Abstract

Tree growth and longevity trade-offs fundamentally shape the terrestrial carbon balance. Yet, we lack a unified understanding of how such trade-offs vary across the world's forests. By mapping life history traits for a wide range of species across the Americas, we reveal considerable variation in life expectancies from 10 centimeters in diameter (ranging from 1.3 to 3195 years) and show that the pace of life for trees can be accurately classified into four demographic functional types. We found emergent patterns in the strength of trade-offs between growth and longevity across a temperature gradient. Furthermore, we show that the diversity of life history traits varies predictably across forest biomes, giving rise to a positive relationship between trait diversity and productivity. Our pan-latitudinal assessment provides new insights into the demographic mechanisms that govern the carbon turnover rate across forest biomes.

Publication Date

2024-10-03

Publication Title

Science

Volume

386

Issue

6717

ISSN

0036-8075

Acceptance Date

2024-08-28

Deposit Date

2024-10-29

Funding

T.A.M.P., A.E.-M., and O.L.P. acknowledge support from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement 758873, TreeMort). A.E.-M. was further funded by the Royal Society Standard Grant RGS\R1\221115 “MegaFlora,” the UKRI/NERC TreeScapes NE/V021346/1 “MEMBRA,” the NERC/NSF Gigante NE/Y003942/1, and the FRB/CESAB “Syntreesys.” O.L.P. and ForestPlots.net data management have been supported by several grants, including from the UK Natural Environment Research Council (“AMSINK” NE/X014347/1, “SECO” NE/T012722/1, “BIO-RED” NE/N012542/1, and “ARBOLES” NE/S011811/1), as well as from the European Research Council, the European Space Agency, the European Union, and the Royal Society. ForestPlots.net partners acknowledge many additional sources of funding: Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia (INCT) grant 465610/2014-5, FAPEG grant 201810267000023, the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) (PELD CNPq grant 403710/2012-0 and CNPq/Universal grant 459941/2014-3), the British Natural Environment Research Council/NERC (NE/K016431/1), and FAPESP (BIOTA grants 2003/12595-7, 2012/51509-8, and 2012/51872-5); doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships from FAPESP (FAPESP 11/11604-0 and 22/09041-0); Project Sustainable Landscapes (US Forest Service, USAID, EMBRAPA, and NASA-Goddard); CNPq (PELD-TRAN 441244/2016-5 and 441572/2020-0); Mato Grosso State Research Support Foundation (FAPEMAT) (grant 0346321/202); the NERC Knowledge Exchange Fellowship (grant NE/V018760/1); NERC Amazon Past Fire Project (NE/N011570/1), CAPES Project (PVE177-2012), CNPq grants 441282/2016-4, 403764/2012-2, and 558244/2009-2 for IAFA LTER plots; FAPEAM grants 1600/2006, 465/2010, and PPFOR 147/2015; and CNPq grants 473308/2009-6 and 558320/2009-0, which funded the monitoring of Purus-Madeira interfluve. The BCI forest dynamics research project was made possible by NSF grants to S. P. Hubbell: DEB-0640386, DEB-0425651, DEB-0346488, DEB-0129874, DEB-00753102, DEB-9909347, DEB-9615226, DEB-9615226, DEB-9405933, DEB-9221033, DEB-9100058, DEB-8906869, DEB-8605042, DEB-8206992, and DEB-7922197; through support from the Forest Global Earth Observatory (ForestGEO), the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, the Small World Institute Fund, and numerous private individuals; and through the hard work of over 100 people from 10 countries over the past three decades. Research at the Wabikon Forest Dynamics Plot was supported by the 1923 Fund, the Cofrin Center for Biodiversity at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, and the US Forest Service. The Luquillo ForestGeo dataset was supported by grants BSR-8811902, DEB 9411973, DEB 0080538, DEB 0218039, DEB 0620910, DEB 0963447, and DEB-129764 from NSF to the Department of Environmental Science, University of Puerto Rico, and to the International Institute of Tropical Forestry, USDA Forest Service, as part of the Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research Program. The US Forest Service (Department of Agriculture) and the University of Puerto Rico gave additional support. The BIC, Luquillo, and Wabikon plots were part of the Smithsonian Institution Forest Global Earth Observatory, a worldwide network of large, long-term forest dynamics plots. T.A.M.P. and J.A. acknowledge funding from the CLIMB-FOREST Horizon Europe Project (no. 101059888) that was funded by the European Union. G.D. acknowledges support from an “Investissement d’Avenir” grant managed by Agence Nationale de la Recherche (CEBA, ref. ANR-10-LABX-25-01).

First Page

92

Last Page

98

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