Seasonally Dry Tropical Forests: Biodiversity, Functional Ecology and Climate Change

Seasonally dry tropical forests are among the most biodiverse, yet most threatened and least protected, ecosystems on Earth. This Research Topic brings together research that closes the most pressing gaps in their ecology, conservation and restoration. We seek to advance five priority areas: the integration of functional ecology with climate-change responses; macroecological and global comparative analyses; the application of artificial intelligence and ecological big data; socio-ecological and governance approaches; and restoration grounded in natural processes such as rewilding and nucleation. By assembling evidence across regions and disciplines, the collection aims to move the field beyond description toward prediction and action, offering tools and frameworks that support the sustainable management and recovery of these ecosystems under global change.

Interest in seasonally dry tropical forests has grown markedly over recent decades, yet they remain among the most threatened and least protected ecosystems worldwide. Current research clusters around four themes: ecological restoration; climate change and water stress; ecosystem services and carbon; and functional ecology and biodiversity, increasingly supported by advanced technologies such as remote sensing and predictive climate models. Significant gaps persist. The most striking is geographic: most studies concentrate in Latin America — particularly Mexico, Brazil and Costa Rica— while Asia and Africa remain markedly underrepresented. Further gaps concern the mechanisms of natural regeneration, the social and human dimension of these landscapes, and species- and community-level responses to a changing climate.

We welcome Original Research, Reviews, Methods and other Frontiers article types that address one or more of the following themes: functional ecology and plant physiological responses; predictive and mechanistic modelling; macroecological and global comparative studies; ecological restoration strategies, including rewilding and nucleation; the use of remote sensing, artificial intelligence and ecological big data; and socio-ecological and governance approaches. Studies applying AI or big data should be framed around a clear question in forest ecology or global change, rather than the tool itself. We particularly encourage contributions from Asia and Africa, and comparative work spanning multiple regions, to build a more balanced global picture of these ecosystems.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Seasonally dry tropical forests, Functional ecology, Climate change, Ecological restoration, Natural regeneration, Socio-ecological governance, Remote sensing and artificial intelligence

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.