Tree mode of death and mortality risk factors across Amazon forests

Abstract

The carbon sink capacity of tropical forests is substantially affected by tree mortality. However, the main drivers of tropical tree death remain largely unknown. Here we present a pan-Amazonian assessment of how and why trees die, analysing over 120,000 trees representing > 3800 species from 189 long-term RAINFOR forest plots. While tree mortality rates vary greatly Amazon-wide, on average trees are as likely to die standing as they are broken or uprooted—modes of death with different ecological consequences. Species-level growth rate is the single most important predictor of tree death in Amazonia, with faster-growing species being at higher risk. Within species, however, the slowest-growing trees are at greatest risk while the effect of tree size varies across the basin. In the driest Amazonian region species-level bioclimatic distributional patterns also predict the risk of death, suggesting that these forests are experiencing climatic conditions beyond their adaptative limits. These results provide not only a holistic pan-Amazonian picture of tree death but large-scale evidence for the overarching importance of the growth–survival trade-off in driving tropical tree mortality.

Metadata

Item Type:	Article
Authors/Creators:	Esquivel-Muelbert, A Phillips, OL https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8993-6168 Brienen, RJW https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5397-5755 Fauset, S Sullivan, MJP Baker, TR https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3251-1679 Chao, K-J Feldpausch, TR Gloor, E https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9384-6341 Higuchi, N Houwing-Duistermaat, J https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4505-7137 Lloyd, J Liu, H https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3442-1722 Malhi, Y Marimon, B Marimon Junior, BH Monteagudo-Mendoza, A Poorter, L Silveira, M Torre, EV Dávila, EA del Aguila Pasquel, J Almeida, E Loayza, PA Andrade, A Aragão, LEOC Araujo-Murakami, A Arets, E Arroyo, L Aymard C., GA Baisie, M Baraloto, C Camargo, PB Barroso, J Blanc, L Bonal, D Bongers, F Boot, R Brown, F Burban, B Camargo, JL Castro, W Moscoso, VC Chave, J Comiskey, J Valverde, FC da Costa, AL Cardozo, ND Di Fiore, A Dourdain, A Erwin, T Llampazo, GF Vieira, ICG Herrera, R Honorio Coronado, E Huamantupa-Chuquimaco, I Jimenez-Rojas, E Killeen, T Laurance, S Laurance, W Levesley, A Lewis, SL https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8066-6851 Ladvocat, KLLM Lopez-Gonzalez, G https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0814-8830 Lovejoy, T Meir, P Mendoza, C Morandi, P Neill, D Nogueira Lima, AJ Vargas, PN de Oliveira, EA Camacho, NP Pardo, G Peacock, J https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1344-4335 Peña-Claros, M Peñuela-Mora, MC Pickavance, G Pipoly, J Pitman, N Prieto, A Pugh, TAM Quesada, C Ramirez-Angulo, H de Almeida Reis, SM Rejou-Machain, M Correa, ZR Bayona, LR Rudas, A Salomão, R Serrano, J Espejo, JS Silva, N Singh, J Stahl, C Stropp, J Swamy, V Talbot, J https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6520-4560 ter Steege, H Terborgh, J Thomas, R Toledo, M Torres-Lezama, A Gamarra, LV van der Heijden, G van der Meer, P van der Hout, P Martinez, RV Vieira, SA Cayo, JV Vos, V Zagt, R Zuidema, P Galbraith, D https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5555-4823
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information:	© The Author(s) 2020. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Dates:	Accepted: 9 September 2020 Published (online): 9 November 2020 Published: 9 November 2020
Institution:	The University of Leeds
Academic Units:	The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Mathematics (Leeds) > Statistics (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > Institute for Transport Studies (Leeds) > ITS: Sustainable Transport Policy (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Geography (Leeds) > Ecology & Global Change (Leeds) The University of Leeds > Faculty of Environment (Leeds) > School of Geography (Leeds) > River Basin Processes & Management (Leeds) > SOG: water@leeds
Funding Information:	Funder Grant number NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) NE/N004655/1 NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) NE/N012542/1 NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) NE/S011811/1 Leverhulme Trust RF/2/RFG/2004/0457 NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) NE/B503384/1 NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) NE/D01025X/1 NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) NE/F005806/1 NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) NE/F005806/1 NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) NE/I02982X/1 Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation N/A NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) NE/K01644X/1 British Council, UK 275556724 RCUK (Research Councils UK) NE/M022021/1 Royal Society ICA\R1\180100 EU - European Union 853394 EU - European Union EXT 448221 University of Leeds Environmental Trust . Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation N/A EU - European Union 283080 NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) NE/I028122/1 USDA Forest Service 11-IJ-11242306-024 RCUK (Research Councils UK) NE/M022021/1 European Space Agency 4000114425/15/NL/FF/gp Royal Society CH160091 EU - European Union 758873 NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) NER/A/S/2003/00609 NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) NE/D005590/1 EU - European Union 291585 (ERC 2011 ADG) Royal Society No External Ref EU - European Union 649087 NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) NE/R005079/1 EU - European Union 321121 NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) NE/D002303/2
Depositing User:	Symplectic Publications
Date Deposited:	14 Sep 2020 15:26
Last Modified:	25 Jun 2023 22:25
Status:	Published
Publisher:	Nature Research
Identification Number:	10.1038/s41467-020-18996-3
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID):	oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:165433

