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Related Experiment Videos

Decelerating growth in tropical forest trees.

Kenneth J Feeley1, S Joseph Wright, M N Nur Supardi

  • 1Center for Tropical Forest Science, Arnold Arboretum Asia Program, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. kfeeley@oeb.harvard.edu

Ecology Letters
|May 15, 2007
PubMed
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Tropical tree growth rates are declining significantly in Panama and Malaysia, contradicting carbon fertilization theories. This global change impact has major economic and environmental consequences.

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Climate Change Biology
  • Forest Science

Background:

  • Global change impacts on tropical forests are not well understood.
  • Previous hypotheses suggested increased tree growth due to carbon fertilization.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine changes in tropical tree growth rates over two decades.
  • To investigate the relationship between tree growth and climate change.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of tree growth data from large forest dynamics plots (50-ha) in Panama and Malaysia over 20 years.
  • Statistical correlation of growth rate changes with regional climate variables (temperature, precipitation, insolation).

Main Results:

  • Significant declines in stem growth rates were observed across most species at both study sites.

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  • Growth rate changes were not consistently linked to species' initial growth, stature, or wood density.
  • Declining growth rates correlated with increased minimum temperatures and, in Panama, with precipitation and insolation.

    • Conclusions:

    • Observed decelerating tree growth contradicts the carbon fertilization hypothesis.
    • Climate change, particularly temperature increases, appears to be a significant factor influencing tropical tree growth.
    • Decelerating growth has substantial economic and environmental implications for tropical forest ecosystems.