New study shows forest trees ill-equipped for longer droughts
A global study published in PNAS reveals that forest trees show little physiological adaptation to prolonged drought conditions. While this stability allows trees to recover quickly when rain returns, it suggests they may be more vulnerable to long-term climate change than previously hoped.
Why it matters
Understanding tree resilience is critical for forest conservation and predicting how global ecosystems will respond to increasing drought frequency due to climate change.
An aerial drone photo taken on July 11, 2024 shows a sightseeing vehicle running at Shangganling stream forest park in Yichun, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)
A new global study has found that forest trees do not change their internal workings much when faced with long periods of drought, suggesting that such trees may not be able to adjust to drier conditions as easily as some scientists had hoped. This finding offers a robust scientific basis for forest conservation efforts.
The study, led by scientists from the South China Botanical Garden (SCBG) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is based on 40 experiments conducted across forests worldwide. It was recently published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
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