Tree diversity is changing across tropical Andean and Amazonian forests in response to global change

Fadrique B.; Costa F.; Cuesta F.; Arellano G.; Cayuela L.; Baker T.R.; Draper F.C.; Esquivel-Muelbert A.; ter Steege H.; Bauters M.; Aguirre-Gutiérrez J.; Aguirre-Mendoza Z.; Alexiades M.N.; Alvarez-Davila E.; Arets E.; Ayala E.; Aymard C.G.A.; Baccaro F.; Báez S.; Baraloto C.; Barbosa R.I.; Barbosa Camargo P.; Barlow J.; Barni P.E.; Barroso J.; Benchimol M.; Bennett A.C.; Berenguer E.; Blanc L.; Bonal D.; Bongers F.; Brienen R.; Brown F.; BT Andrade M.; Burban B.; Burnham R.J.; Camargo J.L.; Carvalho S.P.C.; Castilho C.; Chave J.; Coelho de Souza F.; Comiskey J.; da Costa L.; de Lima R.B.; de Oliveira E.A.; de Oliveira R.L.C.; de Oliveira Perdiz R.; De Rutte J.; del Aguila-Pasquel J.; Derroire G.; Di Fiore A.; Disney M.; Duque A.; Emilio T.; Farfan-Rios W.; Fauset S.; Fearnside P.M.; Feeley K.J.; Feldpausch T.R.; Ferreira J.; Ferreira L.; Flores Llampazo G.R.; Galbraith D.; García-Cabrera K.; García Criado M.; Gloor E.; Grandez-Rios J.M.; Hérault B.; Homeier J.; Honorio Coronado E.N.; Huamantupa-Chuquimaco I.; Huaraca Huasco W.; Huillca-Aedo Y.T.; Idárraga Á.; Jadán-Maza O.; Kalamandeen M.; Killeen T.J.; Laurance S.G.W.; Laurance W.F.; Levesley A.; Lopez W.; Macía M.J.; Magnusson W.E.; Malhi Y.; Manzatto A.G.; Marimon B.S.; Marimon Junior B.H.; Martínez-Villa J.A.; Medeiros M.B.; Melgaço K.; Melo L.; Metzker T.; Monteagudo A.; Morandi P.S.; Myers J.A.; Nascimento H.M.; Nascimento R.; Neill D.; Nieto-Ariza B.; Palacios W.A.; Palacios-Ramos S.; Pallqui-Camacho N.C.; Pardo Molina G.; Peacock J.; Peña M.A.; Pennington R.T.; Peñuela M.C.; Peres C.A.; Pérez Á.J.; Pickavance G.C.; Pinto E.; Pipoly J.; Pitman N.; Prieto A.; Ramírez-Angulo H.; Reis S.M.; Restrepo Z.; Reynel C.; Ribeiro S.; Rivas-Torres G.; Rojas R.; Rudas A.; Salinas N.; Salomão R.P.; Santana F.; Schietti J.; Schwartz G.; Serrano J.; Silman M.; Silva C.; Silva C.A.; Silva R.C.; Silva R.S.A.; Silva-Espejo J.; Silveira M.; Simon M.F.; Soto-Shareva Y.C.; Souza P.F.; Storck-Tonon D.; Stropp J.; Swamy V.; Tello J.S.; Terborgh J.; Thomas R.; Torres-Lezama A.; Vale J.D.; Valenzuela Gamarra L.; van der Heijden G.; van der Hout P.; van der Meer P.J.; Vasquez Martinez R.; Vedovato L.; Verbeeck H.; Vieira I.; Vieira S.A.; Vilanova E.; Vinceti B.; Vos V.A.; Zagt R.; Zuidema P.A.; Phillips O.L. · Nature Ecology and Evolution (2026) · DOI: 10.1038/s41559-025-02956-5

Resumen

Climate and atmospheric changes are impacting forest function and structure worldwide, but their effects on tropical forest diversity are unclear. Nowhere is the scientific challenge greater than in the Andes and the Amazon, which together include the world’s most diverse forests. Here, using 406 permanent plots spanning four decades of intact lowland and montane forest dynamics, we test for long-term change in species richness and assess the influence of climate and other variables. We show that, at a continental scale, species richness appears stable, but this masks substantial regional variation. Species richness increased in Northern Andean and Western Amazon plots, yet declined in the Central Andes, Guyana Shield and Central-Eastern Amazon. Overall, warmer, drier and more seasonal forests lost species, while those at higher elevations, in less fragmented areas and with faster rates of tree turnover experienced increases. Region-specific drivers, particularly precipitation seasonality and demographic factors, modulated these trends. The results highlight the diverse ways in which Amazon–Andes forests are changing and underscore the critical need to preserve large-scale ecosystem integrity to maintain local tree diversity. By doing so, Northern Andean forests in particular could serve as an important refuge for species increasingly displaced by climate change. © The Author(s) 2026.

Instituciones: Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú; Universidad Nacional de la Amazonía Peruana; Universidad Nacional Agraria La Molina; Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco; Universidad Nacional Amazónica de Madre de Dios; Universidad Andina del Cusco