Narrow thresholds of canopy disturbance determine the microclimate buffering potential of tropical forests

The importance of protecting logged and recovering tropical forests has gained much attention. Disturbed forests can, however, have hotter microclimates, exacerbating the effects of future climate change. Using thermal imaging we captured understory surface temperatures along a gradient of tropical forest disturbance, and compared these to the upper thermal limits (CT<i>max</i>) of invertebrates within the same forests. Surface temperatures exceeding the CT<i>max</i> of invertebrate groups occurred once canopy cover fell below 76%. In highly degraded forests, surface niche space was reduced by 22% for the most sensitive taxa, and this doubled following simulated warming of +3°C. In contrast, all invertebrate groups were buffered in sites that retained 80% canopy cover or higher even following severe warming. We demonstrate a narrow threshold of canopy disturbance beyond which microclimate buffering is significantly diminished. These findings illustrate the importance of conserving high canopy cover forests to protect tropical biodiversity in a hotter future.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
iScience
Published
2025-11-05
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2025.113936
Primary Topic
Species Distribution and Climate Change
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Narrow thresholds of canopy disturbance determine the microclimate buffering potential of tropical forests

Joel S. Woon, Joseph R. Williamson, Rosie Drinkwater, Arthur Y. C. Chung et al.
iScience
Species Distribution and Climate Change
article

Narrow thresholds of canopy disturbance determine the microclimate buffering potential of tropical forests

Joel S. Woon, Joseph R. Williamson, Rosie Drinkwater, Arthur Y. C. Chung, Sarab S. Sethi, Louise A. Ashton, Michael J. W. Boyle, Owen T. Lewis, Eleanor M. Slade, Michiel van Breugel, Paul Eggleton, Marion Pfeifer, Theodore A. Evans, Stephen J. Rossiter, Robert M. Ewers
article en

Abstract

The importance of protecting logged and recovering tropical forests has gained much attention. Disturbed forests can, however, have hotter microclimates, exacerbating the effects of future climate change. Using thermal imaging we captured understory surface temperatures along a gradient of tropical forest disturbance, and compared these to the upper thermal limits (CT<i>max</i>) of invertebrates within the same forests. Surface temperatures exceeding the CT<i>max</i> of invertebrate groups occurred once canopy cover fell below 76%. In highly degraded forests, surface niche space was reduced by 22% for the most sensitive taxa, and this doubled following simulated warming of +3°C. In contrast, all invertebrate groups were buffered in sites that retained 80% canopy cover or higher even following severe warming. We demonstrate a narrow threshold of canopy disturbance beyond which microclimate buffering is significantly diminished. These findings illustrate the importance of conserving high canopy cover forests to protect tropical biodiversity in a hotter future.

iScienceVol. 29(2)
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (PA), Natural History Museum (GB), University of Liverpool (GB), National University of Singapore (SG), Queen Mary University of London (GB), Nanyang Technological University (SG), The University of Western Australia (AU), University of Oxford (GB), Dyson (United Kingdom) (GB), Sabah Forestry Department (MY), University College London (GB), Imperial College London (GB), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (DE), Newcastle University (GB), University of Hong Kong (HK)
Openalex Percentile: Top 82%
Species Distribution and Climate Change
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.