Narrow thresholds of canopy disturbance determine the microclimate buffering potential of tropical forests
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The importance of protecting logged and recovering tropical forests has gained much attention. Disturbed forests can, however, have hotter microclimates, exacerbating the effects of future climate change. Using thermal imaging we captured understory surface temperatures along a gradient of tropical forest disturbance, and compared these to the upper thermal limits (CTmax) of invertebrates within the same forests. Surface temperatures exceeding the CTmax of invertebrate groups occurred once canopy cover fell below 76%. In highly degraded forests, surface niche space was reduced by 22% for the most sensitive taxa, and this doubled following simulated warming of +3°C. In contrast, all invertebrate groups were buffered in sites that retained 80% canopy cover or higher even following severe warming. We demonstrate a narrow threshold of canopy disturbance beyond which microclimate buffering is significantly diminished. These findings illustrate the importance of conserving high canopy cover forests to protect tropical biodiversity in a hotter future.
Date Issued
2026-02-20
Date Acceptance
2025-10-30
Citation
iScience, 2026, 29 (2)
ISSN
2589-0042
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Journal / Book Title
iScience
Volume
29
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/41717012
PII: S2589-0042(25)02197-2
Subjects
ecology
environmental science
plant ecology
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
United States
Article Number
113936
Date Publish Online
2025-11-03