Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Tropical ecology is the study of all aspects of the ecology of tropical areas, which are those found approximately 23.5 degrees either side of the Equator. Notable tropical ecosystems include the rainforests of Amazonia, Africa and South East Asia, savannah grasslands and coral reefs.
Anthropogenic ground-level ozone substantially reduces the productivity of tropical forests and so their carbon drawdown, according to ozone susceptibility experiments and dynamic global vegetation modelling.
A field experiment in Uganda shows how potassium and phosphorus keep leaves functioning during times of water scarcity, highlighting the need to consider ecosystem-scale processes in studying the response of forests to nutrient limitation.
A network of more than 100 researchers tracked trees for up to 30 years in forest plots across South America, enabling estimation of the impacts of record temperatures and drought on carbon dynamics. The carbon sink in these forests ceased during the 2015â2016 El Niño, with drier forests losing the most carbon.
An analysis of millions of wildlife photographs has revealed that survival and colonization probabilities of mammals in protected areas are associated with people and what they do both inside and outside these areas.
Many coral reefs suffer from the effects of overfishing, which threatens biodiversity and erodes human livelihoods. A study now reveals where fished reefs boost their total productivity, providing a means of resilience.