Contrasting effects of environmental change on the radial growth of co-occurring beech and fir trees across Europe

Bošeľa, Michal; Lukáč, Martin; Castagneri, Daniele; Sedmák, Róbert; Biber, Peter; Carrer, Marco; Konôpka, Bohdan; Nola, Paola; Nagel, Thomas A.; Popa, Ionel; Roibu, Cătălin-Constantin; Svoboda, Miroslav; Trotsiuk, Volodymyr; Büntgen, Ulf

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.09.092

Cited by 91 publications

(71 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…In accordance with the second part of our hypothesis, beech displayed more negative growth (BAI) trends compared to fir across our sites but the temporal trajectories of BAI complementarity were positive and did not differ between the two species. Similarly, another European-wide study has reported declining growth trends in European beech but not in silver fir growing in mixed stands for a similar period, concluding that fir is less susceptible to warmer and drier conditions than beech (Bosela et al, 2018). Our findings with regard temporal trends of complementarity and growth should be interpreted with caution, however, as we analyzed only the most recent 16 years.…”

Section: Mixing Effects On Overall Growth Performance and Over Timementioning

confidence: 58%

Benefits of Mixtures on Growth Performance of Silver Fir (Abies alba) and European Beech (Fagus sylvatica) Increase With Tree Size Without Reducing Drought Tolerance

Schwarz

Bauhus

2019

Front. For. Glob. Change

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To mitigate negative impacts of drought stress in the face of climate change, mixtures of tree species such as those between European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and silver fir (Abies alba) are assumed to lower risks in forest management. This study investigates the influence of mixing beech and fir on tree growth in general and in particular on tree species responses to the extreme drought event of 2003. For this purpose, we analyzed basal area increment series and carbon isotope composition (δ 13 C) in wood of ∼160 trees from three mixed-species sites in Germany and one site in Croatia. Overall growth performance for both fir and beech increased with proportions of the admixed species when accounting for the interactions with tree size and competition intensity. Mixing improved growth of large trees for both species irrespective of neighborhood density, whereas smaller trees benefitted only in denser neighborhoods. Positive mixing effects on radial growth were more pronounced in fir compared to beech, yet the latter benefitted by admixture of fir with regard to growth recovery following drought. Both the resistance of radial growth against reduction during drought as well as the variation of isotopic composition throughout the drought period were not affected by mixing, indicating that water-use in these two species was not complementary under drought stress. Although trees from both species exhibited growth reductions during the drought, fir maintained higher absolute growth levels than beech during the drought. Both species benefited from growing in mixed neighborhoods but complementary effects depended on tree size and neighborhood density. Mixing fir and beech leads to positive or neutral effects on growth performance of trees, also in response to an extreme drought event. Since increasing tree species richness also spreads the risks associated with extreme events, mixtures of beech and fir can be recommended as a possible alternative for more drought-sensitive stands such as spruce monocultures.

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Section: Mixing Effects On Overall Growth Performance and Over Timementioning

confidence: 58%

Benefits of Mixtures on Growth Performance of Silver Fir (Abies alba) and European Beech (Fagus sylvatica) Increase With Tree Size Without Reducing Drought Tolerance

Schwarz

Bauhus

2019

Front. For. Glob. Change

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“…Yet another potential driver of the higher foliar P in silver fir needles of the CRO stand may be (6) the length of the vegetation period that is affected either by altitudes (EMM vs. CON) or by a more southerly location of the CRO forest site with shorter day length (21st of June: 17:03 h at the CON and 15:30 h at the CRO forest site (https ://www.sunri se-and-sunse t.com)). In addition, (7) the significant warming trend from 1990 to 2010 is accompanied by a decline in beech growth, whereas silver fir growth increased (Bosela et al 2018). As at the CRO forest complementation of basal area index of silver fir by beech was positive (around 40%), that of beech by silver fir was negative (approx.…”

Section: P Nutrition Of Abies Alba Needlesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Foliar P nutrition of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) depends on the season but remains unaffected by co-cultivation with silver fir (Abies alba Mill.)

