Unexpected Large Photosynthetic Thermal Plasticity of Montane Andean Trees.

ABSTRACT: Tropical forests play a significant role in global carbon sequestration. However, our understanding of how tropical tree species adjust to climate warming remains limited to studies on seedlings grown in pots and highly controlled growth conditions. To reduce this knowledge gap, we used a field experiment with 5-year-old juvenile trees of 12 naturally co-occurring dominant tropical Andean montane and lowland species growing in three common gardens established along a natural thermosequence in the tropical Andes. Based on a few previous studies, we hypothesized that montane species would exhibit a weaker photosynthetic thermal acclimation capacity compared to lowland counterparts. Our results showed that montane tree species can thermally acclimate net photosynthesis by shifting their therm

SUBMITTER: Dusenge ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12100579 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature