Mega El Niño's change the playing field for culturally important tree species and hence the foundation for human-nature interactions in tropical forests

Axelsson, EP; Franco, F. Merlin; Lussetti, Daniel; Grady, KC; Ilstedt, Ulrik

doi:10.1016/j.tfp.2021.100109

Cited by 6 publications

(5 citation statements)

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“…As a consequence, reoccurring El Niño droughts are expected to be more severe in lowland forests compared to hill forests (Miyamoto et al 2021). Such droughts may then influence genetic structure resulting in phenotypic variation in drought tolerance (Axelsson et al 2020(Axelsson et al , 2021Ng et al 2021). Variation in precipitation has commonly been found to structure populations in other nontropical systems (Alberto et al 2013;Postolache et al 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elevational clines predict genetically determined variation in tropical forest seedling performance in Borneo: implications for seed sourcing to support reforestation

Axelsson,

Ilstedt,

Alloysius

et al. 2023

Restoration Ecology

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While much research has focused on genetic variation in plants in relation to abiotic clines in temperate and boreal forests, few studies have examined similar relationships in tropical forests. Genetic variation in desirable performance traits of trees, such as drought tolerance, fast‐growth, and carbon sequestration rates, is widely used to improve reforestation efforts in nontropical systems. However, evolutionary processes such as local adaptation are poorly understood in tropical forests making it difficult to locate desired phenotypes. To test for genetic variation in growth rate in relationship to climatic clines, we conducted a common garden study over 18 months in a nursery using four dipterocarp tree species, represented by 9–12 half‐sib families, sourced across an elevational gradient ranging from lowland to hill forests (circa 130–470 m above sea‐level) in Malaysian Borneo. We found genetic variation in growth for all four species with fast‐growing half‐sib families growing 42–88% faster than poorly performing half‐sib families. Furthermore, in three species we found that elevation of seedling origin predicted seedling performance; in Shorea fallax and S. johorensis, half‐sib families originating from low elevations performed the best. In S. argentifolia half‐sib families' seedlings from low elevations grew slowly. Because elevation is a good proxy for climate, the finding of elevational clines predicting genetic variation in growth provides evidence of evolution affecting the function of tropical tree species. Our research highlights opportunities to better understand evolutionary processes in tropical forests and to use such information to improve seed source selection in reforestation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elevational clines predict genetically determined variation in tropical forest seedling performance in Borneo: implications for seed sourcing to support reforestation

Axelsson,

Ilstedt,

Alloysius

et al. 2023

Restoration Ecology

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“…Lack of competition from neighbouring trees and a high light environment may mean wood density is a less important driver of growth in open ecosystems [ 107 , 108 ]. A recent synthesis [ 100 ] found that in humid forests, acquisitive traits (high specific leaf area, low wood density) maximized the positive effect of seedling size on tree seedling survival in a restoration context, and achieving rapid canopy closure may help to provide the environment for recovery of species more sensitive to climatic stress [ 109 , 110 ]. We were only able to examine wood density as a measure of plant function, while other traits may be important in influencing survival, growth and their trade-offs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The road to recovery: a synthesis of outcomes from ecosystem restoration in tropical and sub-tropical Asian forests

Banin

Raine

Rowland

et al. 2022

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Current policy is driving renewed impetus to restore forests to return ecological function, protect species, sequester carbon and secure livelihoods. Here we assess the contribution of tree planting to ecosystem restoration in tropical and sub-tropical Asia; we synthesize evidence on mortality and growth of planted trees at 176 sites and assess structural and biodiversity recovery of co-located actively restored and naturally regenerating forest plots. Mean mortality of planted trees was 18% 1 year after planting, increasing to 44% after 5 years. Mortality varied strongly by site and was typically ca 20% higher in open areas than degraded forest, with height at planting positively affecting survival. Size-standardized growth rates were negatively related to species-level wood density in degraded forest and plantations enrichment settings. Based on community-level data from 11 landscapes, active restoration resulted in faster accumulation of tree basal area and structural properties were closer to old-growth reference sites, relative to natural regeneration, but tree species richness did not differ. High variability in outcomes across sites indicates that planting for restoration is potentially rewarding but risky and context-dependent. Restoration projects must prepare for and manage commonly occurring challenges and align with efforts to protect and reconnect remaining forest areas. The abstract of this article is available in Bahasa Indonesia in the electronic supplementary material. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Understanding forest landscape restoration: reinforcing scientific foundations for the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration’.

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“…There are also good examples showing that it is possible to incorporate a diverse set of native species in operational restoration (Brancalion et al., 2018; Gustafsson et al., 2016; Schneider et al., 2014). Furthermore, research on the basic ecology of culturally important native tree species could increase the value of reforestation for maintaining biocultural diversity during global climate change (Axelsson et al., 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Symphony for the native wood(s): Global reforestation as an opportunity to develop a culture of conservation

Axelsson

Grady

2022

People and Nature

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Mega El Niño's change the playing field for culturally important tree species and hence the foundation for human-nature interactions in tropical forests

Cited by 6 publications

References 50 publications

Elevational clines predict genetically determined variation in tropical forest seedling performance in Borneo: implications for seed sourcing to support reforestation

Elevational clines predict genetically determined variation in tropical forest seedling performance in Borneo: implications for seed sourcing to support reforestation

The road to recovery: a synthesis of outcomes from ecosystem restoration in tropical and sub-tropical Asian forests

Symphony for the native wood(s): Global reforestation as an opportunity to develop a culture of conservation

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