biostudies-literatureSullivan MJPGordon and Betty Moore Foundation (Gordon E. and Betty I. Moore Foundation)European Research CouncilRCUK | Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)Royal Society2351https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC11893774biostudies-literatureUnknown16(1)Wood density is a critical control on tree biomass, so poor understanding of its spatial variation can lead to large and systematic errors in forest biomass estimates and carbon maps. The need to understand how and why wood density varies is especially critical in tropical America where forests have exceptional species diversity and spatial turnover in composition. As tree identity and forest composition are challenging to estimate remotely, ground surveys are essential to know the wood density of trees, whether measured directly or inferred from their identity. Here, we assemble an extensive dataset of variation in wood density across the most forested and tree-diverse continent, examine how it relates to spatial and environmental variables, and use these relationships to predict spatial Nature communicationsVariation in wood density across South American tropical forests.PMC11893774MonANPeruNE/T01279X/1NE/N004655/1NE/N012542/1291585758873NE/S011811/1282664NE/W003872/1Sensitivity of Tropical Forest Ecosystem Services to Climate ChangesManzatto AGRevilla NSCoutinho IACZuidema PAPena-Claros MCosta FGonzalez RPennington RTHuasco WHMetzker TLima ANMoscoso VCRodrigues Pinto JRTalbot JTer Steege HBurban BCastro WElias FLopez-Gonzalez GSilva CVJFernandes GWDisney MBaccaro FCoelho FSchietti JMoser PWortel VSouza PPhillips OLPlayfair MSouza RMorandi PSMalizia LDomingues TFScabin AReynel Rodriguez CTrujillo WPitman NCARejou-Mechain MCabreara KGRoucoux KCavalheiro LCabral GSerrano JTorres-Lezama AAraujo-Murakami AMalizia ADourdain AVieira SAViscarra LJBerenguer EVargas PNLaurance SGPalacios WRamos SCPBordin KMMonteagudo-Mendoza AThomas RKilleen TCarniello MAComiskey JABongers FBanki OZwerts JAHerrera Rde Lima HCHonorio Coronado ENMartinez-Villa JAIshida FYBlanc LPickavance GCLewis SLFerreira JFarfan-Rios WNunes YRFPedra de Abreu KMSantos RMPipoly Jde Medeiros MBMilliken WVillela DMLevesley Avan der Hout PArroyo LSarkinen TSilva JOAragao LEsquivel-Muelbert ACardoso Ddo Espirito Santo MMReis SMRodriguez M GMToledo MPardo Molina GTerborgh JRamirez-Angulo HBarlow JSilveira MSposito TAndrade AHernandez LMagnusson WMarimon BSRangel CDSimon MFGalbraith DBarroso JKalamandeen MPallqui Camacho NCBergamin RSFauset SValverde FCNascimento Mde Oliveira EADuque AJoly CAde Sousa TRVillalobos Cayo JMBonal DSilva RCMarimon Junior BHSoto-Shareva YCde Meira Junior MSRodrigues PMSAlmeida JMoonlight PPontes-Lopes AAlmeida EIguatemy MRivas-Torres GVos VABaker TRPena Rodrigues PJFSalomao Rde Jesus Rodrigues DBroggio ISFeldpausch TBaraloto CChave JLaurance WFDexter KGSullivan MJPFigueiredo JCGVilanova EMalhi YArets EVeloso MDDMDerroire GRibeiro SCBlundo CKlitgaard BKlipel JNegreiros DGutierrez APRuokolainen KAlves LFCruz OAMLima Dan MCamargo JLda Costa ACLRyan CMMuller SCOliveira WLPoorter LSilman MPena JLMDavila EABrienen RJWDel Aguila Pasquel JPrestes NCCDSfalseVariation in wood density across South American tropical forests.Wood density is a critical control on tree biomass, so poor understanding of its spatial variation can lead to large and systematic errors in forest biomass estimates and carbon maps. The need to understand how and why wood density varies is especially critical in tropical America where forests have exceptional species diversity and spatial turnover in composition. As tree identity and forest composition are challenging to estimate remotely, ground surveys are essential to know the wood density of trees, whether measured directly or inferred from their identity. Here, we assemble an extensive dataset of variation in wood density across the most forested and tree-diverse continent, examine how it relates to spatial and environmental variables, and use these relationships to predict spatial 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Mar2025-04-20T01:49:04.886Z2025-04-20T01:49:04.886ZS-EPMC118937744006485610.1038/s41467-025-56175-4