NewsClimateSpecies in India endure potentially damaging highs for about 10 minutes perSpecies in India endure potentially damaging highs for about 10 minutes per day Trees in Indias Western Ghat mountains (shown) endure extreme high temperatures for about 10 minutes per day during the hottest months of the year, new research shows. While thats not enough time to permanently damage tree leaves, it could impact other aspects of tree health. Akhil JavadBy Siddhant Pusdekar13 seconds agoEcologist Akhil Javad felt the thrill of fieldwork quickly fade when he was faced with the prospect of scaling trees over five times his height. But for some of the trees he was studying in Indias Western Ghat mountains, that was the only way to take their temperature.So, Javad got climbing. Sensors that he placed on leaves in the upper canopy are providing unprecedented insights into how tropical forests are weathering global warming. The findings suggest that the trees may be in better shape than scientists thought, he and colleagues report in the February Global Change Biology.Ecologist Akhil Javad (shown) and colleagues found that tropical trees ability to photosynthesize may be more resilient to rising global temperatures than previously thought.Akhil JavadIn the summer, which lasts from March through June in the region, daily high temperatures in the mountains can cross 37 Celsius and are projected to rise by about 4 degrees Celsius in the next 60 years. That could be a problem for trees, since leaves can get much hotter than the surrounding air.As the temperature of a leaf rises, its ability to harness sunlight to make sugar and oxygen becomes less efficient. On average, when leaves surpass 46.7 C, their photosynthetic machinery shuts down, lab studies have shown. When that happens, trees dont get the energy they need. Many trees in the tropics are already experiencing temperatures beyond that average limit.