Tree Responses to Climate Change
Some of our projects are dedicated to understanding the factors that drive tree species’ responses to climate. A key determinant of tree species’ responses to extreme events is their physiological limitations. However, integrating physiological information to advance our knowledge about species responses to future climates is complex because physiological responses may change across space and time. In particular, for tropical forests that harbor the majority of Earth’s tree diversity, their function and dynamics remain poorly understood.
Our projects are focused on exploring the variation in organisms’ phenotypes in response to environmental changes in forests located in Puerto Rico. Through these investigations, we seek to shed light on the intricate interplay between organisms and their environments, providing insights into how forests adapt to the challenges posed by a changing climate.
Check out some of our most recent publications!
Umaña M.N. 2023. The interplay of drought and hurricanes on tree recovery: insights from dynamic and weak functional responses. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.1732.
Umaña M.N, Needham J., Forero-Montaña J., Nytch C., Swenson N.G, Thompson J., Uriarte M., and Zimmerman J. In press. Demographic trade-offs and functional shifts in a hurricane-impacted tropical forest. Annals of Botany. https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcad004. Commentary from Claire Fortunel
Contact
María Natalia Umaña
Assistant Professor
Ecology and EVolutionary Biology
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
3142 Biological Sciences Building