Aspen, climate, and sudden decline in western USA

Rehfeldt, Gerald E.; Ferguson, Dennis E.; Crookston, Nicholas L.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2009.06.005

Cited by 220 publications

(214 citation statements)

References 26 publications

(48 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

195

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…The great potential for broad-scale integrated research into range changes is demonstrated by research in trembling aspen. In this species, a combination of techniques including longterm monitoring, dendroecological analyses, forest inventory data and modelling studies are being used to understand and predict range changes over broad regions of North America [7,28,48,49,72]. Remote-sensing techniques can help here, for example, with the use of indices such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), which is a good estimator of total green biomass [73].…”

Section: Methodological Difficultiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Minimum temperatures are particularly important in limiting the poleward (see Glossary) expansion of plant species, whereas limited water availability interacts with high temperatures to exert a direct climatic limitation on their expansion in the opposite, or equatorial, direction in many regions [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. Changes in climate are, therefore, predicted to alter the geographic distribution of plant species at global to local scales.…”

Section: Climate Change and Shifting Plant Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Synchronous mortality might occur suddenly and over a large area in response to climate change [4] but the spatial pattern of drought-induced dieback often shows preferential mortality along the drier and lower fringes of tree species distributions [4,7,[28][29][30]48,55]. The processes and rates of carbon sequestration are expected to vary as a consequence of the onset and duration of such forest dieback [21,24,78], with the effect of reduced uptake potentially being magnified by increases in carbon released from tree decomposition [31].…”

Section: Carbon Sequestrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Distributional modelling studies need to consider explicitly ecological processes at the trailing edge and resulting population dynamics [25,39,86,87]. Forest inventory data can provide a valuable resource for modelling studies, as recent work assessing potential future range changes in trembling aspen demonstrates [7]. Monitoring must include sites across the range of a species while ensuring that trailing range-edge populations are monitored in sensitive as well as locally favourable sites.…”

Section: Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Consequently, rapid lowland range retractions might be imminent, with large-scale dieback poised to occur on a sub-continental scale in some species, as recent reports from North America demonstrate [5,7,30,37,46,47,55,72]. Such impacts will result in significant changes to plant community composition and associated biodiversity, ecosystem function and carbon dynamics.…”

Section: Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

The altitude-for-latitude disparity in the range retractions of woody species

Jump

Mátyás

Peñuelas

2009

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

418

369

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Increasing temperatures are driving rapid upward range shifts of species in mountains. An altitudinal range retreat of 10 m is predicted to translate into a $10-km latitudinal retreat based on the rate at which temperatures decline with increasing altitude and latitude, yet reports of latitudinal range retractions are sparse. Here, we examine potential climatic, biological, anthropogenic and methodological explanations for this disparity. We argue that the lack of reported latitudinal range retractions stems more from a lack of research effort, compounded by methodological difficulties, rather than from their absence. Given the predicted negative impacts of increasing temperatures on wide areas of the latitudinal distributions of species, the investigation of range retractions should become a priority in biogeographical research.Climate change and shifting plant distribution The geographical distribution of plants is strongly influenced by climate [1]. Minimum temperatures are particularly important in limiting the poleward (see Glossary) expansion of plant species, whereas limited water availability interacts with high temperatures to exert a direct climatic limitation on their expansion in the opposite, or equatorial, direction in many regions [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. Changes in climate are, therefore, predicted to alter the geographic distribution of plant species at global to local scales.Contemporary plant range shifts are most frequently reported from mountain regions, with elevational shifts of the mountain treeline being the most commonly documented response to increasing temperatures [8][9][10][11][12]. The distributions of species in mountain regions are typically restricted to relatively narrow and well-delineated altitudinal bands, in comparison with often broad and poorly defined latitudinal distributions in the lowlands. This strong altitudinal zonation of mountain vegetation, and its climatic sensitivity [13], makes mountains ideal 'natural laboratories' and favoured locations for the study of climate change impacts worldwide [13][14][15].The altitudinal compression of montane vegetation zones is due to a rapid decrease in temperature with increasing elevation ($5-6.5 8C per 1000 m) [3,14], which contrasts with a similar temperature decline occurring over $1000 km of latitude (6.9 8C at 458 N or S) [3]. An implication of this altitude-for-latitude temperature model is that general biogeographical patterns resulting from the climatic limitations imposed on plants in mountains should also be observed in neighbouring lowland regions with similar temperature and moisture regimes. Distributional shifts already observed in mountain plants [8,[16][17][18] should, therefore, be mirrored by lowland range changes occurring over distances that are several orders of magnitude larger (Figure 1).Here, we discuss the implications of the altitude-forlatitude model for shifts in plant distributions and examine why lowland range shifts, particularly range retractions, are rarely reported. We discuss potential climati...

