Large tree species store and grow more biomass and than small species in the Amazon rainforest. (Photo Credit: Roel Brienen)
A few species of large trees in the Amazon are responsible for half of the carbon storage and productivity of the Amazon rainforest, according to new research.
The authors analysed more than 200,000 trees across 530 forest plots in the Amazon rainforest. They found that half of the carbon stock is controlled by only 150 species among the estimated 16,000 species within the Amazon.
Researchers says this finding could mean that the Amazon rainforest’s carbon storage efficacy is less resilient than previously thought to climate change.
Original research paper published in Nature Communications on April 28, 2015.
Names and affiliations of selected authors
