Variation in wood density across South American tropical forests

• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-56175-4
• Publication Date: 2025-03-10T11:23:22Z
• Authors: Martin J. P. Sull...; Oliver L. Phillips; David Galbraith; Everton Almeida; Edmar Almeida de ...; Jarcilene Almeida; Esteban Álvarez D...; Luciana F. Alves; Ana Andrade; Luiz Aragão; Alejandro Araujo-...; Eric Arets; Luzmila Arroyo; Omar Aurelio Melo...; Fabrício Baccaro; Timothy R. Baker; Olaf Banki; Christopher Baraloto; Jos Barlow; Jorcely Barroso; Erika Berenguer; Lilian Blanc; Cecilia Blundo; Damien Bonal; Frans Bongers; Kauane Maiara Bordin; Roel J. W. Brienen; Igor S. Broggio; Benoit Burban; George Cabral; José Luís Camargo; Domingos Cardoso; Maria Antonia Car...; Wendeson Castro; Haroldo Cavalcant...; Larissa Cavalheiro; Sabina Cerruto Ri...; Sonia Cesarina Pa...; Victor Chama Moscoso; Jerôme Chave; Fernanda Coelho; James A. Comiskey; Fernando Cornejo ...; Flávia Costa; Italo Antônio Cot...; Antonio Carlos Lo...; Marcelo Brilhante...; Jhon del Aguila P...; Géraldine Derroire; Kyle G. Dexter; Mat Disney; Mário M. do Espír...; Tomas F. Domingues; Aurélie Dourdain; Alvaro Duque; Cristabel Durán R...; Fernando Elias; Adriane Esquivel-...; William Farfan-Rios; Sophie Fauset; Ted Feldpausch; G. Wilson Fernandes; Joice Ferreira; Yule Roberta Ferr...; João Carlos Gomes...; Karina Garcia Cab...; Roy Gonzalez; Lionel Hernández; Rafael Herrera; Eurídice N. Honor...; Walter Huaraca Hu...; Mariana Iguatemy; Carlos A. Joly; Michelle Kalamandeen; Timothy Killeen; Joice Klipel; Bente Klitgaard; Susan G. Laurance; William F. Laurance; Aurora Levesley; Simon L. Lewis; Maurício Lima Dan; Gabriela Lopez-Go...; William Magnusson; Yadvinder Malhi; Lucio Malizia; Augustina Malizia; Angelo Gilberto M...; Jose Luis Marcelo...; Beatriz S. Marimon; Ben Hur Marimon J...; Johanna Andrea Ma...; Simone Matias Reis; Thiago Metzker; William Milliken; Abel Monteagudo-M...; Peter Moonlight; Paulo S. Morandi; Pamela Moser; Sandra C. Müller; Marcelo Nascimento; Daniel Negreiros; Adriano Nogueira ...; Percy Núñez Vargas; Washington L. Oli...; Walter Palacios; Nadir C. Pallqui ...; Alexander Parada ...; Guido Pardo Molina; Karla Maria Pedra...; Marielos Peña-Claros; Pablo José Franci...; R. Toby Pennington; Georgia C. Pickav...; John Pipoly; Nigel C. A. Pitman; Maureen Playfair; Aline Pontes-Lopes; Lourens Poorter; Nayane Cristina C...; Hirma Ramírez-Angulo; Maxime Réjou-Méchain; Carlos Reynel Rod...; Gonzalo Rivas-Torres; Priscyla M. S. Ro...; Domingos de Jesus...; Thaiane Rodrigues...; José Roberto Rodr...; Gina M. Rodriguez M.; Katherine Roucoux; Kalle Ruokolainen; Casey M. Ryan; Norma Salinas Rev...; Rafael Salomão; Rubens M. Santos; Tiina Sarkinen; Andressa Scabin; Rodrigo Scarton B...; Juliana Schietti; Milton Serpa de M...; Julio Serrano; Miles Silman; Richarlly C. Silva; Camila V. J. Silva; Jhonathan Oliveri...; Marcos Silveira; Marcelo F. Simon; Yahn Carlos Soto-...; Priscila Souza; Rodolfo Souza; Tereza Sposito; Joey Talbot; Hans ter Steege; John Terborgh; Raquel Thomas; Marisol Toledo; Armando Torres-Le...; William Trujillo; Peter van der Hout; Maria das Dores M...; Simone A. Vieira; Emilio Vilanova; Jeanneth M. Villa...; Dora M. Villela; Laura Jessica Vis...; Vincent A. Vos; Verginia Wortel; Francoise Yoko Is...; Pieter A. Zuidema; Joeri A. Zwerts
• Keywords: Tropical forest; Variation (astronomy)

Abstract Wood density is a critical control on tree biomass, so poor understanding of its spatial variation can lead to large and systematic errors in forest biomass estimates carbon maps. The need understand how why wood varies especially tropical America where forests have exceptional species diversity turnover composition. As identity composition are challenging estimate remotely, ground surveys essential know the trees, whether measured directly or inferred from their identity. Here, we assemble an extensive dataset across most forested tree-diverse continent, examine it relates environmental variables, use these relationships predict over sub-tropical South America. Our analysis refines previously identified east-west Amazon gradients density, improves them by revealing fine-scale variation, extends predictions into Andean, dry, Atlantic forests. results halve prediction compared naïve scenario with no knowledge density. findings will help improve remote sensing-based aboveground stocks