Evaporation of sea water will of course return fresh water to the atmosphere, but it is very unlikely that the Amazon rain forest will receive much of the rainfall. The climate of the Amazon region will become drier, and it is questionable whether a humid tropical forest will be able to re-establish. This inference is supported by a computer model in which the Amazonian forest was replaced by grasslands. Surface temperatures increased in the model, evapotranspiration declined, and precipitation also declined. It appears that a dry season would occur, sufficient to prevent the re-establishment of a humid forest.
High biodiversity appears related to high specialization of species.
Periods of forest fragmentation may have led to high rates of speciation due to geographic isolation. Tropical rain forests are being converted to agricultural land, with associated disruptions of nutrient and water cycling. Links Send feedback to the Global Change Webmaster .