To absorb and store carbon, trees have to stay alive, but increasingly, trees in the Amazon are doing the opposite. Now, scientists know why.

According to a new study published Monday in the journal Nature Communications, a tree species' mean growth rate is the primary risk factor for tree death in the Amazon. Researchers found faster-growing trees are more likely to die young.

The findings help explain why tree mortality is increasing throughout the Amazon. Previous studies suggest climate change favors faster-growing tree species. That's bad news for the planet.

If rising temperatures continue to alter the composition of forests, favoring faster-growers, the Amazon is likely to experience a continued increase in tree mortality. As a result, the latest research suggests the Amazon's carbon sequestrations abilities are bound to suffer.

"Understanding the main drivers of tree death allows us to better predict and plan for future trends -- but this is a huge undertaking as there are more than 15,000 different tree species in the Amazon," lead author Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert, an ecologist with the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research, said in a news release.

Tree death is relatively rare, making it difficult to study. To gain insight, Esquivel-Muelbert and her research partners utilized the RAINFOR network, a database compiled by 100 different scientists over the last three decades.

Researchers analyzed the growth rate data of 124,000 living trees, 18,000 of which died during the 30-year data collection period. Scientists investigated the cause of death for each of the 18,000 deaths.

"This involves detailed, forensic work and amounts to a massive 'CSI Amazon' effort conducted by skilled investigators from a dozen nations," Oliver Phillips, professor of ecology at the University of Leeds.

The detailed forensic work helped scientists determine that faster-growing trees were more likely to die young.

"Now that we can see more clearly what is going on across the whole forest, there are clear opportunities for action," said Beatriz Marimon, a researcher with the Mato Grosso State University in Brazil.

"We find that drought is also driving tree death, but so far only in the south of the Amazon. What is happening here should serve as an early warning system as we need to prevent the same fate overtaking trees elsewhere," said Marimon.

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