show abstract

Section: Methodological Difficultiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Climate Change and Shifting Plant Distributionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Carbon Sequestrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Future Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

The altitude-for-latitude disparity in the range retractions of woody species

Jump

Mátyás

Peñuelas

2009

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

418

369

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Diné kinship as a framework for conserving native tree species in climate change

Yazzie

Fulé

Kim

et al. 2019

Ecological Applications

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Climate change affects all ecosystems but despite increasing recognition for the needs to integrate Indigenous knowledge with modern climate science, the epistemological differences between the two make it challenging. In this study, we present how Indigenous belief and knowledge system can frame the application of a modeling tool (Climate‐Forest Vegetation Simulator). We focus on managing forest ecosystem services of the Diné (Navajo) Nation as a case study. Most Diné tribal members depend directly on the land for their livelihoods and cultural traditions. The forest plays a vital role in Diné livelihoods through social, cultural, spiritual, subsistence, and economic factors. We simulated forest dynamics over time under alternative climate change scenarios and management strategies to identify forest management strategies that will maintain future ecosystem services. We initialized the Climate‐Forest Vegetation Simulator model with data from permanent plots and site‐specific growth models under multiple management systems (no‐management, thinning, burning, and assisted migration planting) and different climate scenarios (no‐climate‐change, RCP 4.5, RCP 6.0). Projections of climate change show average losses of basal area by over 65% by 2105, a shift in tree species composition to drier‐adapted species, and a decrease in species diversity. While substantial forest loss was inevitable under the warming climate scenarios, the modeling framework allowed us to evaluate the management treatments, including planting, for conserving multiple tree species in mixed conifer forests, thus providing an anchor for biodiversity. We presented the modeling results and management implications and discuss how they can complement Diné kinship concepts. Our approach is a useful step for framing modern science with Indigenous Knowledge and for developing improved strategies to sustain natural resources and livelihoods.

show abstract

Climate and disturbance influence self‐sustaining stand dynamics of aspen (Populus tremuloides) near its range margin

Shinneman

McIlroy

2019

Ecological Applications

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Species that are primarily seral may form stable (self‐sustaining) communities under certain disturbance regimes or environmental conditions, yet such populations may also be particularly vulnerable to ecological change. Aspen (Populus spp.) are generally considered seral throughout the Northern Hemisphere, including P. tremuloides, the most widely distributed tree species in North America. Recent declines in aspen populations have occurred, especially along drought‐sensitive margins of its range and where fire exclusion and herbivory have promoted community transition. However, aspen also forms stable stands, and examination of the mechanisms that influence persistence can offer conservation insights, especially where populations are vulnerable to changing climate or altered disturbance dynamics. We sampled tree age and stand characteristics of isolated aspen forests in the arid Great Basin (USA) to determine if (1) aspen communities are more fire‐dependent and seral or fire‐independent and stable; (2) ungulate browsing inhibits aspen stability; and (3) temporal patterns of vegetative reproduction (i.e., ramet establishment or “suckering”) are correlated with climate. Aspen size and age class densities strongly fit negative exponential distributions, whether grouped geographically or by functional type, suggesting landscape‐scale persistence. Continuous age distributions and high proportions of recruitment‐sized to overstory trees suggest stability at stand scales, with exceptions including stands with higher browsing pressure. Few stands had evidence of fire, and relationships between dead tree size and variability in live tree size suggest a lack of fire dependency. Several 5‐yr averaged climate variables and one sea surface temperature index were correlated with aspen ramet establishment densities over time, with strongest relationships occurring ~5 yr prior to establishment year, often followed by inverse relationships ~1 yr after. Indeed, aspen establishment density for a recent 41‐yr period was reliably reconstructed using antecedent climate conditions derived from a single drought index. Temporally synchronized aspen ramet establishment across the study region may be due to climate‐driven storage of nonstructural carbohydrate reserves in clonal root systems later used for regeneration. Complex regeneration dynamics of these self‐sustaining aspen stands, especially sensitivity to climate variability, suggest they may serve as harbingers of ecological change in the arid Great Basin and in other aspen populations near their range margin.

show abstract

Aspen, climate, and sudden decline in western USA

Cited by 220 publications

References 26 publications

The altitude-for-latitude disparity in the range retractions of woody species

The altitude-for-latitude disparity in the range retractions of woody species

Diné kinship as a framework for conserving native tree species in climate change

Climate and disturbance influence self‐sustaining stand dynamics of aspen (Populus tremuloides) near its range margin

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About