14 DAY TRIAL // A new paper in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B argues that, as our planet continues to warm, rainforests worldwide have high chances to “flatten.”
Specifically, researchers argue that, courtesy of an increase in global temperatures, sensitive plant and animal species that now call the canopy of these forests their home will be forced to move towards the ground.
This will happen because they will not be able to handle the temperature increase and the drop in humidity.
“Climate change may push canopy-dwelling plants and animals out of the tree-tops due to rising temperatures and drier conditions.”
“The development may be akin to ‘flattening’ the tiered vegetation structure that characterizes the rainforest ecosystem,” Mongabay explains.
The researchers who looked into this issue explain that, all things considered, this phenomenon will put extra-strain on ground ecosystems.
“The initial downward shift in arboreal species will inflate ground densities by 80% thus compromising normal ecosystem functions,” researcher Brett Scheffers of James Cook University argues.