Tree growth and survival are more sensitive to high rainfall than drought in an aseasonal forest in Malaysia
Abstract Global change research has largely focused on the effects of drought on forest dynamics while the importance of excessive rainfall that can cause waterlogged soils has largely been assessed in riparian zones or seasonally flooded sites. However, increased rainfall may also cause decreased g...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2024-04-01
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| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01335-5 |
| _version_ | 1797219560536932352 |
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| author | Michael J. O’Brien Andy Hector Robert Ong Christopher D. Philipson |
| author_facet | Michael J. O’Brien Andy Hector Robert Ong Christopher D. Philipson |
| author_sort | Michael J. O’Brien |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Global change research has largely focused on the effects of drought on forest dynamics while the importance of excessive rainfall that can cause waterlogged soils has largely been assessed in riparian zones or seasonally flooded sites. However, increased rainfall may also cause decreased growth and survival of tree species in lowland aseasonal tropical forests due to increased risk from potentially more extensive and frequent waterlogged soils. We used a Bayesian modelling approach on a tree dynamics dataset from 2004 to 2017 to test the concomitant effects of rainfall excess and deficit and dry period length on tree growth and survival across a network of experimentally planted trees in a primary aseasonal forest in Malaysia. Growth declined in 48% of the species and survival decreased in 92% of the species during periods of high rainfall while as little as 4% of species had decreased growth or survival with drought and long dry periods. Climate change is projected to cause more frequent and severe rainfall deficit and excess, and our results suggest increased rainfall may have stronger negative effects on aseasonal tropical forests than that of severe drought. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T12:35:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e9cb0928ce6643d096d3170a96f0b1c1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2662-4435 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T12:35:35Z |
| publishDate | 2024-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Earth & Environment |
| spelling | doaj.art-e9cb0928ce6643d096d3170a96f0b1c12024-04-07T11:31:54ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352024-04-015111010.1038/s43247-024-01335-5Tree growth and survival are more sensitive to high rainfall than drought in an aseasonal forest in MalaysiaMichael J. O’Brien0Andy Hector1Robert Ong2Christopher D. Philipson3Estación Experimental de Zonas Áridas, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones CientíficasDepartment of Biology & Leverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, University of OxfordForest Research Centre, SepilokPermian Global Research Limited, 3 Cavendish Square LondonAbstract Global change research has largely focused on the effects of drought on forest dynamics while the importance of excessive rainfall that can cause waterlogged soils has largely been assessed in riparian zones or seasonally flooded sites. However, increased rainfall may also cause decreased growth and survival of tree species in lowland aseasonal tropical forests due to increased risk from potentially more extensive and frequent waterlogged soils. We used a Bayesian modelling approach on a tree dynamics dataset from 2004 to 2017 to test the concomitant effects of rainfall excess and deficit and dry period length on tree growth and survival across a network of experimentally planted trees in a primary aseasonal forest in Malaysia. Growth declined in 48% of the species and survival decreased in 92% of the species during periods of high rainfall while as little as 4% of species had decreased growth or survival with drought and long dry periods. Climate change is projected to cause more frequent and severe rainfall deficit and excess, and our results suggest increased rainfall may have stronger negative effects on aseasonal tropical forests than that of severe drought.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01335-5 |
| spellingShingle | Michael J. O’Brien Andy Hector Robert Ong Christopher D. Philipson Tree growth and survival are more sensitive to high rainfall than drought in an aseasonal forest in Malaysia Communications Earth & Environment |
| title | Tree growth and survival are more sensitive to high rainfall than drought in an aseasonal forest in Malaysia |
| title_full | Tree growth and survival are more sensitive to high rainfall than drought in an aseasonal forest in Malaysia |
| title_fullStr | Tree growth and survival are more sensitive to high rainfall than drought in an aseasonal forest in Malaysia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tree growth and survival are more sensitive to high rainfall than drought in an aseasonal forest in Malaysia |
| title_short | Tree growth and survival are more sensitive to high rainfall than drought in an aseasonal forest in Malaysia |
| title_sort | tree growth and survival are more sensitive to high rainfall than drought in an aseasonal forest in malaysia |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01335-5 |
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