Sensitivity of Amazonian Savanna trees to high temperatures
摘要
Climate change threatens tropical ecosystems, particularly due to increasing global temperatures. This study investigated how leaf thermal tolerance and thermoregulating structural traits vary among deciduous and evergreen tree species of the Amazonian savanna and whether these traits are reliable predictors of thermal tolerance and contribute to maintaining positive thermal safety margins as air temperatures rise. We measured leaf thermotolerance, thermal safety margins based on air temperature, and morpho-anatomical traits in ten dominant species. Most species exhibited upper thermal limits slightly above the current maximum temperatures. However, under future climate scenarios of + 3 °C and + 6 °C, all species would present negative thermal safety margins. Leaf traits such as spongy parenchyma thickness, abaxial epidermis thickness, total leaf thickness, and stomatal aperture and density were significantly correlated with thermotolerance. Deciduous species showed greater sensitivity to future warming, suggesting that they may be more vulnerable to temperature increases, which could lead to shifts in community composition and structure in the Amazonian savanna. Our results indicate that morpho-anatomical traits play a key role in predicting species’ physiological responses to global warming.