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.
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
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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 climate ...
Environment
Jun 30, 2025
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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
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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
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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. ...
A team co-led by a Purdue University researcher has found that groups of fungi influence global tree species in distinct ways, depending on latitude and aridity. The team's data underscores the importance of mutually beneficial, ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 25, 2025
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178
In the Thuringian Forest or the Harz Mountains, dead spruce trees (Picea abies) dot the landscape like skeletons. Many have already fallen or been cut down. These dead trees serve as memorials to the effects of global warming.
Plants & Animals
Jun 24, 2025
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Trees are essential to life on Earth. They support ecosystems, store carbon, provide clean water, improve our health, and offer countless benefits to people and nature. In a new study, researchers modeled the future climate ...
Plants & Animals
Jun 24, 2025
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Today, at the Living Planet Symposium, ESA revealed the first stunning images from its Biomass satellite mission—marking a major leap forward in our ability to understand how Earth's forests are changing and exactly how they ...
Planetary Sciences
Jun 23, 2025
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Frequent forest fires and agricultural expansion are degrading soil health in the southern Brazilian Amazon. This results in lasting damage to carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stocks, as well as to the overall functionality of ...
Ecology
Jun 17, 2025
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