The Brazilian Atlantic Forest is experiencing tree migration due to climate change, with species in mountain forests relocating uphill to find cooler temperatures, according to a recent study by researchers from the University of Birmingham and other institutions.
As temperatures rise, the majority of species in the higher regions of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest are moving to higher elevations. However, scientists warn that trees accustomed to colder temperatures are at risk of extinction as global temperatures continue to increase.
Scientists studying the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, which extends along Brazil’s Atlantic coast, have also observed that some trees in lowland forests are moving downhill.
“We found that different species are moving in different directions – in lower forests, trees are moving downhill more often than uphill, probably due to factors besides temperature, like competition between species,” said lead author Dr Rodrigo Bergamin, from the University of Birmingham. “However, in the forest higher up in the mountains, most species are moving uphill as temperatures rise and the undergrowth becomes more suited to those trees favoring warm temperatures. This could mean that species needing colder temperatures are at risk of dying out as the world continues to warm.”
The study encompassed 627 tree species and spanned 96 different locations within the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, yielding valuable insights into climate patterns through the calculation of community temperature scores (CTS).
Moreover, the researchers made a compelling discovery: in high-altitude forests, younger trees are visibly shifting uphill. Notably, these young tree groups exhibited greater growth compared to their older counterparts, and this growth trend intensified over the course of a decade of forest observation.
Prof Sandra Müller from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, senior author of the study says that “Species from higher altitudes are generally more sensitive to temperature and those that need cold are more likely to lose out in competition under warmer temperatures to species that prefer hotter temperatures.”
The Brazilian Atlantic Forest, also referred to as Mata Atlântica, spans from Rio Grande do Norte in the northeast to Rio Grande do Sul in the south, extending into Paraguay and the Misiones province of Argentina. Renowned as one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems, it hosts an impressive range of distinctive species and habitats.
“This study showed what is happening in the South of the Atlantic Forest, but different regions might show other trends. We are now bringing together researchers from across the whole biome to create a big picture of how these forests are responding to global change,” said Dr Adriane Esquivel Muelbert, Associate Professor from the University of Birmingham, co-author of the study.
Journal reference:
- Rodrigo Scarton Bergamin, Vinicius Augusto Galvão Bastazini, Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert, Kauane Maiara Bordin, Joice Klipel, Vanderlei Júlio Debastiani, Alexander Christian Vibrans, Rafael Loyola, Sandra Cristina Müller. Elevational shifts in tree community composition in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest related to climate change. Journal of Vegetation Science, 2024; DOI: 10.1111/jvs.13289