Impact of climate change may be equivalent to 3.3 million years of transformations in tropical vegetation

The tropics cover less than one-third of Earth's surface but are home to more than half of all known species.

Forests, savannas, grasslands and deserts: A vast array of environments stretches along the planet's equatorial belt.

This diversity, however, is not static.

It is the result of millions of years of changes that have reshaped the tropical landscape time and again. ...