What the study found: Pantropical moist forests are showing a biome-dependent trend toward a middle range of leaf longevity, which is the length of time leaves remain functional. The study reports that forests with very long leaf longevity are tending to shorten, while forests with short leaf longevity are tending to lengthen.
Why the authors say this matters: The authors conclude that these patterns may reflect large-scale structural and functional adaptations across pantropical moist forests. They say the findings are helpful for predicting climate-driven risks to ecosystem stability.
What the researchers tested: The researchers used ground measurements and gridded leaf age-dependent leaf area index data to map continental-scale variation in annual mean leaf longevity across pantropical moist forests from 2001 to 2023. They examined how leaf longevity varied across regions under ongoing climate change.
What worked and what didn't: In Amazon and tropical Asia, where leaf longevity was greater than about 1.8 years, leaf longevity decreased with rising temperature and stronger atmospheric dryness. In Congo and subtropical Asia, where forests had leaf longevity below about 1.8 years, leaf longevity increased. The study also reports that this convergence was associated with maximization of plant functional traits, photosynthesis, and species evenness, which were expected to better resist climate variability.
What to keep in mind: The abstract does not describe detailed limitations beyond the study’s focus on pantropical moist forests and the 2001–2023 period. The findings are presented as emerging evidence from the data and methods described.
Key points
- Leaf longevity in pantropical moist forests is converging toward a middle range.
- Forests in Amazon and tropical Asia showed decreasing leaf longevity when it was already long.
- Forests in Congo and subtropical Asia showed increasing leaf longevity when it was short.
- The reported drivers include rising temperature and intensified atmospheric dryness.
- The authors link the convergence to traits, photosynthesis, and species evenness.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Pantropical moist forests are shifting toward mid-range leaf longevity
- Authors:
- Meimei Xue, Xueqin Yang, Xiuzhi Chen, Philippe Ciais, liming zhou, Peter B. Reich, Jingfeng Xiao, Xing Li, Xiangming Xiao, Julia K. Green, Jing Ming Chen, Jane Liu, Jiali Shang, Xiangzhong Luo, Jie Tian, Hui Liu, Peng Zhu, Kai Yan, Xinyue Fu, Liusheng Han, Wenping Yuan, Chaoyang Wu
- Institutions:
- Sun Yat-sen University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Commissariat à l'Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives, Université Paris-Saclay, Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, CEA Paris-Saclay, Albany State University, University at Albany, State University of New York, University of Minnesota, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, University of Michigan, University of New Hampshire, University of Oklahoma, University of Arizona, University of Toronto, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa Research and Development Centre, National University of Singapore, South China Botanical Garden, University of Hong Kong, State Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing Science, Shandong University of Technology, Peking University, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research
- Publication date:
- 2026-01-29
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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