Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

The changing Amazon forest.

Oliver L Phillips1, Simon L Lewis, Timothy R Baker

  • 1Earth and Biosphere Institute, School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK. o.phillips@leeds.ac.uk

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences
|February 13, 2008
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Contrasting responses of pollen and fruit to whole-tree heating in two tropical savannah species.

Annals of botany·2026
Same author

Isoscape of Oxygen Stable Isotopes in Woods of the Amazon.

Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)·2026
Same author

Real-Time Wood Chemotyping Using a Low-Cost and Compact Mass Spectrometer.

ACS omega·2026
Same author

Logging intensity alters tree species composition and wood density, but not tree diversity, in lowland forests in Vietnam.

Biodiversity and conservation·2026
Same author

Family imprint reveals basin-wide patterns of Amazon forest embolism resistance.

Nature communications·2026
Same author

Tropical forest carbon sequestration accelerated by nitrogen.

Nature communications·2026
Same journal

The microlandscapes of tree trunks: the effect of lichen and tree-level characteristics on arthropod communities.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Centimetre-scale landscapes to assess the motion behaviour and cognition of gastropods and bivalves.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Intertidal microcosms of wave-swept rocky shores: ecological and physiological insights from a uniquely stressful environment.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Temporal and spatial variation in temperature and oxygen at the microscale: key niche axes for aquatic life.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Natural microcosms in ecology: fulfilling the promise of model systems?

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2026
Same journal

Microbe-induced galls and plant defence: metabolite crosstalk in a co-evolutionary battle.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2026
See all related articles

Amazonian old-growth forests acted as a significant carbon sink in the late 20th century, gaining biomass and accelerating growth. However, future changes may shift these forests from a carbon sink to a source, impacting global climate and biodiversity.

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Climate Science
  • Forestry

Background:

  • Long-term monitoring of forest plots is crucial for understanding macroecological patterns.
  • Old-growth Amazonian forests are vital ecosystems with complex dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate concerted changes in the structure, dynamics, and composition of old-growth Amazonian forests during the late 20th century.
  • To quantify the role of these forests as a carbon sink.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of long-term monitoring data from distributed forest plots across the Amazon basin.
  • Quantification of changes in forest biomass, tree growth, and mortality rates.

Main Results:

  • Mature Amazonian forests exhibited increased biomass and accelerated growth rates from the 1980s to 1990s.

Related Experiment Videos

  • These forests functioned as a carbon sink, with biomass increasing by 0.62+/-0.23 tCha-1yr-1.
  • The estimated carbon sink in Neotropical old-growth forests was at least 0.49+/-0.18 PgCyr-1, potentially reaching 0.79+/-0.29 PgCyr-1.

    • Conclusions:

    • Intact Amazonian forests served as a substantial carbon sink in the late 20th century, with growth exceeding mortality.
    • Future changes, including increased respiration, mortality, and compositional shifts, may cause these ecosystems to transition from a carbon sink to a source.
    • Such a transition would have profound implications for global climate, biodiversity, and human well-being.