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MISSOULA, Montana – Forests, one of the most dominant ecosystems on Earth, are home to significant biodiversity. Scientists are increasingly interested in how this diversity is fostered by the microclimates sheltered by trees.
A recent study by the University of Montana suggests that global warming in the Pacific Northwest would reduce the ability of many forest microclimates to moderate climatic extremes. l & # 39; future.
The study was published in Ecography: A journal of space and time in ecology . It is online at http://bit.ly/2KcO1iC.
" Forest awnings produce less variable and stable microclimates than similar environments without forest cover, "said Kimberley Davis, a postdoctoral research badociate at the University of Ottawa. UM and senior author. of the study. "Our work shows that forests' ability to buffer climate extremes depends on canopy cover and the availability of local moisture – which should change as the Earth heats up."
She said a lot of plants and forest animals depend on the stable climatic conditions that are found there. The study suggests that some forests will lose their ability to buffer climate extremes as water becomes limited at many sites.
"Changes in water balance, combined with accelerated canopy losses due to increased frequency and severity of disturbances in the microclimate conditions of the western forests of the United States, "said Davis
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