Tree diversity is changing across tropical Andean and Amazonian forests in response to global change.

ABSTRACT: Climate and atmospheric changes are impacting forest function and structure worldwide, but their effects on tropical forest diversity are unclear. Nowhere is the scientific challenge greater than in the Andes and the Amazon, which together include the world's most diverse forests. Here, using 406 permanent plots spanning four decades of intact lowland and montane forest dynamics, we test for long-term change in species richness and assess the influence of climate and other variables. We show that, at a continental scale, species richness appears stable, but this masks substantial regional variation. Species richness increased in Northern Andean and Western Amazon plots, yet declined in the Central Andes, Guyana Shield and Central-Eastern Amazon. Overall, warmer, drier and more seasonal for

SUBMITTER: Fadrique B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12890586 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature