Climatic and local stressor interactions threaten tropical forests and coral reefs

Abstract

Tropical forests and coral reefs host a disproportionately large share of global biodiversity and provide ecosystem functions and services used by millions of people. Yet, ongoing climate change is leading to an increase in frequency and magnitude of extreme climatic events in the tropics, which, in combination with other local human disturbances, is leading to unprecedented negative ecological consequences for tropical forests and coral reefs. Here, we provide an overview of how and where climate extremes are affecting the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth and summarize how interactions between global, regional and local stressors are affecting tropical forest and coral reef systems through impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem resilience. We also discuss some key challenges and opportunities to promote mitigation and adaptation to a changing climate at local and global scales. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Climate change and ecosystems: threats, opportunities and solutions'.

“All That’s Left is Bare Land and Sky”: Palm Oil Culture and Socioenvironmental Impacts on a Tembé Indigenous Territory in the Brazilian Amazon

“…Local climate changes make indigenous lands more vulnerable to global climate change and scenario analyses forecast a tendency for droughts to be more severe and occur more frequently in the Amazon region in the coming decades (DUFFY et al, 2015). For researchers such as França et al (2020), the effects of interactions between local stress factors, such as the Tembé describe, and climate change will bring about unprecedented ecological alterations to tropical forests caused by the impacts on biodiversity and the reduction in the resilience of the ecosystems.…”

Assessing Coral Reef Condition Indicators for Local and Global Stressors Using Bayesian Networks

“…Coral reefs face stressors that are both local and increasingly global in nature (Hughes and Connell 1999; Fitt et al 2001; Fabricius 2005; Hoegh‐Guldberg et al 2007; Knowlton and Jackson 2008; Ban et al 2014; França et al 2020). Shallow‐water reefs are exposed to a variety of pollutants from human activities in the watershed and coastal zone, including sediments, contaminants, and nutrients that adversely affect coral survival, growth, and reproduction.…”

Status of the pillar coralDendrogyra cylindrusin Los Roques National Park, Southern Caribbean

“…According to the last global Red List assessment for Scleractinian corals, one third of assessed Caribbean species are threatened with extinction (Carpenter et al, 2008). Under the accelerated pace at which the effects of climate change are negatively impacting shallow coral reefs worldwide (França et al, 2020;Pernice and Hughes, 2019), the number of threatened coral species is expected to rise, with rare ones facing increased risk of extinction (Fagan et al, 2005). Species with small geographical ranges, low frequency of occurrence and narrow habitat breadths are more susceptible to both natural and humaninduced disturbances (Davies et al, 2004).…”