Environmental Impacts—Terrestrial Ecosystems

Abstract

The chapter starts with a discussion of general patterns and processes in terrestrial ecosystems, including the impacts of climate change in relation to productivity, phenology, trophic matches and mismatches, range shifts and biodiversity. Climate impacts on specific ecosystem types-forests, grasslands, heathlands, and mires and peatlands-are then discussed in detail. The chapter concludes by discussing links between changes in inland ecosystems and the wider North Sea system. Future climate change is likely to increase net primary productivity in the North Sea region due to warmer conditions and longer growing seasons, at least if summer precipitation does not decrease as strongly as projected in some of the more extreme climate scenarios. The effects of total carbon storage in terrestrial ecosystems are highly uncertain, due to the inherent complexity of the processes involved. For moderate climate change, land use effects are often more important drivers of total ecosystem carbon accumulation than climate change. Across a wide range of organism groups, range expansions to higher latitudes and altitudes and changes in phenology have occurred in response to recent climate change. For the range expansions, some studies suggest substantial differences between organism groups. Habitat specialists with restricted ranges have generally responded very little or even shown range contractions. Many of already threatened species could be particularly vulnerable to climate change. Overall, effects of recent climate change on terrestrial ecosystems within the North Sea region are still limited.

The structure of forest vegetation on industrial landfills of different ages

“…Several studies have analyzed the effect of the soil particulate fraction on the stability of the soil vegetation system due to regeneration processes (Halecki & Klatka, 2021). The significance of the fine fraction in soil processes has been demonstrated in numerous studies (Hölzel et al, 2016;Kowarik, 2019;Wijitkosum, 2020). Compared with soil in natural and semi-natural ecosystems, the relationship between soil particulate fractions, water, nutrient availability, and spontaneous feedback of vegetation in post-industrial sites is significantly more complex.…”

“…The study can make it possible to implement appropriate evidence-based measures, in particular, the clarification of the natural overgrowth processes. An analysis of this process can determine possible ways of revegetation (Hölzel et al, 2016).…”

“…Factors affecting nutrient availability in soil are the first parameters to be considered when assessing soil quality and restoring substrate function while renovating ecosystem function (Skálová et al, 2015). Soil particulate fraction characteristics are the principal feedback indicators of the soil-vegetation system (Hölzel et al, 2016). Some researchers have studied several soil-vegetation relationships in more detail, including interactions between some tree species, desertification, and soil erosion (Wijitkosum, 2020).…”

“…The study can make it possible to implement appropriate evidence‐based measures, in particular, the clarification of the natural overgrowth processes. An analysis of this process can determine possible ways of revegetation (Hölzel et al, 2016). Biological conservation of the surface of dumps is an urgent task, as their natural overgrowth is slow, and the formed vegetation groups are low‐productive (Skálová et al, 2015).…”

A data-driven evaluation of lichen climate change indicators in Central Europe

“…These shifts in pollution regimes-individually, or in concert-have differentially contributed to the range expansion or restriction of diverse lichens. In addition, urban heat islands, land use changes, habitat fragmentation or destruction, and shifts in the diversity and demographics of phorophyte communities may also modify the lichen biota (Insarov and Schroeter 2002;van Herk et al 2002;Hauck 2009;Hölzel et al 2016;Ohmura and Seaward 2017;Sancho et al 2019). Such changes may favor opportunistic taxa or those with fast growth rates or high dispersal ability, and lead to the replacement of taxa requiring greater habitat stability (Insarov and Schroeter 2002).…”