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Related Concept Videos

Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss01:57

Adaptations that Reduce Water Loss

Though evaporation from plant leaves drives transpiration, it also results in loss of water. Because water is critical for photosynthetic reactions and other cellular processes, evolutionary pressures on plants in different environments have driven the acquisition of adaptations that reduce water loss.
Responses to Drought and Flooding02:41

Responses to Drought and Flooding

Water plays a significant role in the life cycle of plants. However, insufficient or excess of water can be detrimental and pose a serious threat to plants.
Global Climate Change01:50

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.
What is Climate?01:16

What is Climate?

Climate refers to the prevailing weather conditions in a specific area over an extended period. As the saying goes, “Climate is what you expect. Weather is what you get.” Climate is influenced by geographic factors, such as latitude, terrain, and proximity to bodies of water.
Threats to Biodiversity01:50

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...
Microbes and Climate Change01:27

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...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 8, 2026

The Calibration and Use of Capacitance Sensors to Monitor Stem Water Content in Trees
08:31

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

Published on: December 27, 2017

Deforestation-induced drying lowers Amazon climate threshold.

Nico Wunderling1,2,3, Boris Sakschewski4, Johan Rockström4,5,6

  • 1Center for Critical Computational Studies, Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. wunderling@c3s.uni-frankfurt.de.

Nature
|May 6, 2026
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Global warming and deforestation pose significant threats to the Amazon forest. Even moderate warming (1.5-1.9°C) combined with deforestation could trigger widespread ecosystem collapse.

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 8, 2026

The Calibration and Use of Capacitance Sensors to Monitor Stem Water Content in Trees
08:31

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

Published on: December 27, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Climate Science
  • Dynamical Systems Modeling

Background:

  • The Amazon forest faces unprecedented pressure from global warming and land-use changes.
  • These pressures may induce self-reinforcing transitions, leading to system-wide ecosystem shifts.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess transition risks to degraded ecosystems in the Amazon biome.
  • To evaluate risks under different Shared Socioeconomic Pathways using a dynamical systems model.

Main Methods:

  • Applied a dynamical systems model to assess Amazon forest transition risks.
  • Utilized an atmospheric moisture-tracking model to simulate moisture transport under various emission scenarios.
  • Analyzed risks with and without considering deforestation.

Main Results:

  • A critical global warming threshold of 3.7-4.0°C risks Amazon forest stability without deforestation.
  • With 22-28% deforestation, a 1.5-1.9°C warming threshold could trigger a 62-77% system-wide transition.
  • Transitions are driven by cascading effects of increased drought intensity over large distances.

Conclusions:

  • Urgent need to limit global warming below 1.5°C and halt deforestation.
  • Ecological restoration of degraded forests is crucial to mitigate high transition risks.
  • The Amazon biome is highly sensitive to combined climate and land-use change pressures.