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Researchers say the world's largest rainforest is losing the race.
One study found that the Amazon rainforest adapts to drier conditions, but not at a speed sufficient to keep pace with the changing environment.
International scientists led by a team from the University of Leeds have used long-term recordings to track the lives of individual trees in the Amazon basin.
They found that since the 1980s, moisture-loving trees were dying faster than other species and were not being replaced by others more suited to dry climates.
Adriane Muelbert from the University of Leeds School of Geography said: "The ecosystem response is lagging behind climate change.
"The data showed us that the droughts that hit the Amazon Basin in recent decades have had serious consequences on the composition of the forest: higher mortality among the tree species most vulnerable to drought and insufficient growth in species better equipped to survive drier conditions. "
However, the team found that there were winners and losers of climate change.
Larger trees, mainly canopy species, were smaller plants in competition.
It is thought that they benefit from a greater amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which could allow them to grow faster.
In addition, "pioneer" trees – trees that grow rapidly and fill gaps left by tree death – are doing relatively well.
Dr. Kyle Dexter, co-author of the University of Edinburgh, said: "The impact of climate change on forest communities has significant consequences on tropical forest biodiversity. The species most vulnerable to drought are doubly endangered, as these are usually those that are restricted to fewer places in the heart of the Amazon, making them more likely to extinguish if this process continues.
"Our results highlight the need for strict measures to protect existing intact tropical forests. Deforestation for agriculture and livestock is known to intensify droughts in this region, exacerbating the effects already caused by global climate change. "
The research is reported in the journal Global Change Biology.– Press Association
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