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The findings, in which more than 120 researchers participated, reveal that this slow adaptation returns to the forests most vulnerable to droughts, heat waves and loss of biodiversity.The tropical forests of America, including Peruvian Amazon, are adapting very slowly to climate change, which increases their vulnerability to droughts, heat waves and loss of biodiversity. This is warned of a recent study published in the journal Science.
The Peruvian Amazon Research Institute (IIAP), an entity attached to the Ministry of Environment, participated in this research through the Jhon Biologists of the Eagle Pasquel, Gerardo Flores Llama and Jose Reyna Huaymacari. His contribution was key in the data analysis collected for more than 40 years, covering more than 250,000 trees monitored in 415 permanent plots of tropical forests, covering from Mexico to southern Brazil.
The findings reveal that, although some species of tropical trees are developing adaptations such as smaller leaves or the seasonal loss of foliage, these changes occur at a much lower rate than required to face the planned climatic scenarios. Only 8 % of adult trees and 21 % of young people have characteristics that could favor their survival in a warmer and more dry climate, evidencing an insufficient response to the acceleration of climate change.
This slowness in adaptation compromises forest ability to maintain vital functions such as carbon capture, water regulation and habitat conservation for multiple species. In addition, the formation of plant communities very different from the current ones is expected, generating imbalances that would affect not only plants, but also fauna, soil fertility and the general stability of the ecosystem.
The research, led by Jesus Aguirre-Gutierrez of the University of Oxford, was attended by more than 120 scientists from various institutions around the world. For Peru, the results constitute a serious warning about the growing fragility of our ecosystems against global warming.
For more details about the study and the complete list of authors, you can consult the original article in Science:
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl5414
