Floristic Change at the Drought Limit of European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) to Downy Oak (Quercus pubescens) Forest in the Temperate Climate of Central Europe

Reif, Albert; Xystrakis, Fotios; Gärtner, Stefanie; Sayer, Uwe

doi:10.15835/nbha45210971

Cited by 13 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 24 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In spite of the shift in elevation, it seems unlikely that European beech in Serbia will migrate above current upper distribution limit at elevations exceeding 1,400 m during 2071–2100. This limitation of shifting can be attributed to the sensitivity of beech to drought and temperature rise (Kolář et al, 2017) as well as to shallow mountain soils with a low water storage capacity, which are usually present at higher elevations (Reif et al, 2017). The results obtained in the present study are consistent with the results of Seynave et al (2008) and Calvaruso et al (2017), who reported that beech growth is reduced by unfavorable soil properties, especially in shallow soils.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential Elevation Shift of the European Beech Stands (Fagus sylvatica L.) in Serbia

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

According to climate projection models, the global temperature is expected to rise by at least 1.5°C by the end of this century. According to some studies the expected rise in Serbia is even higher. Global warming may result in creating new areas for forest growth. Although creating new forests would be a positive outcome in some areas, global warming can cause negative impacts in other areas, and this can lead to forest loss and the shift of geographical ranges, or even extinction, of plant species. The European beech is the dominant forest tree species in Serbia, featuring high ecological importance and economic value. In mixed or pure stands, beech forests cover approximately 660,400 ha, accounting for 29.3% of the total Serbian forest area. In the present study, the effects of climate change on the distribution of the European beech stands in Serbia, with an emphasis on their elevation shifts, were examined using species distribution models (SDMs). Data for the present tree cover in Serbia, climate projections, and environmental data were used for model building. The models were first tested against present inventory data. In these tests, the models were found to provide accurate projections, as shown by their true skills statistics (TSS) values ranging from 0.652 to 0.736 and area under the curve (AUC) values ranging from 0.868 to 0.937. The potential distribution patterns predicted by the models indicate that the European beech elevational distribution in Serbia would decrease, exhibiting a significant upward shift in elevation during the first part of this century. Current beech stand locations could be changed, and other areas at higher elevations may be more suitable for beech growth. After 2071, European beech stands at elevations below 500 m would be even smaller. This change is caused by temperature rise and occurrence of climate extremes. However, on the highest elevations, further upward shift of the species is not expected.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential Elevation Shift of the European Beech Stands (Fagus sylvatica L.) in Serbia

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The sessile oak forests in the Coastal Ranges have experienced an increase in the relative richness for Mediterranean plants, but a decrease for Euro-Siberian plants. This is probably due to the warming conditions that have been occurring since 1950 (Martín Vide et al, 2016) which, as a result from an increase in hydric stress, promote the thermophilization of the community which, in turn, promotes plants sensitive to the new conditions being substituted for those more tolerant to them (Reif et al, 2017). On the NE Iberia Peninsula, these tolerant plants are the Mediterranean species which have adapted to the summer droughts in these climatic regions.…”

Section: Thermophilizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Climate change impacts have also percolated into species distributions, with already documented northward shifts (Walther, 2003;Berger et al, 2007;Lenoir, 2008) and migrations toward higher elevations (Grabherr et al, 1994;Pauli et al, 1996Pauli et al, , 2003Walther et al, 2005). This has rendered changes in species composition (Reif et al, 2017) ultimately resulting in novel communities (Williams and Jackson, 2007;Bertrand et al, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sessile oak forest plant community changes on the NE Iberian Peninsula over recent decades

Bou

Vilar

2019

Journal of Plant Ecology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Aims Our aims were 3-fold: (i) to determine whether global change has altered the composition and structure of the plant community found in the sessile oak forests on the NE Iberian Peninsula over the last decades, (ii) to establish whether the decline in forest exploitation activities that has taken place since the mid-20th century has had any effect on the forests and (iii) to ascertain whether there is any evidence of impact from climate warming. Methods We assess changes in the plant community by comparing a current survey of sessile oak forest with a historical data set obtained from previous regional studies dating from 1962 to 1977. We analyse the regional changes in the community in terms of biodiversity variables, species composition and plant traits. Furthermore, plants traits such as plant life forms and chorological groups are used to discern any effects from land-use changes and climate warming on the plant community. Important Findings There has been a loss of diversity in the community and, in the hottest region, there is also a loss of species richness. The composition of the community suggests that, although significant changes have taken place over recent decades, these changes differ between regions as a result of the low impact global change has had in the western regions. For instance, while the tree canopy cover in the western sessile oak forests remains stable, the eastern sessile oak forests are still recovering from the former exploitation that led to a loss of their rich and abundant herbaceous stratum. In fact, the recovery process in the Catalan Pre-Coastal Range has constituted an increase in the Euro-Siberian plants typical to this community. Moreover, in the eastern forests, there is evidence that climate warming has impacted the thermophilization of the sessile oak forests found on the Coastal Range.

show abstract

“…In order to finish the model, digital spatial databases have been created for a number of 14 factors (Table 1) considered being representative for the expansion of the downy oak habitat. They have also been included in the ecological file (Stănescu, 1979;Reif et al, 2017).…”

Section: Creation Of Digital Spatial Databasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Favourable and Restrictive Factors for Quercus pubescens in the Transylvanian Basin, Evaluated by GIS Techniques

Șimonca

Roșca

Colișar

et al. 2019

Not Bot Horti Agrobo

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

A very simple analysis of the forested areas across the Transylvanian Basin shows that they cover approximately 45.8% of the area, according to data provided by the European Environment Agency. In order to extend the areas covered by forests, especially over badlands specific for the Transylvanian Basin and to increase the economic and environmental value of these lands, a GIS model of spatial analysis has been developed to identify the areas favourable for downy oak (Quercus pubescens) plantations, a forest species which has specific requirements in terms of adaptability conditions. The developed spatial analysis model is based on the unitary analysis of the climatic, soil and geomorphologic components, spatially materialized as raster format databases, and their integration according to spatial analysis equations in order to get a modelled database which represents spatially the favourable areas for the creation of downy oak plantations. The result of this study highlights the territories which provide favourable but also restrictive conditions for Quercus pubescens. The model has a high predictability rate taking as comparative reference the direct monitoring at the level of forest planning units (PUs) within Cluj County, identified from the analysis of forestry plans. The high validation rate of the proposed model was obtained by overlapping the favourability classes which themselves were obtained after modelling with the limits of the forest planning units where the consistency of the downy oak is greater than 0.7. According to the presented validation procedure, a 93% validation rate was obtained, fact which highlights the usefulness of applying the model in areas having similar features and its extrapolation in areas where the environmental conditions present only slight differences. ********* In press - Online First. Article has been peer reviewed, accepted for publication and published online without pagination. It will receive pagination when the issue will be ready for publishing as a complete number (Volume 47, Issue 4, 2019). The article is searchable and citable by Digital Object Identifier (DOI). DOI link will become active after the article will be included in the complete issue. *********

show abstract

Floristic Change at the Drought Limit of European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) to Downy Oak (Quercus pubescens) Forest in the Temperate Climate of Central Europe

Cited by 13 publications

References 24 publications

Potential Elevation Shift of the European Beech Stands (Fagus sylvatica L.) in Serbia

Potential Elevation Shift of the European Beech Stands (Fagus sylvatica L.) in Serbia

Sessile oak forest plant community changes on the NE Iberian Peninsula over recent decades

Favourable and Restrictive Factors for Quercus pubescens in the Transylvanian Basin, Evaluated by GIS Techniques

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About