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.
An international research team, including experts from the Ecological-Botanical Garden (ÖBG) at the University of Bayreuth, has demonstrated in a new study that native tree species in Argentina grow at a similar rate to introduced ...
Ecology
Aug 25, 2025
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22
Tropical rainforests still represent a treasure trove of undiscovered species. While many species of plants, animals, and insects have been identified over the years, some parts of these tropical ecosystems are difficult ...
Forests across the globe are experiencing significant changes in their age structure. Many tropical regions, including the Amazon, the Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia, are seeing widespread shifts towards younger forests, ...
Ecology
Aug 21, 2025
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29
A new study published today by Wake Forest University and an international team of scientists reveals that tree communities across the Amazon and Andes are not adapting quickly enough to climate change, with major implications ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 20, 2025
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44
Ash dieback and other tree diseases are resulting in significantly more greenhouse gas emissions than previously thought because a large amount of carbon is escaping from woodland soils, a study has found. This is in addition ...
Earth Sciences
Aug 20, 2025
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259
The Amazon is the world's largest rainforest. It harbors immense biodiversity and plays a crucial role in the global climate system by storing vast amounts of carbon in its vegetation.
Earth Sciences
Aug 20, 2025
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45
The odds of high-severity wildfire were nearly one-and-a-half times higher on industrial private land than on publicly owned forests, a new study found. Forests managed by timber companies were more likely to exhibit the ...
Earth Sciences
Aug 20, 2025
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66
An international network of 30 scientists drew up an inventory of 496 species and 147 subspecies of trees in the Mediterranean region. These data, which are available through open access and include details on species extinction ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 18, 2025
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28
Nature conservation policies are trying to safeguard forests all over the world, which is a good thing. But it seems like less-flashy ecosystems are getting left behind.
Ecology
Aug 18, 2025
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111
As the world grapples with the intertwined challenges of global forest degradation and climate change, traditional forest restoration approaches have shown critical shortcomings. These approaches, which have long focused ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 15, 2025
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