Amazonian trees show increased edge effects due to Atlantic Ocean warming and northward displacement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone since 1980.

Abstract

Recent investigations indicate a warming of Atlantic Ocean surface waters since 1980, probably influenced by anthropic actions, inducing rainfall intensification mainly during the rainy season and slight reductions during the dry season in the Amazon. Under these climate changes, trees in upland forests (terra firme) could benefit from the intensification of the hydrological cycle and could also be affected by the reduction of precipitation during the dry season. Results of dendrochronological analyses, spatial correlations and structural equation models, showed that Scleronema micranthum (Ducke) Ducke (Malvaceae) trees exposed in fragmented areas and to edge effects in Central Amazonian terra firme forest were more sensitive to the increase in the Atlantic Ocean surface temperature and consequent northward displacement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone, mainly during the dry season. Therefore, we proved that in altered and potentially more stressful environments such as edges of fragmented forests, recent anthropogenic climatic changes are exerting pressure on tree growth dynamics, inducing alterations in their performance and, consequently, in essential processes related to ecosystem services. Changes that could affect human well-being, highlighting the need for strategies that reduce edge areas expansion in Amazon forests and anthropic climate changes of the Anthropocene.