universidade Federal do Acre (BR), Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi (BR), Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (GB), Université Fédérale de Toulouse Midi-Pyrénées (FR), Universidade de São Paulo (BR), Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP) (BR), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia (BR), Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas (VE), Utrecht University (NL), Universidad de Los Andes (VE), AgroParisTech (FR), University of Exeter (GB), University of Cambridge (GB), University of French Guiana (GF), Field Museum of Natural History (US), Missouri Botanical Garden (US), Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso (BR), 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 Florida (US), University of Bristol (GB), Universidad Nacional de Colombia (CO), Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development (GY), University of Oxford (GB), Universidad Privada de Santa Cruz de la Sierra (BO), Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado (BO), Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement (FR), Amazon National University of Madre de Dios (PE), Fundación Con Vida (CO), Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (CL), Instituto de Investigaciones de la Amazonía Peruana (PE), Municipality of Medellín (CO), Kuiper Medical Instruments (Netherlands) (NL), UMR Botanique et Modélisation de l’Architecture des Plantes et des végétations (FR), Hospital Universitario de Neiva (CO), Forests and Societies (FR), Instituto Florestal (BR), Centro de Conservación Investigación y Manejo de Areas Naturales (PE), Universidad Dr. José Gregorio Hernández (VE), Universidad Regional Amazónica IKIAM (EC), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (FR), University College London (GB), University of Turin (IT), Universidade Federal do Pará (BR), Florida Atlantic University (US), Universidad San Francisco de Quito (EC), University of La Serena (CL), University of Birmingham (GB), Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (BR), Leeds Beckett University (GB), James Cook University (AU), The University of Texas at Austin (US), University of Plymouth (GB), Umeå University (SE), Wageningen University & Research (NL), University of Edinburgh (GB)
National Science Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, National Geographic Society, Departamento Administrativo de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación (COLCIENCIAS), UK Research and Innovation, Leverhulme Trust, University of Leeds, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Natural Environment Research Council
Openalex Percentile: Top 11%
Conservation, Biodiversity, and Resource Management
2.21
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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