An innovative study reveals the complexity of the functional diversity of tree canopies in the world’s tropical forests, highlighting significant variations across the regions of the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Researchers analysed more than 1,800 vegetation plots, combining field data with satellite imagery, climatic, topographic, and soil information to map, for the first time, the detailed distribution of canopy functional traits on a global scale.
The results show that the tropical forests of the Americas possess 40% greater functional richness than those of Africa and Asia, reflecting a higher diversity of ecological strategies. In contrast, African forests exhibit the highest functional divergence, suggesting that their species occupy more distinct ecological niches. Asian forests, in turn, are characterised by the predominance of the Dipterocarpaceae family, which directly influences their functional structure.
The study demonstrates that factors such as climate, terrain, and soil composition play a decisive role in the variation of morphological, structural, and chemical canopy traits, affecting essential ecological processes such as transpiration and photosynthesis. These findings challenge the traditional view of tropical forests as homogeneous ecosystems, revealing a level of functional diversity that current global models have yet to capture adequately.
In addition to advancing global ecosystem modelling, the predictions obtained provide a robust scientific basis for conservation strategies and climate change adaptation. The detailed mapping of canopy functionality enables the identification of priority regions for further studies, offering essential information for the sustainable management of tropical forests and the mitigation of environmental impacts resulting from climate change.
This study is the result of an extensive international collaboration network, drawing on a comprehensive database of functional traits of forest canopies. Wagner Tadeu, a PhD graduate in Biology and Ecology of Global Changes from UA and current CESAM ambassador, one of the researchers involved, highlights that the publication stems from his experience as a doctoral student at the University of Aveiro, where he completed his PhD under the supervision of Professor Carlos Fonseca. The initiative originated from the encouragement of Professor Amadeu Soares, who urged him to join, together with a group of fellow researchers from Tocantins, an exchange agreement with UA. The publication in the prestigious Nature represents an unexpected milestone in his scientific journey.
For Professor Amadeu Soares, this work reflects the capacity of the University of Aveiro, CESAM, and DBIO to train scientists from diverse backgrounds, enabling them to achieve high-impact results. The collaboration with both the Federal University of Tocantins and the Government of the State of Tocantins, through agreements led by Professor Amadeu Soares, facilitated the training of a significant number of students, researchers, and lecturers from the State of Tocantins, Brazil, including Wagner Tadeu, who balanced academia with his entrepreneurial activities in the environmental sector. In fact, the first international call for PhD scholarships abroad, launched in 2012 by the then Foundation for Research Support of Tocantins, aimed to “award scholarships to students enrolled in the Doctoral Programme in Biology and Ecology of Global Changes at the University of Aveiro (Portugal), whose field of knowledge would develop studies of interest to the State of Tocantins.”
This study represents a significant advance in knowledge about tropical forests, reinforcing the need for evidence-based policies for their preservation and sustainable management.
Published in Nature, 5 March 2025, here.
