Q1. What are the current sources and sinks of carbon in the dry tropics?
H1 Tree harvesting and enhanced tree growth in the dry tropics represent major (i.e. Pg scale), currently unquantified, fluxes in the global C cycle.
Q2. Where and why is tree biomass increasing in the dry tropics?
H2 Elevated pCO2 is leading to widespread densification and expansion of woody vegetation across the dry tropics.
Q3. What role do biogeographic contingencies play in the carbon cycle of the dry tropics?
H3.1 Variation in the phylogenetic composition of tree floras drives significant geographic variation in the carbon cycle of the dry tropics.
H3.2 Such phylogenetic-function contingencies will lead to divergent responses to global change within and among continents.
Q4. What is the safe operating space for the dry tropics?
H4 Appropriate management actions can sustain the current structure of both open savanna and closed dry forest under global change.
