Dissemin is shutting down on January 1st, 2025

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Nature Research, Nature Plants, 11(9), p. 1795-1809, 2023

DOI: 10.1038/s41477-023-01543-5

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The global biogeography of tree leaf form and habit

Journal article published in 2023 by Haozhi Ma ORCID, Thomas W. Crowther, Lidong Mo ORCID, Daniel S. Maynard ORCID, Susanne S. Renner ORCID, Johan van den Hoogen, Yibiao Zou, Jingjing Liang ORCID, Sergio de-Miguel ORCID, Gert-Jan Nabuurs ORCID, Peter B. Reich ORCID, Ülo Niinemets, Meinrad Abegg ORCID, Yves C. Adou Yao ORCID, Giorgio Alberti ORCID and other authors.
This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.
This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.

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Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

AbstractUnderstanding what controls global leaf type variation in trees is crucial for comprehending their role in terrestrial ecosystems, including carbon, water and nutrient dynamics. Yet our understanding of the factors influencing forest leaf types remains incomplete, leaving us uncertain about the global proportions of needle-leaved, broadleaved, evergreen and deciduous trees. To address these gaps, we conducted a global, ground-sourced assessment of forest leaf-type variation by integrating forest inventory data with comprehensive leaf form (broadleaf vs needle-leaf) and habit (evergreen vs deciduous) records. We found that global variation in leaf habit is primarily driven by isothermality and soil characteristics, while leaf form is predominantly driven by temperature. Given these relationships, we estimate that 38% of global tree individuals are needle-leaved evergreen, 29% are broadleaved evergreen, 27% are broadleaved deciduous and 5% are needle-leaved deciduous. The aboveground biomass distribution among these tree types is approximately 21% (126.4 Gt), 54% (335.7 Gt), 22% (136.2 Gt) and 3% (18.7 Gt), respectively. We further project that, depending on future emissions pathways, 17–34% of forested areas will experience climate conditions by the end of the century that currently support a different forest type, highlighting the intensification of climatic stress on existing forests. By quantifying the distribution of tree leaf types and their corresponding biomass, and identifying regions where climate change will exert greatest pressure on current leaf types, our results can help improve predictions of future terrestrial ecosystem functioning and carbon cycling.