Tropical Forest Dynamics and Ecology

This cluster explores structural and compositional processes in tropical forests, focusing on community assembly, biomass turnover, disturbance feedbacks, and spatial ecology at landscape scales. The selected works reveal how factors like edge fires, species dominance, and diversity–productivity relationships shape forest resilience and biodiversity patterns. Underlying themes include feedback loops between vegetation and disturbance regimes, the role of rare or monodominant taxa, and the importance of spatial scale in interpreting forest structure and dynamics.

Featured Publications

Consistent patterns of common species across tropical forest plots
Cooper, D. L. M.; Lewis, S. L.; Sullivan, M. J. P.; Brienen, R. J. W.; Coomes, D. A.; et al. – Nature (2024)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06820-z
This study uncovers universal patterns in the composition of common species across tropical forests, highlighting predictable community structures despite geographic and environmental differences.

Asynchronous carbon sink saturation in African and Amazonian tropical forests
Hubau, W.; Lewis, S. L.; Phillips, O. L.; Brienen, R. J. W.; Coomes, D. A.; et al. – Nature (2020)
DOI: [https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2035-0
This landmark paper reveals that the carbon sink capacity of tropical forests is not uniform—while African forests continue to absorb carbon, Amazonian forests are reaching saturation, with major implications for global carbon budgets.

Landscape-scale benefits of protected areas for tropical biodiversity
Brodie, J. F.; Mohd-Azlan, J.; Chapman, H. M.; Coomes, D. A.; et al. – Nature (2023)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06410-z
The paper provides strong evidence that protected areas significantly reduce biodiversity loss across tropical landscapes, reinforcing the role of conservation policy in halting species decline.

Forest dynamics where typhoon winds blow
Chan, A. H. Y.; Jackson, T. D.; Law, Y.-T.; Coomes, D. A.; et al. – New Phytologist (2024)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.20350
This study investigates how typhoon-prone environments shape forest structure and dynamics, showing how frequent wind disturbance leads to adaptive traits in trees and altered successional pathways.

Wind shapes the growth strategies of trees in typhoon-impacted forests
Jackson, T. D.; Bittencourt, P.; Poffley, A.; Coomes, D. A.; et al. – Ecology Letters (2024)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.14527
Focusing on wind as a selective pressure, this paper explores how trees in storm-hit forests develop growth strategies that enhance survival, contributing to broader understanding of forest adaptation to climate extremes.