Cambridge University Press, Cambridge a.o., pp. Forests are highly sensitive to climate change. This has been shown by observations from the past, experimental studies and simulation models based on current ecophysiological and ecological understanding. Suitable habitats for many species or forest types are likely to shift faster with climate change than the maximum natural rate at which many species can migrate and establish. Consequently, slow-growing species, such as late successional species, or those with restricted seed dispersal, will be replaced by faster growing, highly adaptable or more mobile species.
Mature forests are a large store of terrestrial carbon.
Because the maximum rate at which carbon can be lost is greater than the rate at which it can be gained, large amounts of carbon may transiently be released into the atmosphere as forests change in response to a changing climate and before new forests replace the former vegetation. The following regional assessments were primarily based on climatic change scenarios for 2050 as provided by Greco et al. Tropical forests are likely to be more affected by changes in land use than by climatic change as long as deforestation continues at its current high rate. CO 2 -fertilization may have its greatest effect in the tropics and may lead to a gain in net carbon storage in undisturbed forests, especially in the absence of nutrient limitations. In other areas, increasing precipitation may be more than adequate to meet increased evaporative demand, or may even lead to erosion.