High Inter-Specific Diversity and Seasonality of Trunk Radial Growth in Trees Along an Afrotropical Elevational Gradient.

ABSTRACT: Understanding mechanisms driving tropical tree growth is essential for comprehending carbon sequestration and predicting the future of tropical forests amid rapid deforestation. We conducted a natural experiment in Mount Cameroon to identify climatic factors limiting diurnal and seasonal growth in dominant tree species across a 2200-m elevation gradient, from lowland rainforests to montane mist forests with distinct wet and dry seasons. Using high-precision automatic dendrometers, we recorded radial growth rates of 28 tropical tree species from 2015 to 2018, correlating them with rainfall (11 100-2500 mm) and temperatures (23-14°C) across elevations. Significant growth limitations were suggested at both extremes of water availability. Tree growth peaked during the dry and prewet seasons at

SUBMITTER: Plavcova L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11788962 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature