Forest ecosystems are complex, multiscale ecological systems dominated by tree communities and structured by vertical stratification (canopy, understory, forest floor) that regulate energy flow, biogeochemical cycles, and habitat availability. They integrate interactions among primary producers, heterotrophs, decomposers, and abiotic factors such as climate, soils, and hydrology, resulting in distinct successional dynamics and disturbance regimes (e.g., fire, windthrow, pest outbreaks). Forest ecosystems play central roles in carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, and water regulation, exhibit high spatial heterogeneity and biodiversity, and are key model systems for studying resilience, feedbacks between vegetation and climate, and anthropogenic impacts such as fragmentation, land-use change, and altered disturbance frequencies.
As global temperatures rise, scientists have largely assumed that mountain tree species will move uphill in search of cooler conditions. A new study published in Nature Climate Change reveals a more complex reality: Some ...
Environment
Aug 7, 2026
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Using satellite data, researchers at TUM have identified an unprecedented loss of aboveground biomass in Europe's forests since 2018. Unlike previous studies that focused solely on changes in tree cover, this study provides ...
Environment
Aug 5, 2026
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15
Seed dispersal through wind, water or animals is a crucial process for forest renewal and biodiversity preservation. In the Atlantic Forest, a new study showed that the amount of forest in the landscape surrounding an area ...
Ecology
Aug 4, 2026
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YCNCC Science Communications Fellow Samantha Tracy recently sat down with Wong to discuss the influence of soil fertility on tropical forests and their responses to global change. The study is published in the journal New ...
Ecology
Aug 4, 2026
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Deep in the forests of North Sumatra, Indonesia, lives the Tapanuli orangutan (Pongo tapanuliensis), the world's rarest great ape. Fewer than 800 individuals remain, confined to the Batang Toru ecosystem, a landscape that ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 4, 2026
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A review led by the School of Biological Sciences at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has revealed that tiny ground-dwelling invertebrates are overlooked but important seed dispersers, challenging the traditional focus on ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 3, 2026
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What's the best way to manage a forest? Australians have argued about this for decades. The debate is often framed as binary: Do we protect forests entirely, or harvest trees to support local economies and communities?
Plants & Animals
Jul 31, 2026
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Satellite-derived maps of defoliation caused by European spongy moths—a devastating U.S. forest pest that consumes the leaves of a wide variety of trees—offer a promising solution for tracking where and when to spray and ...
Ecology
Jul 30, 2026
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Research involving the UAB and CREAF has examined the factors that help forests maintain stable productivity over time and concluded that water and biodiversity are key determinants.
Ecology
Jul 30, 2026
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5
New research from the University of Cambridge offers an easy and readily available solution using AI and satellite data. In a paper published in the journal Science of Remote Sensing, researchers used embeddings by Tessera, ...
Environment
Jul 29, 2026
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