Boreal woody species resistance affected by climate change.

Mitigation of climate change is one of the major environmental challenges facing the globe. In this context, homegarden agroforestry systems (HGAFs) have large potential for climate change mitigation. Therefore, this study was initiated to estimate the biomass and soil carbon stocks of HGAFs in relation to adjacent Natural Forest (NF). It also analyzed the relationship between woody species diversity, evenness and richness with biomass and soil carbon stocks. Three sites were purposely selected on the basis of the presence of HGAFs and NF adjacent to each other. Random sampling was used to select representative homegardens from the study population. In NF, a systematic sampling technique was employed. A total of 60 plots with a size of 10 m x 20 m were used to collect vegetation and soil data in both land uses. Soil samples were collected from each plot of the samples laid for vegetation sampling. Accordingly, 120 composite and 120 undisturbed soil samples from 0-30 cm and 30-60 cm soil depths were collected for soil organic carbon (SOC) and bulk density analysis respectively. Biomass estimation for each woody species was analyzed by using appropriate allometric equations. The result showed that the total amount of carbon stocks was 148.32±35.76 tons ha-1 and 157.27±51.61 tons ha-1 in HGAFs and adjacent NF respectively which did not vary significantly between the two studied land uses (P > 0.05). The finding also shows a positive but non-significant (P>0.05) relationship between carbon stocks and woody species diversity, richness, and evenness. Specifically, in NF lands, woody species diversity with SOC (r=0.36) and in HGAFs species richness with biomass carbon (r=0.39) was correlated positively and significantly (P=0.05). We concluded that HGAFs have the same potential as the NF for carbon stock accumulation and to counteract the loss of biomass.

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Patterns and ecological determinants of woody plant height in eastern Eurasia and its relation to primary productivity

Journal of Plant Ecology ◽

10.1093/jpe/rtz025 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 791-803 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Zhiheng Wang ◽

Yaoqi Li ◽

Xiangyan Su ◽

Shengli Tao ◽

Xiao Feng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Plant Height ◽

Primary Productivity ◽

Water Availability ◽

Woody Species ◽

Life Forms ◽

Geographical Patterns ◽

Historical Climate ◽

Geographic Patterns ◽

Taxonomic Groups

Abstract Aims Plant height is a key functional trait related to aboveground biomass, leaf photosynthesis and plant fitness. However, large-scale geographical patterns in community-average plant height (CAPH) of woody species and drivers of these patterns across different life forms remain hotly debated. Moreover, whether CAPH could be used as a predictor of ecosystem primary productivity is unknown. Methods We compiled mature height and distributions of 11 422 woody species in eastern Eurasia, and estimated geographic patterns in CAPH for different taxonomic groups and life forms. Then we evaluated the effects of environmental (including current climate and historical climate change since the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM)) and evolutionary factors on CAPH. Lastly, we compared the predictive power of CAPH on primary productivity with that of LiDAR-derived canopy-height data from a global survey. Important Findings Geographic patterns of CAPH and their drivers differed among taxonomic groups and life forms. The strongest predictor for CAPH of all woody species combined, angiosperms, all dicots and deciduous dicots was actual evapotranspiration, while temperature was the strongest predictor for CAPH of monocots and tree, shrub and evergreen dicots, and water availability for gymnosperms. Historical climate change since the LGM had only weak effects on CAPH. No phylogenetic signal was detected in family-wise average height, which was also unrelated to the tested environmental factors. Finally, we found a strong correlation between CAPH and ecosystem primary productivity. Primary productivity showed a weaker relationship with CAPH of the tallest species within a grid cell and no relationship with LiDAR-derived canopy height reported in the global survey. Our findings suggest that current climate rather than historical climate change and evolutionary history determine the geographical patterns in CAPH. However, the relative effects of climatic factors representing environmental energy and water availability on spatial variations of CAPH vary among plant life forms. Moreover, our results also suggest that CAPH can be used as a good predictor of ecosystem primary productivity.

