Disentangling the impacts of soil moisture and vapour pressure deficit on biodiversity patterns and conservation value of tropical forests in Ghana, West Africa
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60460709%3A41320%2F25%3A103554" target="_blank" >RIV/60460709:41320/25:103554 - isvavai.cz</a>
Alternative codes found
RIV/62156489:43410/25:43926292
Result on the web
<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320724005172?pes=vor&utm_source=clarivate&getft_integrator=clarivate" target="_blank" >https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320724005172?pes=vor&utm_source=clarivate&getft_integrator=clarivate</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110952" target="_blank" >10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110952</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Disentangling the impacts of soil moisture and vapour pressure deficit on biodiversity patterns and conservation value of tropical forests in Ghana, West Africa
Original language description
African tropical forests are recognised for their important contributions to biodiversity conservation and carbon storage, yet they remain notably understudied. Understanding how current climatic conditions regulate species composition and diversity is crucial for predicting the resilience of these ecosystems in an era of global change. This study examines biodiversity patterns and the conservation status of species among disjunct forest communities in wet, moist and dry forest zones of Ghana, West Africa. Detailed forest inventory data were collected to assess community composition and tree diversity metrics. We analysed how climatic factors influenced variations in tree diversity and the occurrence of at-risk species. A total of 3471 trees representing 242 species were surveyed, with 17.4 % classified as threatened or near-threatened according to global extinction risk assessments. Tree diversity declined significantly from wet to dry forest communities. We found that vapour pressure deficit (VPD) negatively affected community diversity potential across the study area. However, we also detected evidence for potential mitigation of VPD impacts by greater soil moisture storage, leading to stable biodiversity levels in more mesic soil environments. At-risk species were more common in high-rainfall regions relative to drier environments. However, across the study area, the number of at-risk species increased with the combined effects of high VPD and low soil moisture. This study highlights the distinct roles of VPD and soil water storage in maintaining tropical forest tree diversity, with important implications for ecosystem stability in a changing climate.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
10619 - Biodiversity conservation
Result continuities
Project
<a href="/en/project/LTT20017" target="_blank" >LTT20017: Participation of the Czech Republic in the network of experiments TreeDivNet</a><br>
Continuities
P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)<br>S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach
Others
Publication year
2025
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Biological Conservation
ISSN
0006-3207
e-ISSN
0006-3207
Volume of the periodical
302
Issue of the periodical within the volume
2025
Country of publishing house
GB - UNITED KINGDOM
Number of pages
10
Pages from-to
1-10
UT code for WoS article
001394114800001
EID of the result in the Scopus database
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