Mapping the density of giant trees in the Amazon

de Lima, Robson Borges, da Silva, Diego Armando Silva, Nunes, Matheus Henrique, de Lima Bittencourt, Paulo R. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1618-9077, Groenendyk, Peter, de Oliveira, Cinthia Pereira, Granato-Souza, Daniela, Caraciolo Ferreira, Rinaldo L., Aleixo da Silva, José A., Aguirre-Gutiérrez, Jesús, Jackson, Toby, de Matos Filho, João R., Aparício, Perseu da Silva, da Silva, Joselane P. Gomes, de Toledo, José Julio, Guedes, Marcelino Carneiro, de Almeida, Danilo R. Alves, Higuchi, Niro, Wagner, Fabien H., Ometto, Jean Pierre and Görgens, Eric Bastos 2025. Mapping the density of giant trees in the Amazon. New Phytologist 10.1111/nph.70634

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Abstract

Tall trees (height ≥ 60 m) are keystone elements of tropical forests, strongly influencing biodiversity, carbon storage, and ecosystem resilience. Yet, their density and spatial distribution remain poorly quantified, especially in remote Amazonian regions, limiting our understanding of their ecological roles and contribution to forest–climate interactions. We combined airborne LiDAR data from 900 transects across the Brazilian Amazon with environmental predictors to model tall-tree density. Spatial extrapolations allowed us to generate regional distribution estimates and assess associations with climate, topography, and disturbance regimes. Our model predicts that tall trees are unevenly distributed, with c. 14% of the estimated density concentrated in c. 1% of the Amazon and c. 50% within c. 11%. The highest densities occur in Roraima and the Guiana Shield provinces, where water availability is high and lightning or storm incidence is low. Modeled density strongly correlates with aboveground biomass, highlighting the disproportionate contribution of tall trees to carbon stocks. We estimate c. 55.5 million tall trees across the Brazilian Amazon. These findings demonstrate that tall-tree distribution is a crucial but underused predictor for biomass models. Understanding their ecological and spatial dynamics is vital for forest conservation and climate-resilience strategies under increasing anthropogenic pressures.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Published Online
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > Earth and Environmental Sciences
Publisher:	Wiley
ISSN:	0028-646X
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	17 October 2025
Date of Acceptance:	22 September 2025
Last Modified:	20 Oct 2025 10:00
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/181737

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