Tree mode of death and mortality risk factors across Amazon forests
Authors: Esquivel-Muelbert Adriane , Phillips Oliver L. , Brienen Roel J. W. , Fauset Sophie , Sullivan Martin J. P. , Baker Timothy R. , Chao Kuo-Jung , Feldpausch Ted R. , Gloor Emanuel , Higuchi Niro , Houwing-Duistermaat Jeanne , Lloyd Jon , Liu Haiyan , Malhi Yadvinder , Marimon Beatriz , Marimon Junior Ben Hur , Monteagudo-Mendoza Abel , Poorter Lourens , Silveira Marcos , Torre Emilio Vilanova , Dávila Esteban Alvarez , del Aguila Pasquel Jhon , Almeida Everton , Loayza Patricia Alvarez , Andrade Ana , Aragão Luiz E. O. C. , Araujo-Murakami Alejandro , Arets Eric , Arroyo Luzmila , Aymard C. Gerardo A. , Baisie Michel , Baraloto Christopher , Camargo Plínio Barbosa , Barroso Jorcely , Blanc Lilian , Bonal Damien , Bongers Frans , Boot René , Brown Foster , Burban Benoit , Camargo José Luís , Castro Wendeson , Moscoso Victor Chama , Chave Jerome , Comiskey James , Valverde Fernando Cornejo , da Costa Antonio Lola , Cardozo Nallaret Davila , Di Fiore Anthony , Dourdain Aurélie , Erwin Terry , Llampazo Gerardo Flores , Vieira Ima Célia Guimarães , Herrera Rafael , Honorio Coronado Eurídice , Huamantupa-Chuquimaco Isau , Jimenez-Rojas Eliana , Killeen Timothy , Laurance Susan , Laurance William , Levesley Aurora , Lewis Simon L. , Ladvocat Karina Liana Lisboa Melgaço , Lopez-Gonzalez Gabriela , Lovejoy Thomas , Meir Patrick , Mendoza Casimiro , Morandi Paulo , Neill David , Nogueira Lima Adriano José , Vargas Percy Nuñez , de Oliveira Edmar Almeida , Camacho Nadir Pallqui , Pardo Guido , Peacock Julie , Peña-Claros Marielos , Peñuela-Mora Maria Cristina , Pickavance Georgia , Pipoly John , Pitman Nigel , Prieto Adriana , Pugh Thomas A. M. , Quesada Carlos , Ramirez-Angulo Hirma , de Almeida Reis Simone Matias , Rejou-Machain Maxime , Correa Zorayda Restrepo , Bayona Lily Rodriguez , Rudas Agustín , Salomão Rafael , Serrano Julio , Espejo Javier Silva , Silva Natalino , Singh James , Stahl Clement , Stropp Juliana , Swamy Varun , Talbot Joey , ter Steege Hans , Terborgh John , Thomas Raquel , Toledo Marisol , Torres-Lezama Armando , Gamarra Luis Valenzuela , van der Heijden Geertje , van der Meer Peter , van der Hout Peter , Martinez Rodolfo Vasquez , Vieira Simone Aparecida , Cayo Jeanneth Villalobos , Vos Vincent , Zagt Roderick , Zuidema Pieter , Galbraith David 
Published: November 2020

The carbon sink capacity of tropical forests is substantially affected by tree mortality. However, the main drivers of tropical tree death remain largely unknown. Here we present a pan-Amazonian assessment of how and why trees die, analysing over 120,000 trees representing > 3800 species from 189 long-term RAINFOR forest plots. While tree mortality rates vary greatly Amazon-wide, on average trees are as likely to die standing as they are broken or uprooted—modes of death with different ecological consequences. Species-level growth rate is the single most important predictor of tree death in Amazonia, with faster-growing species being at higher risk. Within species, however, the slowest-growing trees are at greatest risk while the effect of tree size varies across the basin. In the driest Amazonian region species-level bioclimatic distributional patterns also predict the risk of death, suggesting that these forests are experiencing climatic conditions beyond their adaptative limits. These results provide not only a holistic pan-Amazonian picture of tree death but large-scale evidence for the overarching importance of the growth–survival trade-off in driving tropical tree mortality.