Effects of Climate Change on Forest Regeneration in Central Spain

Abstract

The Mediterranean climate has dry and hot summers, which is harsh for plants, especially seedlings. During the 1950s and 1960s, most reforestations carried out in Central Spain, a Mediterranean climate area, were successful, but in recent decades an increasing difficulty in forest regeneration has been observed, often attributed to increased summer drought. This study analyses changes in climatic parameters related to forest regeneration through statistical treatment of meteorological data series from the mid-twentieth century to the present. Simple and multiple regressions and ANOVAs were performed for five parameters, considering annual, summer and extended summer values. Rainfall reduction and prolongation of the summer drought period were not statistically significant. The change that better explains regeneration problems is the increase in temperature, especially in July and August, which was mostly significant between 2002 and 2021. Raising temperatures increase the vapor pressure deficit, exacerbating drought effects and plant mortality. Climate change scenarios point to an increase in temperatures until 2100; thus, the tipping point for natural regeneration of some species could be passed. The most affected species are those at their ecological limit. It is necessary to facilitate the adaptation of these forests to climate change, since their future will depend on the actions carried out today.

Ecological Potential of Mediterranean Habitats for Black Pine (Pinus nigra J.F. Arnold) in Croatia

“…Habitat factors such as climate (air temperature, humidity, precipitation, wind), soil (soil type, mechanical and chemical composition, structure), relief (elevation, slope, exposure) and biotic influences are strongly associated through the interrelationships with ecological factors (light, heat, water, chemical and mechanical factors) [41,42]. The Mediterranean climate has two growing seasons, one in spring and the other in autumn, separated by a dry and hot summer period [43]. In recent decades we have combined effect of warming and drought [44].…”

Application of IUCN Red List Criteria for Assessment of Some Savanna Trees of Nigeria, West Africa

“…During our field survey, we observed fewer than 10 small or immature individuals in the few populations in which we encountered this species. Apart from the abovementioned threats, climate change could be another major threat that can impede the natural regeneration and distribution of P. erinaceus (Zhang et al2017;Adjonou et al 2020;Enríquez-de-Salamanca 2022;Erdozain et al 2023). Based on these findings, Pterocarpus erinaceus was assessed as a critically endangered (CR) species.…”

Effect of Climate Change on Conifer Plant Species, Juniperus procera, and Podocarpus falcatus, in the Case of Ethiopia: Critical Review Using Time Series Data

“…Regarding soil seed bank distribution recent finding shows that J. procera was the third with the highest relative frequency in soil seed bank in the case of Buska Mountain in Ethiopia [83]. Recently, it has been noted that the effect of increased temperature due to climate change on the regeneration of forest species is a common problem at the global level as in the case of central Spain [84]. Nevertheless, the documented "good regeneration status" of the J. procera species is not satisfactory to ensure the species' healthiness and sustainability as the highest percentage is fair regeneration from 2011 to 2015 to 2023 time series.…”