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Opportunities and Threats of Mediterranean Evergreen Sclerophyllous Woody Species Subjected to Extreme Drought Events

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app10238458 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (23) ◽

pp. 8458

Author(s):

Filippo Bussotti ◽

Martina Pollastrini

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Community Structure ◽

Forest Ecosystems ◽

Woody Species ◽

Climatic Conditions ◽

Extreme Drought ◽

Severe Drought ◽

Evergreen Species ◽

Plant Seed ◽

Crown Defoliation

Climate change and extreme drought and heat events impact the Mediterranean evergreen sclerophyllous vegetation in South Europe, especially in Iberian and Italian peninsula, where widespread crown defoliation and dieback have been observed since the 90s of the XX century. Field observations and long-term experiments showed different sensitivity of the various woody species, Quercus ilex and Arbutus unedo being prone to drought, whereas Phillyrea latifolia and Pistacia lentiscus appeared to be resistant. The present review aims at exploring the phylogenetic and evolutionary basis of the resistance (or susceptibility) to drought of Mediterranean vegetation and its possible mechanisms of resilience. The main findings are summarized as follows: (1) Mediterranean regions in the world are refuge areas for several plant evolutive lineages and migratory routes. Evergreen sclerophyllous species, currently presented in Mediterranean basin, evolved under different climatic conditions; (2) the evergreen habitus represents an adaptation to mild drought conditions. Deciduous (specially summer deciduous) species are better performing under severe drought and low air relative humidity than evergreen species; (3) severe drought events acts selectively by favouring the species evolved in the Quaternary era and those originated in drier regions; (4) the evergreen trees and shrubs are resilient to the severe drought events and can restore the pre-event condition by resprouting from dormant buds in the cambium tissue. This ability is related to the non-structural carbohydrate content in the parenchyma-rays in woody stems. The amount and availability of these strategic reserve can be compromised by frequent drought events; (5) plant seed regeneration can be affected by drought and seedling establishment may be limited by soil dryness and microenvironment conditions; (6) the role of phenotypic plasticity of the species and epigenetic responses in Mediterranean-type ecosystems, although discussed in few papers, is still poorly known. We hypothesize that instead of latitudinal (South to North) or altitudinal (lowland to upland) plant migrations, Mediterranean forest ecosystems may respond to climate change by modulating their species composition and community structure with genetic resources (i.e., taxonomic diversity) already present in loco. Changes in vegetation assemblages and community structure may lead changes in ecological and landscape ecosystem values, with changes in related ecosystem services. A redefinition of management criteria of natural resources and a pro-active silviculture to make forest ecosystems more resilient are required.

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Genetic Diversity Analysis and Potential Distribution Prediction of Sophora moorcroftiana Endemic to Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, China

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12081106 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. 1106

Author(s):

Lan Yang ◽

Huie Li ◽

Qian Li ◽

Qiqiang Guo ◽

Jiangrong Li

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Genetic Diversity ◽

Potential Distribution ◽

Germplasm Conservation ◽

Woody Species ◽

Cold Weather ◽

Tibet Plateau ◽

Conservation Strategies ◽

Qinghai Tibet Plateau ◽

Sophora Moorcroftiana

Sophora moorcroftiana (Benth.) Baker is an endemic woody species distributed in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau (QTP), a part of the world characterized by high altitude and cold weather. In this study, the genetic diversity of S. moorcroftiana was evaluated based on 300 representative samples of 15 populations using 20 polymorphic SSR markers, and its potential distribution was predicted according to 19 bioclimatic factors using MaxEnt modeling. Results showed the population genetic diversity of S. moorcroftiana was generally not high (around 0.5), and the range of variation was small (0.437–0.539). Altitude, rather than other environmental factors, was the key factor affecting the present genetic diversity. Moreover, due to climate change in the QTP, the suitable area is increasing and will continue to increase by 48.35%, 84.44%, 101.98%, and 107.30% in the four future periods of 2030s, 2050s, 2070s, and 2090s, respectively, compared to the present, which is beneficial for S. moorcroftiana. These results will provide a theoretical basis for the development of germplasm conservation strategies for S. moorcroftiana and enrich information on the impacts of climate change on plants in the QTP.

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GHGs Reduction Capacity of Agroforestry Systems in Tropical Africa: A Review

Current Agriculture Research Journal ◽

10.12944/carj.8.3.02 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 166-177

Author(s):

