The decline of Greek fir (<i>Abies cephalonica</i>Loudon): Relationships with root condition

Raftoyannis, Yannis; Spanos, Ioannis; Radoglou, K.

doi:10.1080/11263500802151017

Cited by 22 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…At even higher elevations, from the supra-Mediterranean vegetation belt of southern Greece (Peloponnisos) and above, Abies cephalonica forests experienced increased tree mortality after the 1987-1990-2002(Tsopelas et al 2004Brandes 2006;Raftoyannis et al 2008) and 2007 drought periods (with average tree mortality of 13% near the species' lower altitudinal limit, i.e. 800-1,000 m a.s.l.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of recent climatic change on growth of low elevation eastern Mediterranean forest trees

2010

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Evidence is presented of how Pinus halepensis Miller from dry habitats at <300 m elevation of four Greek island regions have responded to climatic conditions of the last two centuries. We compared historical periods of low growth due to low precipitation with the recent period of significant precipitation decline. In all cases trees' growth patterns across the twentieth century were consistent with trends in annual (rather than seasonal) precipitation, with lowest values in both precipitation and radial growth during the last two decades of the twentieth century, the worst conditions for tree growth in more than 200 years. The data are compared with trends across different vegetation belts of the northern Mediterranean basin. Drought related tree mortality in Greece in 2000 and 2007 coincided with the most severe fire outbreaks on record. IPCC WG I (2007) climate scenarios for the Mediterranean suggest a further decline in precipitation, particularly in the eastern regions. Should this occur, growth reduction in trees, tree mortality and damage from forest fires are likely to become more severe.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of recent climatic change on growth of low elevation eastern Mediterranean forest trees

2010

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“…The silver fir was the first species to present symptoms of forest decline in the past in southern Germany (Krauss et al, 1986). In the last decades, the mortality rate of these fir species was very high (Certini et al, 2000;Raftoyannis et al, 2008;Markalas, 1992). So far, there have been two works on heavy metal distribution on Abies species by Gandois et al, (2010) and Gandois and Probst, (2012).…”

Section: The Distribution and Variability Of Heavy Metals In A Mountamentioning

confidence: 99%

The distribution and variability of heavy metals in a mountainous fir forest ecosystem in two hydrological years

2018

Issue 2

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The concentrations (for two hydrological years) of the heavy metals As, Cd, Cr, Ni and Pb as well as the isotopic 206Pb/207Pb composition in soil layers were studied in a remote mountainous Bulgarian fir (Abies borisii regis) forest in central Greece. The concentrations of metals in the hydrological cycle (bulk deposition and throughfall) were lower than the respective ones in the past in Europe, especially for Pb. In the litterfall consisting of mosses, lichens, insect frass and pollen the concentrations of all heavy metals were found far higher than those in the needle litterfall. An evidence of dry deposition was that all metals had higher concentrations in older needles than the young ones with the exception of Ni. Ni also had the highest concentration in the trunk wood, whereas all the other metals had a very low one. It is highly probable that Ni has an internal cycle within the fir trees. In all compartments of the standing trees the order of concentrations was Ni>Pb>Cr>Cd>As. The concentrations of metals in the ground vegetation were low with the exception of Cd, Cr and Ni in ferns. The concentrations of metals in the FH horizon and mineral soil followed the order Cr>Ni>Pb>As>Cd, whereas in the L layer Ni had the highest value. Despite the remoteness of the fir forest, the percentages of anthropogenic Pb in the soil reached an appreciable 41% in the FH horizon and lowered to 2% in the 20-40 cm layers.

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“…Despite these adaptations, MTFs have been plagued by chronic stress during recent periods of protracted drought conditions (Carnicer et al 2011). This has translated to extensive crown dieback (Lloret et al 2004) and declines in both growth (Jump et al 2006;Sarris et al 2007) and tree health (Raftoyannis et al 2008) in the Mediterranean basin. Many dominant tree species within MTFs in the South-West of Western Australia (SWWA) have shown similar symptoms in recent decades (Archibald et al 2005;Auclair 1992;Hooper 2009), corresponding with a long-term decline in rainfall (Fig.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sudden forest canopy collapse corresponding with extreme drought and heat in a mediterranean-type eucalypt forest in southwestern Australia

et al. 2013

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Drought and heat-induced forest dieback and mortality are emerging global concerns.Although Mediterranean-type forest (MTF) ecosystems are considered to be resilient to drought and other disturbances, we observed a sudden and unprecedented forest collapse in a MTF in Western Australia corresponding with record dry and heat conditions in 2010/2011.An aerial survey and subsequent field investigation were undertaken to examine: the incidence and severity of canopy dieback and stem mortality, associations between canopy health and stand-related factors as well as tree species response. Canopy mortality was found to be concentrated in distinct patches, representing 1.5% of the aerial sample (1,350 ha).Within these patches, 74% of all measured stems (> 1cm DBHOB) had dying or recently killed crowns, leading to 26% stem mortality six months following the collapse. Patches of canopy collapse were more densely stocked with the dominant species, Eucalyptus marginata, and lacked the prominent midstorey species Banksia grandis, compared to the surrounding forest. A differential response to the disturbance was observed among cooccurring tree species, which suggests contrasting strategies for coping with extreme water stress. These results suggest that MTFs, once thought to be resilient to climate change, are susceptible to sudden and severe forest collapse when key thresholds have been reached.

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The decline of Greek fir (Abies cephalonicaLoudon): Relationships with root condition

Cited by 22 publications

References 17 publications

Impact of recent climatic change on growth of low elevation eastern Mediterranean forest trees

Impact of recent climatic change on growth of low elevation eastern Mediterranean forest trees

The distribution and variability of heavy metals in a mountainous fir forest ecosystem in two hydrological years

Sudden forest canopy collapse corresponding with extreme drought and heat in a mediterranean-type eucalypt forest in southwestern Australia

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