Commentary/Response Threads

Esquivel-Muelbert, A, Phillips, OL, Brienen, RJW, Fauset, S, Sullivan, MJP, Baker, TR, Chao, K-J, Feldpausch, TR, Gloor, E, Higuchi, N, Houwing-Duistermaat, J, Lloyd, J, Liu, H, Malhi, Y, Marimon, B, Marimon Junior, BH, Monteagudo-Mendoza, A, Poorter, L, Silveira, M, Torre, EV, Dávila, EA, del Aguila Pasquel, J, Almeida, E, Loayza, PA, Andrade, A, Aragão, LEOC, Araujo-Murakami, A, Arets, E, Arroyo, L, Aymard C., GA, Baisie, M, Baraloto, C, Camargo, PB, Barroso, J, Blanc, L, Bonal, D, Bongers, F, Boot, R, Brown, F, Burban, B, Camargo, JL, Castro, W, Moscoso, VC, Chave, J, Comiskey, J, Valverde, FC, da Costa, AL, Cardozo, ND, Di Fiore, A, Dourdain, A, Erwin, T, Llampazo, GF, Vieira, ICG, Herrera, R, Honorio Coronado, E, Huamantupa-Chuquimaco, I, Jimenez-Rojas, E, Killeen, T, Laurance, S, Laurance, W, Levesley, A, Lewis, SL, Ladvocat, KLLM, Lopez-Gonzalez, G, Lovejoy, T, Meir, P, Mendoza, C, Morandi, P, Neill, D, Nogueira Lima, AJ, Vargas, PN, de Oliveira, EA, Camacho, NP, Pardo, G, Peacock, J, Peña-Claros, M, Peñuela-Mora, MC, Pickavance, G, Pipoly, J, Pitman, N, Prieto, A, Pugh, TAM, Quesada, C, Ramirez-Angulo, H, de Almeida Reis, SM, Rejou-Machain, M, Correa, ZR, Bayona, LR, Rudas, A, Salomão, R, Serrano, J, Espejo, JS, Silva, N, Singh, J, Stahl, C, Stropp, J, Swamy, V, Talbot, J, ter Steege, H, Terborgh, J, Thomas, R, Toledo, M, Torres-Lezama, A, Gamarra, LV, van der Heijden, G, van der Meer, P, van der Hout, P, Martinez, RV, Vieira, SA, Cayo, JV, Vos, V, Zagt, R, Zuidema, P and Galbraith, D Tree mode of death and mortality risk factors across Amazon forests. (deposited 14 Sep 2020 15:26) [Currently Displayed]
- Esquivel-Muelbert, A, Phillips, OL, Brienen, RJW, Fauset, S, Sullivan, MJP, Baker, TR, Chao, K-J, Feldpausch, TR, Gloor, E, Higuchi, N, Houwing-Duistermaat, J, Lloyd, J, Liu, H, Malhi, Y, Marimon, B, Marimon Junior, BH, Monteagudo-Mendoza, A, Poorter, L, Silveira, M, Torre, EV, Dávila, EA, del Aguila Pasquel, J, Almeida, E, Loayza, PA, Andrade, A, Aragão, LEOC, Araujo-Murakami, A, Arets, E, Arroyo, L, Aymard C., GA, Baisie, M, Baraloto, C, Camargo, PB, Barroso, J, Blanc, L, Bonal, D, Bongers, F, Boot, R, Brown, F, Burban, B, Camargo, JL, Castro, W, Moscoso, VC, Chave, J, Comiskey, J, Valverde, FC, da Costa, AL, Cardozo, ND, Di Fiore, A, Dourdain, A, Erwin, T, Llampazo, GF, Vieira, ICG, Herrera, R, Honorio Coronado, E, Huamantupa-Chuquimaco, I, Jimenez-Rojas, E, Killeen, T, Laurance, S, Laurance, W, Levesley, A, Lewis, SL, Ladvocat, KLLM, Lopez-Gonzalez, G, Lovejoy, T, Meir, P, Mendoza, C, Morandi, P, Neill, D, Nogueira Lima, AJ, Vargas, PN, de Oliveira, EA, Camacho, NP, Pardo, G, Peacock, J, Peña-Claros, M, Peñuela-Mora, MC, Pickavance, G, Pipoly, J, Pitman, N, Prieto, A, Pugh, TAM, Quesada, C, Ramirez-Angulo, H, de Almeida Reis, SM, Rejou-Machain, M, Correa, ZR, Bayona, LR, Rudas, A, Salomão, R, Serrano, J, Espejo, JS, Silva, N, Singh, J, Stahl, C, Stropp, J, Swamy, V, Talbot, J, ter Steege, H, Terborgh, J, Thomas, R, Toledo, M, Torres-Lezama, A, Gamarra, LV, van der Heijden, G, van der Meer, P, van der Hout, P, Martinez, RV, Vieira, SA, Cayo, JV, Vos, V, Zagt, R, Zuidema, P and Galbraith, D Author Correction: Tree mode of death and mortality risk factors across Amazon forests. (deposited 14 Oct 2021 12:55)

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