Climate Warming and Drought in the Bialowieza Forest from 1950–2015 and Their Impact on the Dieback of Norway Spruce Stands

Boczoń, Andrzej; Kowalska, Anna; Ksepko, Marek; Sokołowski, Karol

doi:10.3390/w10111502

Cited by 46 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…In addition to legacies of disturbance history, general environmental changes, like climate change and atmospheric N deposition may account for some observed dynamics. In comparison to the 19th century, the current climate in Białowieża Forest is warmer (especially during winter) and, probably more importantly, drier (Bernadzki et al, ; Boczoń, Kowalska, Ksepko, & Sokołowski, ; Kowalski, ). Białowieża Forest is located in the traditionally defined transitional zone between boreal and nemoral climates (Faliński, ), where such changes might be particularly consequential for competitive interactions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Over 80 years without major disturbance, late‐successional Białowieża woodlands exhibit complex dynamism, with coherent compositional shifts towards true old‐growth conditions

et al. 2020

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1. Controversies about successional dynamics of woodland communities have a long history, dating back to the classical debates between Clements and Gleason and continuing into the present. These debates have largely concerned the predictability or convergence of forest developmental trends as well as the relative importance of different mechanisms and forces driving forest succession. However, opportunities for rigorous testing of competing hypotheses are limited, mainly because plot-based studies of forest vegetation spanning more than a decade are scarce and even fewer concern late-successional stands.2. We exploit a unique long-term dataset from mesic temperate forests of eastern Poland, spanning c. 80 years in strictly protected, late-successional woodlands assigned to seven different 'structural types'. We use non-metric multidimensional scaling to assess the stability of species composition over the study period.We examine the predictability of composition and change trajectories over time usingMantel statistics, and we examine the changes in distributions of dissimilarity indices to assess convergence or divergence at the examined time and spatial scales. Tree communities inBiałowieża Forest have changed substantially over the last eight decades. Several species (aspen, birch, pine, oak, ash, maple and spruce) exhibited large decreases in density, while a few other species (especially hornbeam and lime) have increased in importance across a wide range of initial compositional types. Forest types recognized in earlier periods have become much less distinguishable. Metrics do not yet show clear successional convergence, mainly due to (a) decline in the previously broadly distributed spruce and (b) persistence of large individuals of intermediate, long-lived species (even though these species lack significant regeneration). 4. Synthesis. Late-successional woodland communities of Białowieża Forest are clearly dynamic and do not show quasi-equilibrial properties often assumed of old-growth forests. Forest types previously recognized as distinct have become This is an open access article under the terms of the Creat ive Commo ns Attri bution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Over 80 years without major disturbance, late‐successional Białowieża woodlands exhibit complex dynamism, with coherent compositional shifts towards true old‐growth conditions

et al. 2020

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“…Such old-growth stands have been preserved in the extensive Białowieża Forest (c. 1500 km 2 ) which straddles the Polish-Belarusian border. The regional climate is subcontinental with annual mean temperatures during May–July of 13–18 °C, and mean annual precipitation ranging between 426 and 940 mm [ 31 , 32 ]. The altitude ranges from 134–140 m to 200 m a.s.l.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interspecific attraction between ground-nesting songbirds and ants: the role of nest-site selection

et al. 2021

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Background Interspecific interactions within ecological networks can influence animal fitness and behaviour, including nest-site selection of birds and ants. Previous studies revealed that nesting birds and ants may benefit from cohabitation, with interspecific attraction through their nest-site choice, but mutual interactions have not yet been tested. We explored a previously undescribed ecological link between ground-nesting birds and ants raising their own broods (larvae and pupae) within the birds’ nests in a temperate primeval forest of lowland Europe. We tested whether the occurrence of ant broods within bird nests resulted from a mutual or one-sided interspecific attraction that operated through nest-site choice and was modified by weather conditions. Results We found a non-random occupation of bird nests by ants raising their own broods within them, which indicated interspecific attraction driven solely by the ants. The birds’ preference to nest near tussocks of vegetation showed little overlap with the most frequent placement of ant colonies among fallen deciduous tree-leaves, dead wood and moss. Additionally, birds did not appear to select forest localities with high densities of ant colonies. The occurrence of ant broods within bird nests was also unrelated to bird nest placement near to specific habitat features. The attractiveness of bird nests to ants appeared to increase with the thermal activity of the birds warming their nests, and also during cool and wet weather when the occurrence of ant broods within bird nests was most frequent. Ants often remained in the nests after the birds had vacated them, with only a slight reduction in the probability of ant brood occurrence over time. Conclusions The natural patterns of bird nest colonisation by ants support the hypothesis of ants’ attraction to warm nests of birds to raise their broods under advantageous thermal conditions. Similar relationships may occur between other warm-blooded, nest-building vertebrates and nest-dwelling invertebrates, which depend on ambient temperatures. The findings advance our understanding of these poorly recognised interspecific interactions, and can inform future studies of ecological networks.

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“…The mean annual temperature (MAT) for the same period was 6.8 °C, with extreme values in 1996 (5.0 °C) and 1989 (8.9 °C). During the period 1950-2015 the MAT increased by 1.27 °C [43], with winter half-year warming much faster than the summer. Despite increasing temperatures and advancing spring [44], the length of the vegetation season did not change [41].…”

Section: Climatementioning

confidence: 99%

Białowieża Forest—A Relic of the High Naturalness of European Forests

Jaroszewicz

Cholewińska

Gutowski³

et al. 2019

Forests

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In Europe only some small isolated patches of forests with a high degree of naturalness still exist. These are forests, whose structure, composition and function has been shaped by natural dynamics without substantial anthropogenic influence over the long period. In this respect, Białowieża Forest is a unique location in Europe, with continuous forest cover for close to 12,000 years. The palynological, archaeological and historical data document only a weak anthropogenic fingerprint compared to other European lowland forests in Holocene history. Due to long-lasting protection, a large portion of the forest is still composed of stands originating from the pre-silvicultural period. Moreover, the stands of Białowieża Forest converted by silvicultural activities during the 20th century have the potential to recover owing to patches of stands with high naturalness, scattered throughout the forest. As conflict over management of the forest has recurred regularly for close to century, there is a need to summarize our knowledge on the forest history and natural assets, to help making scientifically informed decisions over its future. Expansion of a non-intervention approach to the Polish part of the forest is suggested to increase the stability of the entire ecosystem and enhance the chances for its successful adaptation to changing environmental conditions. This will increase the importance of Białowieża Forest as an open-door laboratory for biology, ecology, and forestry.

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Climate Warming and Drought in the Bialowieza Forest from 1950–2015 and Their Impact on the Dieback of Norway Spruce Stands

Cited by 46 publications

References 39 publications

Over 80 years without major disturbance, late‐successional Białowieża woodlands exhibit complex dynamism, with coherent compositional shifts towards true old‐growth conditions

Over 80 years without major disturbance, late‐successional Białowieża woodlands exhibit complex dynamism, with coherent compositional shifts towards true old‐growth conditions

Interspecific attraction between ground-nesting songbirds and ants: the role of nest-site selection

Białowieża Forest—A Relic of the High Naturalness of European Forests

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