Amazon Trees Face Hot Temperatures

It is predicted that greenhouse gas emissions will double from current levels by 2050. If this happens, then temperatures in the Amazon will likely exceed 35 degrees Celsius or 95 degrees Fahrenheit at least 150 days a year. August and September temperatures usually register very high. The canopies usually buffer in the high temperatures recorded by scientists. When the old trees get hit with temperatures over 35 degrees, the trees begin to shed their leaves and branches. 

Postdoctoral researcher Matheus Nunes said, “If the number of days registering these very high temperatures inside the forest also increases, we might see that the tall trees will suffer considerably.” 

In the past decades, there has been a debate whether plants in the Amazon are more limited by light or water. It turns out that the problem is much more complex. Trees occupying the lower layer are more light-limited, while tall trees occupying the upper strata are most affected by climate variations. 

The study also shows that deforestation in the region exacerbates the negative warming effects. The hotter temperatures in the forest fragments will add further pressure on taller trees. This causes the trees to shed their leaves and branches for prolonged times. It is estimated that 176,555 square kilometers of Amazonian forests are under the influence of edge effects. Edge effect is changes in population or community structures that occur on the boundaries of two habitats. 

If deforestation continues and forests become more fragmented, it is likely there will be more visible consequences and changes in the way tropical ecosystems breathe.