Publications by authors named "Javier Eduardo Silva-Espejo"
Article Synopsis
- Plant functional traits influence ecosystem functions and vary based on ecological strategies, with species-level trade-offs not directly aligning at the community level.
- A global analysis of over 1.1 million vegetation plots reveals that while 17 functional traits are filtered, community trait values can differ significantly despite similar environmental conditions.
- The study suggests that local factors like disturbance and biotic interactions play a larger role in shaping trait combinations than broader macro-environmental drivers.
Amazon forests, which store ∼ 50% of tropical forest carbon and play a vital role in global water, energy, and carbon cycling, are predicted to experience both longer and more intense dry seasons by the end of the 21st century. However, the climate sensitivity of this ecosystem remains uncertain: several studies have predicted large-scale die-back of the Amazon, whereas several more recent studies predict that the biome will remain largely intact. Combining remote-sensing and ground-based observations with a size- and age-structured terrestrial ecosystem model, we explore the sensitivity and ecological resilience of these forests to changes in climate.
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