Top Posts
Death toll from Mokwa flood rises to 153
Scientists say nearly 40% of the world’s glaciers...
Nigerian government seeks alignment of NDC climate action...
German court dismisses climate case against RWE
WHO Climate Change action plan approved
Report: World likely to breach 1.5°C limit in...
At Bonn climate talks, Brazil demands early deals...
Researchers warn Africa could face 113 million climate...
LAPO MfB launches tree-planting initiative to fight climate...
Stiell says new NDCs are about growth, antidote...
EcoNai Newsroom
  • Newsround
  • Nigeria
  • Africa
  • World
World

Study: Climate change causing high tree mortality in Southern Amazon

by admineconai March 1, 2022
written by admineconai March 1, 2022
875

A new study undertaken by a team of Brazilian and British scientists has discovered that extreme wind and water deficiency are the main causes of tree death in the southern Amazon.

The research which was published this week in the Journal of Ecology is the first to evaluate large-scale causes of tree mortality across the southern Amazon rainforest using tree-by-tree data.

The study showed that more than 70% of all trees dying at the edge of the Amazon rainforest already had severely broken and damaged crowns due to climate change years before they died, a significantly higher percentage than other regions in the Amazon.

Read also: Over 200 nations approve UN report on accelerating climate change impact

Additionally, the study showed that the proportion of trees that die broken in this area is more than anywhere else in the Amazon—roughly 54%.

To undertake the study, researchers from the University of Leeds, University of Oxford and State University of Mato Grosso (UNEMAT) in Brazil investigated the death of almost 15,000 trees from 19 study plots distributed across remaining forests at the southern edge of the Amazon.

According to the study, the region is the driest, hottest, and most fragmented in the Amazon and has recently experienced several severe droughts.

Co-author of the study, professor Oliver Phillips from the University of Leeds School of Geography said, “Individual trees with low wood density have the greatest risk of dying, but such species-level properties do not explain the extreme mortality these forests experience as a whole.

Speaking further, he said, “Rather, the damage caused by climate extremes—especially wind and drought—places exceptional stress on southern Amazon trees.”

The lead author of the study, Dr Simone Matias Reis from UNEMAT said, “Crown breakage hugely increases the risk of tree death. Once broken, the risk of death is much higher, especially when a large part of the tree canopy is broken.

He noted that the growth of broken trees is also affected, as these trees lose the capacity to photosynthesize and so take up less carbon, which in turn increases the risk of death.

Researchers are of the view that the significant impact of climatic water deficits on mortality raises concerns because of climate modelling studies predicting more intense and prolonged seasonality for the Amazon jungle, which may result in high and unprecedented mortality rates for trees of the Southern edge region.

Story was adapted from Phys.Org.

AmazonClimate changeTree mortality
0 comment 0 FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail
admineconai

previous post
UK Govt publishes third climate change risk assessment
next post
IPCC report shows over 3 billion people vulnerable to climate change

Related Posts

Scientists say nearly 40% of the world’s glaciers...

June 3, 2025

German court dismisses climate case against RWE

May 28, 2025

WHO Climate Change action plan approved

May 28, 2025

Report: World likely to breach 1.5°C limit in...

May 28, 2025

At Bonn climate talks, Brazil demands early deals...

May 23, 2025

Guterres raises alarm over rapid Himalayan glacier melt

May 17, 2025

Study shows two-thirds of global warming caused by...

May 8, 2025

Weather expert warns climate change to hit agriculture...

May 5, 2025

Trump dismisses authors of major climate report

April 30, 2025

New UN report shows Indigenous Peoples sidelined in...

April 25, 2025

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Newsletter

Subscribe my Newsletter for new blog posts, tips & new photos. Let's stay updated!

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin
  • Bloglovin
  • Vimeo

@2021 - All Right Reserved. Designed and Developed by Eco-Nai+

EcoNai Newsroom
  • Newsround
  • Nigeria
  • Africa
  • World