Desalegn Getnet

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Soil Depth ◽

Woody Species ◽

Agroforestry Systems ◽

Natural Forests ◽

Tropical Africa ◽

Intergovernmental Panel ◽

Grazing Land ◽

Income Source ◽

Reduction Capacity

The main crucial agroforestry systems (AFS) of tropics Africa are homestead, woody species planting, multistory dwelling and spread the woody plants. Traditional AFS interaction is important for shading Coffee tree, improving soil fertility, climate regulation, alternative income source, and reducing the pressure on natural forests. These systems are important for ecological balance and human wellbeing. This review was aimed to explore the capacity of AFS for reduction of GHGs from atmosphere and mitigate climate change in tropical Africa. AFS has sequestered significant amount of CO2 and reduced GHGs sink from the atmosphere. Several research reports were recognized as AFS has been substantially carbon-capturing from the atmosphere compared to the mono-crops, dry woodlands, andor pasture land. In tropical Africa region AFS has been estimated to 2.11 × 1091 Mg C yr-1 of aboveground biomass carbon sequester. Multi-strata AFS was reported highest (16-36 Mgt ha-1 yr-1) amount of carbon sequestration. Soil organic carbon (SOC) stock of fruit-coffee, coffee-enset and enset system agroforestry systems were estimated 186.41 Mg ha-1, 178.8 Mg ha-1 and 177.8 Mg ha-1 respectively at 0-60 cm soil depth. According to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and several research results, nowadays AFS development was one of well rcognized to climate change mitigation strategy. Multipurpose tree management on farm land and grazing land is strongly recommended for increased GHG emission reduction capacity of AFS in tropics.

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The Woody Planet: From Past Triumph to Manmade Decline

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants9111593 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 1593

Author(s):

Laurence Fazan ◽

Yi-Gang Song ◽

Gregor Kozlowski

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Land Use ◽

Plant Species ◽

Forest Cover ◽

Vascular Plant ◽

Forest Biomass ◽

Woody Species ◽

Land Plants ◽

Woody Cover ◽

Plant Families

Woodiness evolved in land plants approximately 400 Mya, and very soon after this evolutionary invention, enormous terrestrial surfaces on Earth were covered by dense and luxurious forests. Forests store close to 80% of the biosphere’s biomass, and more than 60% of the global biomass is made of wood (trunks, branches and roots). Among the total number of ca. 374,000 plant species worldwide, approximately 45% (138,500) are woody species—e.g., trees, shrubs or lianas. Furthermore, among all 453 described vascular plant families, 191 are entirely woody (42%). However, recent estimations demonstrate that the woody domination of our planet was even greater before the development of human civilization: 1.4 trillion trees, comprising more than 45% of forest biomass, and 35% of forest cover disappeared during the last few thousands of years of human dominance on our planet. The decline in the woody cover of Planet Earth did not decelerate during the last few centuries or decades. Ongoing overexploitation, land use and climate change have pushed ten thousand woody species to the brink of extinction. Our review highlights the importance, origin and past triumph of woody species and summarizes the unprecedented recent decline in woody species on our planet.

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Efficiency of different forest types in carbon storage depends on their internal structure

Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae ◽

10.5586/asbp.2010.040 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 79 (4) ◽

pp. 325-332 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Iuliana F. Gheorghe ◽

Iovu A. Biriş ◽

Cristina M. Valcu

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Carbon Storage ◽

Wood Density ◽

Stand Structure ◽

Stand Density ◽

Woody Species ◽

Average Diameter ◽

Forest Types ◽

Site Characteristics ◽

Key Factor

Forest vegetation is a key factor in the maintenance of global carbon cycle balance under the present climate change conditions. Forest ecosystems are both buffers against extreme climatic events accompanying climate change and carbon sinks diminishing the environmental impact of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. We investigated the influence of stand structure and site characteristics on the productivity and carbon storage capacity of temperate forest types. Predictors of species productivity were parameters such as stand density, age, height, average diameter and wood density. Morus alba (L.) was more productive than average both in terms of annual volume increment and annual biomass gain, while Quercus sessiliflora (Matt.) Lieb. and Quercus frainetto (Ten.) were significantly less productive than average. Differences in stand productivity were explained by stand density, age, height, altitude, type of regeneration and species composition. Statistically significant differences were measured between the productivity of stands dominated by different woody species, with low productive stands dominated by slow growing species with high wood density like Quercus or Fagus, and highly productive stands rich in fast growing species with low wood density like Populus or Salix. Stands with different plant communities in the underlying herbaceous layer also tended to have different levels of productivity.

