Human-driven native extinctions and alien naturalizations are reshaping global tree diversity. Analysing traits and environmental niches of more than 31,000 species, we showed a global shift towards fast-growing, high-resource-use trees and that slow-growing species face a rising extinction risk, findings that have major implications for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access through your institution
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$32.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 digital issues and online access to articles
$119.00 per year
only $9.92 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to the full article PDF.
USD 39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Boonman, C. C. F. et al. More than 17,000 tree species are at risk from rapid global change. Nat. Commun. 15, 166 (2024). This paper evaluates species-specific exposure to change in major anthropogenic pressures over the past two decades for 32,090 tree species, and its outputs constitute a core data source for the current study.
Google Scholar
Pyšek, P. et al. Naturalized alien flora of the world. Preslia 89, 203–274 (2017). This review summarizes the details of over 13,000 naturalized alien plant species worldwide.
Google Scholar
Augusto, L. et al. Widespread slow growth of acquisitive tree species. Nature 640, 395–401 (2025). This paper reports a counterintuitive finding that fast-growing, acquisitive tree species are outperformed by slow-growing tree species in forest experiments, owing to a mismatch between experimentally favourable growth conditions and the intrinsic growth requirements of acquisitive taxa.
Google Scholar
Jensen, D. A. et al. The potential for using rare, native species in reforestation – a case study of yews (Taxaceae) in China. For. Ecol. Manage. 482, 118816 (2021). This paper presents a case study that shows how the use of rare, slow-growing tree species in reforestation can both enhance ecosystem services and support their conservation.
Google Scholar
Additional information
Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
This is a summary of: Guo, W.-Y. et al. Global functional shifts in trees driven by alien naturalization and native extinction. Nat. Plants https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-025-02207-2 (2026).
Rights and permissions
Reprints and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fast-growing alien trees surge as slow native species decline worldwide.
Nat. Plants (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-025-02213-4
Published:
Version of record:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-025-02213-4
Source: Ecology - nature.com
