Tropical Forests on Brink of Becoming Carbon Sources, Not Sinks.
Tropical and temperate forests have different temperature preferences for photosynthesis. Tropical trees are more sensitive to warming than temperate trees. A study compared photosynthesis in different forest types and found that tropical forests are already operating at temperatures beyond their ideal range, leading to reduced carbon assimilation. If trees can't adapt to higher temperatures, these forests may stop absorbing carbon and even release it, impacting climate and forest composition.