Climate extremes in the Amazon rainforest: unveiling the impacts of droughts on environmental processes

The Amazon rainforest is home for one of the richest biodiversities on the planet. Despite its huge geographical dimensions, the Amazon ecosystem is particularly vulnerable to environmental changes. For examples, changes in average precipitation can cause massive biodiversity loss and have serious consequences for local communities. In this context, climate change poses a big challenge for science. Currently, it is still unclear how the Amazon rainforest behaves under water stress conditions and to which extent it can adapt to climate variability. Solving these remaining questions is crucial for protecting the Amazon forest biodiversity and reducing vulnerability to climate change. This project will perform a comprehensive study aiming to identify the factors driving the capacity of the forest to resist to droughts.