Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Habitat Fragmentation

Habitat Fragmentation

Habitat fragmentation describes the division of a more extensive, continuous habitat into smaller, discontinuous areas. Human activities such as land conversion, as well as slower geological processes leading to changes in the physical environment, are the two leading causes of habitat fragmentation. The fragmentation process typically follows the same steps: perforation, dissection, fragmentation, shrinkage, and attrition.

Global Climate Change

Global Climate Change

Throughout its ~4.5 billion year history, the Earth has experienced periods of warming and cooling. However, the current drastic increase in global temperatures is well outside of the Earth’s cyclic norms, and evidence for human-caused global climate change is compelling. Paleoclimatology, the study of ancient climate conditions, provides ample evidence for human-caused global climate change by comparing recent conditions with those in the past.

Microbes and Climate Change

Microbes and Climate Change

Microorganisms are pivotal agents in Earth's biogeochemical cycles, significantly influencing climate dynamics through their metabolic activities. These microbes modulate the levels of key greenhouse gases by both contributing to and helping mitigate climate change.Microbial Contributions to Greenhouse Gas EmissionsRising global temperatures accelerate microbial metabolism, which, in turn, speeds up the decomposition of organic matter. This process releases carbon dioxide (CO₂) through...

Threats to Biodiversity

Threats to Biodiversity

There have been five major extinction events throughout geological history, resulting in the elimination of biodiversity, followed by a rebound of species that adapted to the new conditions. In the current geological epoch, the Holocene, there is a sixth extinction event in progress. This mass extinction has been attributed to human activities and is thus provisionally called the Anthropocene. In 2019 the human population reached 7.7 billion people and is projected to comprise 10 billion by...

Ecological Disturbance

Ecological Disturbance

An ecological disturbance is a temporary disruption in the environment resulting from abiotic, biotic, or anthropogenic factors, causing a pronounced change in an ecosystem. The impact of an ecological disturbance, which can depend on its intensity, frequency, and spatial distribution, plays a significant role in shaping the species diversity within the ecosystem.

Introduction to Plant Diversity

Introduction to Plant Diversity

From Water to Land

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by

Same author

Height does not impair the hydraulic system of the tallest tropical Dipterocarp trees.

Science (New York, N.Y.)·2026

Same author

Functional ratios diverge across climates but converge within environments in 55 woody canopy plants.

The New phytologist·2026

Same author

Pervasive increase in tree mortality across the Australian continent.

Nature plants·2026

Same author

Temporal decoupling of carbon source and sink processes in temperate trees: insights from combined measurements of remote sensing and xylogenesis.

The New phytologist·2025

Same author

Combined genetic and chemical methods boost the precision of tracing illegal timber in Central Africa.

Communications earth & environment·2025

Same author

Combining wood traits as a promising timber origin verification and its application in the Brazilian trade chain.

The Science of the total environment·2025

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 10, 2026

Measuring the Structure, Composition, and Change of Underwater Environments with Large-area Imaging

Measuring the Structure, Composition, and Change of Underwater Environments with Large-area Imaging

Published on: April 18, 2025

Tropical forests and global change: filling knowledge gaps.

Pieter A Zuidema¹, Patrick J Baker, Peter Groenendijk

¹Forest Ecology and Forest Management Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands. Pieter.Zuidema@wur.nl

Trends in Plant Science

|July 2, 2013

Summary

Tropical forests face environmental changes, impacting global carbon cycling. A new strategy focusing on long-term tree mechanisms is needed for accurate predictions.

Keywords:

climate change manipulative field experiments stable isotopes tree-growth models tree-ring analysis tropical forests

More Related Videos

The Calibration and Use of Capacitance Sensors to Monitor Stem Water Content in Trees

The Calibration and Use of Capacitance Sensors to Monitor Stem Water Content in Trees

Published on: December 27, 2017

Field Collection and Laboratory Maintenance of Canopy-Forming Giant Kelp to Facilitate Restoration

Field Collection and Laboratory Maintenance of Canopy-Forming Giant Kelp to Facilitate Restoration

Published on: June 7, 2024

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 10, 2026

Measuring the Structure, Composition, and Change of Underwater Environments with Large-area Imaging

Measuring the Structure, Composition, and Change of Underwater Environments with Large-area Imaging

Published on: April 18, 2025

The Calibration and Use of Capacitance Sensors to Monitor Stem Water Content in Trees

The Calibration and Use of Capacitance Sensors to Monitor Stem Water Content in Trees

Published on: December 27, 2017

Field Collection and Laboratory Maintenance of Canopy-Forming Giant Kelp to Facilitate Restoration

Field Collection and Laboratory Maintenance of Canopy-Forming Giant Kelp to Facilitate Restoration

Published on: June 7, 2024

Area of Science:

Ecology
Climate Change Science
Forestry

Background:

Tropical forests are undergoing significant environmental shifts this century.
Understanding these shifts is vital for predicting global carbon cycling.
Current knowledge gaps hinder accurate predictions of tropical forest dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

To address critical knowledge gaps in tropical forest responses to environmental change.
To propose a new research strategy for improved understanding and prediction.
To shift focus from short-term, community-level observations to long-term, tree-level mechanisms.

Main Methods:

Tree-ring analyses to reconstruct past growth and environmental conditions.
Stable-isotope analyses to infer physiological responses.
Manipulative field experiments to test causal relationships.
Well-validated simulation models to forecast future forest dynamics.

Main Results:

Current research often focuses on leaves or communities, neglecting whole-tree responses.
Short-term studies fail to capture long-term forest dynamics.
Mechanistic understanding is lacking, hindering accurate predictive modeling.

Conclusions:

A paradigm shift in tropical forest research is necessary.
Focusing on long-term, tree-level mechanisms is crucial.
Integrating tree-ring, isotopic, experimental, and modeling approaches will enhance predictive accuracy for global change impacts.