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.
In a study published in the Journal of Animal Ecology, researchers from Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences showed that the presence of critically endangered Asian elephants (Elephas ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 7, 2025
0
8
If you walk through a forest and look down, you might think you're stepping on dead leaves, twigs and soil. In reality, you're walking over a vast underground patchwork of fungal filaments, supporting life above ground.
Plants & Animals
Jul 5, 2025
0
53
Can animals share the same space peacefully high above the ground in the treetops? A research team at the University of Göttingen has found that forests combining both deciduous and conifer trees make it easier for red squirrels ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 3, 2025
0
0
Ecologists are concerned that forest ecosystems will not keep pace with a rapidly changing climate, failing to remain healthy and productive. Before the rapid climate change of the past century, tree populations in the Northern ...
Evolution
Jul 3, 2025
1
270
Young forests regrowing from land where mature woodlands have been cut down have a key role to play in removing billions of tons of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and combating climate change, a new study reveals.
Earth Sciences
Jul 2, 2025
0
16
Trees in tropical forests are dying at an increased rate, with consequences for biodiversity, carbon storage, and the global climate. While deforestation is the primary cause of forest loss, intact forests are also experiencing ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 1, 2025
0
0
A recently published study in the journal BioScience reveals that endangered longleaf pine ecosystems—among North America's most biodiverse habitats—face mounting threats from intensifying hurricane regimes driven by ...
Environment
Jun 30, 2025
0
0
At ESA's Living Planet Symposium, scientists have unveiled how the combination of different long-term, high-resolution satellite datasets from ESA's Climate Change Initiative is shedding new light on the South American Gran ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 26, 2025
0
0
A new study published in the Journal of Plant Ecology has found that temperate forest tree species, regardless of their root symbiosis with either ectomycorrhizal (ECM) or arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, consistently prefer ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 26, 2025
0
0
As trees grow larger, their heartwood proportion increases and eventually accounts for most of the biomass. Heartwood decay resistance depends on the type and amount of protective chemicals (extractives) deposited therein. ...
