Drought‐induced tree death in savanna

Fensham, R. J.; Fairfax, R. J.; Ward, Douglas

doi:10.1111/j.1365-2486.2008.01718.x

Cited by 216 publications

(177 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Comparable dieback events are reported in Chilean cedar (Austrocedrus chilensis) at the forest-steppe ecotone in Northern Patagonia [50] and from European beech in Northern Eurasia [51], eucalypts in northeast Australia [52] and various trees and shrubs in the Mediterranean [53]. Furthermore, a recent review of such dieback events reports that they are occurring with increasing frequency [54].…”

Section: Forest Dieback In Lowland Regionsmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…The studies cited above [5,[46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53]58] provide compelling evidence of increased mortality within the lowland distribution of various woody species, in some cases at subcontinental scales [5,47,48]. These mortality events are linked directly or indirectly to increasing temperatures, yet observed regional mass mortality remains poorly linked with the range retractions predicted to accompany current and future global temperature changes.…”

Section: Disparity Between Altitudinal and Latitudinal Range Shiftsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

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Mátyás

Peñuelas

2009

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

427

369

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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...

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Section: Forest Dieback In Lowland Regionsmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Disparity Between Altitudinal and Latitudinal Range Shiftsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

Jump

Mátyás

Peñuelas

2009

Trends in Ecology & Evolution

427

369

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“…At the same time, forest-steppe communities are responsive to aridization (Allen and Breshears, 2007;Frelich and Reich, 2009;Bailey, 2011) because forests are critically dependent on wetness. Prolonged water deficits stipulate extensive tree die-offs (Fensham et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Soil-moisture conditions indicated by field-layer plants help identify vulnerable forests in the forest-steppe of semi-arid Southern Siberia

Anenkhonov

Korolyuk

Санданов

et al. 2015

Ecological Indicators

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a b s t r a c tHigh variability in soil-moisture conditions is typical for semi-arid forest-steppe ecosystems where precipitation varies greatly over time. Plant species that inhabit these environments integrate responses to broadly fluctuating wetness conditions. Indirect assessment of contrasting habitat wetness based on plant indicator values, species frequency, and species coverage was carried out in two sites representing the larch (Larix sibirica) and pine (Pinus sylvestris) forest-steppe communities. For the larch forest-steppe, we found that plant community composition and spatial structure depended strongly on wetness. In addition, we found that the vegetation was clearly differentiated into forest stands and steppe communities, depending on the slope aspect. There was also a strong correlation between dissimilarities of species composition and differences in habitat wetness revealed in the larch forest-steppe. In contrast, soil properties, such as gravel and stone content were found to be a key factor in the spatial distribution of plant species composition in the pine-forest-steppe communities. Indirect assessment of moisture conditions in the forest-steppe habitats, based on the field-layer plant species, was found to be preferable for indicating soil water deficits in the forest. Furthermore, as long-term observational data is often lacking, indirect assessment of the forest-steppe vegetation provides an opportunity to identify vulnerable forests at the marginal distribution. Based on indirect assessments of soil-moisture conditions, and taking into account differences in potential drought resistance between larch and pine forests, we concluded that increasing aridity will cause the replacement of Siberian larch by Scots pine in the South Siberian forest-steppe landscape. Consequently, in the future it is likely that forest-steppe typological diversity will decrease, and the semi-arid landscape may become more monotonous.

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“…The effects of drought on vegetation under warmer conditions can be severe, as highlighted by recent regional-scale woodyplant die-off across the southwestern United States (3-6) and around the globe (7)(8)(9)(10). Worldwide, many coniferous tree species are experiencing widespread, historically unprecedented mortality, mainly as a result of drought and the eruption of tree pests, such as bark beetles (1,3,(7)(8)(9)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Temperature sensitivity of drought-induced tree mortality portends increased regional die-off under global-change-type drought

Adams

Guardiola‐Claramonte

Barron‐Gafford

et al. 2009

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

885

706

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Large-scale biogeographical shifts in vegetation are predicted in response to the altered precipitation and temperature regimes associated with global climate change. Vegetation shifts have profound ecological impacts and are an important climate-ecosystem feedback through their alteration of carbon, water, and energy exchanges of the land surface. Of particular concern is the potential for warmer temperatures to compound the effects of increasingly severe droughts by triggering widespread vegetation shifts via woody plant mortality. The sensitivity of tree mortality to temperature is dependent on which of 2 non-mutually-exclusive mechanisms predominates-temperature-sensitive carbon starvation in response to a period of protracted water stress or temperature-insensitive sudden hydraulic failure under extreme water stress (cavitation). Here we show that experimentally induced warmer temperatures (Ϸ4°C) shortened the time to droughtinduced mortality in Pinus edulis (piñ on shortened pine) trees by nearly a third, with temperature-dependent differences in cumulative respiration costs implicating carbon starvation as the primary mechanism of mortality. Extrapolating this temperature effect to the historic frequency of water deficit in the southwestern United States predicts a 5-fold increase in the frequency of regional-scale tree die-off events for this species due to temperature alone. Projected increases in drought frequency due to changes in precipitation and increases in stress from biotic agents (e.g., bark beetles) would further exacerbate mortality. Our results demonstrate the mechanism by which warmer temperatures have exacerbated recent regional die-off events and background mortality rates. Because of pervasive projected increases in temperature, our results portend widespread increases in the extent and frequency of vegetation die-off.biosphere-atmosphere feedbacks ͉ drought impacts ͉ global-change ecology ͉ Pinus edulis ͉ carbon starvation

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Drought‐induced tree death in savanna

Cited by 216 publications

References 39 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

Soil-moisture conditions indicated by field-layer plants help identify vulnerable forests in the forest-steppe of semi-arid Southern Siberia

Temperature sensitivity of drought-induced tree mortality portends increased regional die-off under global-change-type drought

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