Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40853682›Full record

ReviewEcology letters2025

Forest Age Rivals Climate to Explain Reproductive Allocation Patterns in Forest Ecosystems Globally.

Rachel E Ward, Huanyuan Zhang-Zheng, Kate Abernethy, Stephen Adu-Bredu, Luzmilla Arroyo, Andrew Bailey, Jos Barlow, Erika Berenguer, Liana Chesini-Rossi, Percival Cho and 21 more

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Ecology letters, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

31 authors.

Rachel E WardEnergy and Resources Group, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2343-1906
Huanyuan Zhang-ZhengEnvironmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4801-8771
Kate AbernethyUniversidad Nacional de la Amazonia Peruana, Iquitos, Peru.
Stephen Adu-BreduForestry Research Institute of Ghana, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Kumasi, Ghana.
Luzmilla ArroyoMuseo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.
Andrew BaileyLeverhulme Centre for Nature Recovery, The Oxford University Centre for the Environment, Oxford, UK.
Jos BarlowLancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK.
Erika BerenguerEnvironmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Liana Chesini-RossiRio de Janeiro Botanical Garden Research Institute, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Percival ChoScience for Sustainability Ltd, Belmopan, Belize.
Cecilia A L DahlsjöEnvironmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Eder Carvalho das NevesPrograma de Pós-Graduação Em Ecologia e Conservação (PPGEC), Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso (UNEMAT), Nova Xavantina-MT, Brazil.
Bianca de Oliveira SalesLaboratório de Ecologia Vegetal (LABEV), Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso (UNEMAT), Nova Xavantina-MT, Brazil.
William Farfan-RiosDepartment of Biology, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.
Joice Nunes FerreiraEmbrapa Amazônia Oriental, Belém, Brazil.
Renata FreitagFaculdade de Educação e Ciéncias Sociais Aplicadas (FAECS), Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso (UNEMAT), Campus de Juara-MT, Brazil.
Cécile GirardinNature-Based Insights & Nature-Based Solutions Initiative, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Walter Huaraca HuascoEnvironmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Carlos A JolyDepartment of Plant Biology, Biology Institute, University of Campinas, UNICAMP, Campinas-SP, Brazil.
Yadvinder MalhiEnvironmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Beatriz MarimonPrograma de Pós-Graduação Em Ecologia e Conservação (PPGEC), Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso (UNEMAT), Nova Xavantina-MT, Brazil.
Ben Hur Marimon JuniorPrograma de Pós-Graduação Em Ecologia e Conservação (PPGEC), Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso (UNEMAT), Nova Xavantina-MT, Brazil.
Alexandra C MorelDivision of Energy, Environment and Society, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK.
Helene C Muller-LandauSmithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panamá, Panama.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3526-9021
Karine da Silva PeixotoLaboratório de Ecologia Vegetal (LABEV), Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso (UNEMAT), Nova Xavantina-MT, Brazil.
Simone ReisPrograma de Pós-Graduação Em Ecologia e Conservação (PPGEC), Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso (UNEMAT), Nova Xavantina-MT, Brazil.
Terhi RiuttaEnvironmental Change Institute, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
Norma SalinasDepartment of Science, Chemistry Section, Institute for Nature Research Earth and Energy, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Lima, Peru.
Marina SeixasSabin Center for Environment and Sustainability, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.
Miles R SilmanLaboratório de Ecologia Vegetal (LABEV), Universidade do Estado de Mato Grosso (UNEMAT), Nova Xavantina-MT, Brazil.
Lara M KueppersEnergy and Resources Group, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA.

Funding

Biological and Environmental Research DE-AC02-05CH11231Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico 403725/2012-7Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico 441244/2016-5Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico 441572/2020-0Division of Environmental Biology DEB-1754647Division of Graduate Education DGE-1450053Natural Environment Research Council NE/K010379-1Natural Environment Research Council NE/P001092/1Natural Environment Research Council NE/P00394X/1
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Forest allocation of net primary productivity (NPP) to reproduction (carbon required for flowers, fruits, and seeds) is poorly quantified globally, despite its critical role in forest regeneration and a well-supported trade-off with allocation to growth. Here, we present the first global synthesis of a biometric proxy for forest reproductive allocation (RA) across environmental and stand age gradients from a compiled dataset of 824 observations across 393 sites. We find that ecosystem-scale RA increases ~60% from boreal to tropical forests. Climate shows important non-linear relationships with RA, but is not the sole predictor. Forest age effects are comparable to climate in magnitude (MAT: ß = 0.24, p = 0.021; old growth forest: ß = 0.22, p < 0.001), while metrics of soil fertility show small but significant relationships with RA (soil pH: ß = 0.07, p = 0.001; soil N: ß = -0.07, p = 0.001). These results provide strong evidence that ecosystem-scale RA is mediated by climate, forest age, and soil conditions, and is not a globally fixed fraction of positive NPP as assumed by most vegetation and ecosystem models. Our dataset and findings can be used by modellers to improve predictions of forest regeneration and carbon cycling.

Indexed as

ClimateForestsTreesModels, BiologicalReproductionSoilSoilclimateecosystem modellingforest ageforest ecosystemsforest regenerationreproductive allocationsoil fertility

Identifiers

PMID40853682
PMCPMC12377453

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.