et al. 2020

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Beech (Fagus sylvatica) and silver fir (Abies alba) are often cultivated in mixed stands and, hence, compete for water and nutrients. Besides nitrogen (N), also phosphorus (P) is an important nutrient for growth and development. Beech trees in Central Europe grow on both P-poor and P-rich soils, thereby showing similar growth and low variation in foliar P. The central aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that variations in foliar P contents of beech are driven by seasonal changes rather than by the competition with silver fir. It was further hypothesized that P contents in silver fir needles depend on needle age and forest site. To test these hypotheses, P contents and P fractions, i.e. organic-bound P (Porg) and inorganic phosphate P (Pi), were measured in the foliage of beech trees from pure beech and mixed beech/silver fir plots as well as in needles of silver fir of the mixed plots. The forest sites investigated are located in Central Europe in the Black Forest, Germany, and in Croatia near the south-eastern distribution limit of beech and are all poor in plant-available soil P. The analyses showed that the main driver of P contents and P fractions in beech leaves at all forest sites is the season and that competition with silver fir had no effect. Hence, the present results demonstrate the high plasticity of beech trees to adapt to both poor plant-available soil P and competition with silver fir. Total P contents of silver fir needles were higher at the Croatian site compared to the Black Forest sites and originated from higher foliar Pi contents. One third of the P present in current-year needles in late summer was remobilized and exported until the needles reached the age of 1 year. The difference in P contents between current-year and 1-year-old needles can be seen as the amount of P resorbed from 1-year-old needles in summer during the generation of new needles to support the P demand of current-year needles for growth and development.

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“…The downregulation of photosynthesis after the extreme drought and heat wave, which hit Central Europe in the summer of 2003, reduced the productivity of beech forests (Bosela et al 2018;Leuzinger et al 2005;van der Werf et al 2007). A decline in beech productivity in response to drought stress was also recorded in Mediterranean Europe (Jump et al 2006;Piovesan et al 2008), though populationspecific vulnerability to drought might be mitigated to some extent by acclimation (Dittmar et al 2003;Pretzsch et al 2020a;Tegel et al 2014;Tognetti et al 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

European beech stem diameter grows better in mixed than in mono-specific stands at the edge of its distribution in mountain forests

et al. 2020

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Recent studies show that several tree species are spreading to higher latitudes and elevations due to climate change. European beech, presently dominating from the colline to the subalpine vegetation belt, is already present in upper montane subalpine forests and has a high potential to further advance to higher elevations in European mountain forests, where the temperature is predicted to further increase in the near future. Although essential for adaptive silviculture, it remains unknown whether the upward shift of beech could be assisted when it is mixed with Norway spruce or silver fir compared with mono-specific stands, as the species interactions under such conditions are hardly known. In this study, we posed the general hypotheses that the growth depending on age of European beech in mountain forests was similar in mono-specific and mixed-species stands and remained stable over time and space in the last two centuries. The scrutiny of these hypotheses was based on increment coring of 1240 dominant beech trees in 45 plots in mono-specific stands of beech and in 46 mixed mountain forests. We found that (i) on average, mean tree diameter increased linearly with age. The age trend was linear in both forest types, but the slope of the age–growth relationship was higher in mono-specific than in mixed mountain forests. (ii) Beech growth in mono-specific stands was stronger reduced with increasing elevation than that in mixed-species stands. (iii) Beech growth in mono-specific stands was on average higher than beech growth in mixed stands. However, at elevations > 1200 m, growth of beech in mixed stands was higher than that in mono-specific stands. Differences in the growth patterns among elevation zones are less pronounced now than in the past, in both mono-specific and mixed stands. As the higher and longer persisting growth rates extend the flexibility of suitable ages or size for tree harvest and removal, the longer-lasting growth may be of special relevance for multi-aged silviculture concepts. On top of their function for structure and habitat improvement, the remaining old trees may grow more in mass and value than assumed so far.

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Contrasting effects of environmental change on the radial growth of co-occurring beech and fir trees across Europe

Cited by 91 publications

References 48 publications

Benefits of Mixtures on Growth Performance of Silver Fir (Abies alba) and European Beech (Fagus sylvatica) Increase With Tree Size Without Reducing Drought Tolerance

Benefits of Mixtures on Growth Performance of Silver Fir (Abies alba) and European Beech (Fagus sylvatica) Increase With Tree Size Without Reducing Drought Tolerance

Foliar P nutrition of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) depends on the season but remains unaffected by co-cultivation with silver fir (Abies alba Mill.)

European beech stem diameter grows better in mixed than in mono-specific stands at the edge of its distribution in mountain forests

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