ABSTRACT: Here we address the drought exposure and sensitivity of tropical forests and its tree ecophysiological strategies. Specifically, we assess the following questions based on a wide range of wet-to-dry forests by combining global databases and field data that include climate anomalies, tropical tree sap flow, and Amazonian tree growth:
- How much of tropical forests have already experienced extreme droughts, and which environments (drier or wetter) are more exposed to it?
- What is the tree water-use sensitivity to extreme droughts at global scale, and how it is modulated by their size traits combinations with possible alternative strategies?
- What is the long-term dynamics and sensitivity of Amazonian tree growth under repeated drought events combined to forest degradation (logging and fire), and how it is modulated by their multiple traits combinations with possible alternative strategies?