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Related Concept Videos

Ecological Disturbance02:26

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.Ecological disturbances can be caused by an event as small as the trampling of underbrush to an incident as wide-ranging as a forest...
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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Simulating Impacts of Ice Storms on Forest Ecosystems
06:27

Simulating Impacts of Ice Storms on Forest Ecosystems

Published on: June 30, 2020

Biodiversity buffers forest ecosystems from compound climate extremes.

Xuetao Qiao1, Jakob Zscheischler2, Michel Loreau1,3

  • 1Institute of Ecology, College of Urban and Environmental Science and Key Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes of the Ministry of Education, Peking University, Beijing, China.

Nature Communications
|July 13, 2026
PubMed
Summary

Compound climate extremes like heat and drought harm forests more than individual events. Increased tree diversity enhances forest resilience to these compound threats.

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Last Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Simulating Impacts of Ice Storms on Forest Ecosystems
06:27

Simulating Impacts of Ice Storms on Forest Ecosystems

Published on: June 30, 2020

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Climate Science
  • Forestry

Background:

  • Forest ecosystems provide vital ecological, social, and climate benefits.
  • These functions are increasingly threatened by compound climate extremes, such as simultaneous heat and drought or excess moisture.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate forest resistance and recovery from compound heat and moisture extremes.
  • To determine how tree diversity influences these responses.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized U.S. forest inventory data.
  • Incorporated satellite-based stability estimates to analyze forest responses.

Main Results:

  • Compound extremes negatively impacted forest resistance and recovery more than individual extremes, indicating synergistic effects.
  • Compound heat and drought showed stronger destabilizing effects than compound heat and excess moisture.
  • Higher tree diversity consistently enhanced forest resistance and recovery under both individual and compound extremes.

Conclusions:

  • Solely focusing on individual climate extremes underestimates the true impact of compound events.
  • Tree diversity plays a critical role in mitigating the negative effects of compound climate extremes on forests.
  • Accurate projections of terrestrial carbon-cycle feedbacks require consideration of compound extremes and tree diversity.