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Tropical tree species differ in damage and mortality from lightning
Jeannine H Richards1,2, Evan M Gora1,3,4, Cesar Gutierrez3
1Department of Biology, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.
Nature Plants
|August 22, 2022
Summary
Lightning strikes cause significant tree mortality in tropical forests, impacting forest dynamics. Palms are particularly vulnerable, while some species show high resilience, affecting forest composition and carbon budgets.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Forest Science
- Tropical Biology
Background:
- Lightning is a major cause of tree mortality in tropical forests.
- Tree mortality influences forest demographics and carbon budgets.
- Understanding species-specific responses to lightning is crucial for tropical forest management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate interspecific differences in susceptibility to lightning damage in central Panama.
- To relate lightning mortality rates to damage frequency and tree functional traits.
- To assess the implications of lightning-induced mortality on tropical forest composition and carbon cycling.
Main Methods:
- Systematic location of lightning strikes in central Panama.
- Measurement of tree mortality following lightning damage.
- Analysis of relationships between mortality, damage frequency, and tree functional traits.
Main Results:
- Eighteen of 30 focal species exhibited lightning mortality rates deviating from null expectations.
- Palms showed a particularly high likelihood of mortality from lightning strikes.
- Species with higher strike frequency often displayed greater survival rates, indicating varying tolerance.
Conclusions:
- Interspecific differences in tree tolerance to lightning significantly shape tropical forest composition over time and space.
- Altered lightning frequency due to climate change may modify species composition and carbon cycling in tropical forests.
- Lightning is a key ecological factor influencing tropical forest structure and function.
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