Do adult trees increase conspecific juvenile resilience to recurrent droughts? Implications for forest regeneration

Abstract

Recruitment is a bottleneck for forest regeneration especially in semi‐arid Mediterranean environments. Ensuring natural forest regeneration is vital for preserving ecosystem function under climate warming and increased frequency and intensity of extreme droughts. Interspecific positive interactions are of paramount importance in these ecosystems. The net outcome of conspecific plant interactions in semi‐arid forests, however, has been less explored, particularly the range of environmental conditions for which juveniles benefit from nursing effects. We evaluated the direction and magnitude of intraspecific relationships between adults and juveniles of Pinus pinaster in a dry continental Mediterranean forest in the Iberian Peninsula. We measured the longitudinal shoot elongation of the last 15 yr and foliar functional traits in pine saplings growing under the canopy of adult pines and in open habitats. We examined the growth response to precipitation and the resilience and resistance of growth to two extreme drought events in 2005 and 2012. Our results show likely facilitation of saplings by adult conspecifics. Nursed saplings had a greater size relative to age, longer needles, and faster shoot elongation than saplings in open habitats. In addition, saplings under the canopy were more resistant and resilient to the first severe drought event. However, saplings grown in open habitats were more resilient to the second drought event, which might suggest a shift in the net balance of conspecific interactions with increased drought frequency and with tree ontogeny. These results have a direct application for the adaptation and restoration of semi‐arid forest ecosystems under climate change. Currently, adults are used as nurse plants to enhance survival and growth of juveniles. However, this positive effect on sapling performance might shift to negative under scenarios of increasing frequency and intensity of drought events.

Tree Mortality After a Hot Drought: Distinguishing Density-Dependent and -Independent Drivers and Why It Matters

“…See Table 2 for an explanation of variable names. (Andivia et al, 2018). Ashe juniper woodlands occur at cusp of semi-arid conditions and the overwhelming dominance of Ashe juniper would be expected to intensify intraspecific competition.…”

Seasonal adjustment of primary and secondary growth in maritime pine under simulated climatic changes

“…Gray-shaded area corresponds to the water exclusion period and the oblique lines area to the extra irrigation treatment translocation of water, nutrients, and signaling molecules (Baucher et al 2007). In their early life stages, trees invest most of their resources in establishing in a forest (Andivia et al 2018;Vieira et al 2018); thus, it is expected that under favorable conditions, saplings will present higher increments in primary growth.…”

Artificial Top Soil Drought Hardly Affects Water Use of Picea abies and Larix decidua Saplings at the Treeline in the Austrian Alps

“…It therefore remains to be investigated whether the surprisingly high drought resistance of saplings of the two conifer species at the treeline also holds for mature trees. Such studies, ideally based on long-term experiments manipulating both precipitation and evaporative demand, would also be important for understanding drought effects on forest regeneration under climate warming, as there is evidence that adult trees can enhance the survival and growth of saplings in a future warmer environment [51].…”