Hotter Temperatures Reduce the Diversity and Alter the Composition of Woody Plants in an Amazonian Forest.

Rapid warming and high temperatures are an immediate threat to global ecosystems, but the threat may be especially pronounced in the tropics. Although low-latitude tree species are widely predicted to be vulnerable to warming, information about how tropical tree diversity and community composition respond to elevated temperatures remains sparse. Here, we study long-term responses of tree diversity and composition to increased soil and air temperatures at the Boiling River-an exceptional and unique "natural warming experiment" in the central Peruvian Amazon.