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Climate Change, Ecosystem Processes and Biological Diversity Responses in High Elevation Communities

Climate ◽

10.3390/cli9050087 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (5) ◽

pp. 87

Author(s):

Timothy R. Seastedt ◽

Meagan Oldfather

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Biological Diversity ◽

Woody Species ◽

Growing Season ◽

High Elevation ◽

Life History Strategies ◽

Slope Aspect ◽

Climate Conditions ◽

Mountainous Regions ◽

Changing Climate

The populations, species, and communities in high elevation mountainous regions at or above tree line are being impacted by the changing climate. Mountain systems have been recognized as both resilient and extremely threatened by climate change, requiring a more nuanced understanding of potential trajectories of the biotic communities. For high elevation systems in particular, we need to consider how the interactions among climate drivers and topography currently structure the diversity, species composition, and life-history strategies of these communities. Further, predicting biotic responses to changing climate requires knowledge of intra- and inter-specific climate associations within the context of topographically heterogenous landscapes. Changes in temperature, snow, and rain characteristics at regional scales are amplified or attenuated by slope, aspect, and wind patterns occurring at local scales that are often under a hectare or even a meter in extent. Community assemblages are structured by the soil moisture and growing season duration at these local sites, and directional climate change has the potential to alter these two drivers together, independently, or in opposition to one another due to local, intervening variables. Changes threaten species whose water and growing season duration requirements are locally extirpated or species who may be outcompeted by nearby faster-growing, warmer/drier adapted species. However, barring non-analogue climate conditions, species may also be able to more easily track required resource regimes in topographically heterogenous landscapes. New species arrivals composed of competitors, predators and pathogens can further mediate the direct impacts of the changing climate. Plants are moving uphill, demonstrating primary succession with the emergence of new habitats from snow and rock, but these shifts are constrained over the short term by soil limitations and microbes and ultimately by the lack of colonizable terrestrial surfaces. Meanwhile, both subalpine herbaceous and woody species pose threats to more cold-adapted species. Overall, the multiple interacting direct and indirect effects of the changing climate on high elevation systems may lead to multiple potential trajectories for these systems.

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Role of Indigenous Dryland Agroforestry System for Biodiversity Conservation and Carbon Storage in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia

10.21203/rs.2.19770/v1 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Ashenafi Manaye ◽

Berihu Tesfamariam ◽

Musse Tesfaye ◽

Adefires Werku ◽

Yirga Gufi

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Species Diversity ◽

Biodiversity Conservation ◽

Climate Change Mitigation ◽

Woody Species ◽

Home Garden ◽

Total Biomass ◽

Woody Species Diversity ◽

Soc Stock ◽

Change Mitigation

Abstract Background : Agroforestry (AF) is an age-old practice in the farming system of Ethiopian dry lands. So far, several studies conducted in the ﬁeld of AF focused on system design, soil fertility management and system interactions. Less emphasis has been given to the biodiversity and climate change mitigation aspects. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the woody species diversity, biomass carbon (C) and soil organic carbon (SOC) stock of the dry land indigenous AF practices. A total of 197 smallholder farmers representing four AF practices were systematically selected from three agroecologies. Woody species inventory was done on the randomly established plot of each farm. Results : A total of 59 species, belonging to 48 genera and 32 families were recorded. Shannon diversity index (H’) of highland agroecology was higher in-home garden AF while in the midland and lowland the higher H’ was recorded in parkland AF. Smallholding ecosystem C stocks (sum of total biomass C and SOC 0 –60 cm) ranged from 77 to 135 Mg ha−1.The mean total biomass C stock of woodlot AF practice (31 Mg C ha-1) was significantly higher than the other three AF practices. SOC stocks (0–60 cm) were greater in boundary planting (113 Mg C ha-1) followed by the home garden (109 Mg C ha-1) and woodlot (97 Mg C ha-1) AF practices. Conclusions : The woody species diversity of highland agroecology was higher in-home garden AF while in the midland and lowland the higher species diversity was recorded in parkland AF. As compared to other AF systems, our study revealed that rotational woodlot and boundary planting AF practice accounts higher biomass and SOC stock, respectively. Finally, our work concluded that indigenous AF system is a win-win solution to address the biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation of the dryland ecosystem.

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Mapping the suitability of groundwater-dependent vegetation in a semi-arid Mediterranean area

Hydrology and Earth System Sciences ◽

10.5194/hess-23-3525-2019 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 23 (9) ◽

pp. 3525-3552 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Inês Gomes Marques ◽

João Nascimento ◽

Rita M. Cardoso ◽

Filipe Miguéns ◽

Maria Teresa Condesso de Melo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Linear Model ◽

Groundwater Resources ◽

Relative Proportion ◽

Woody Species ◽

Groundwater Depth ◽

Climate Change Scenarios ◽

Simple Linear Model ◽

Southern Portugal ◽

Semi Arid

Abstract. Mapping the suitability of groundwater-dependent vegetation in semi-arid Mediterranean areas is fundamental for the sustainable management of groundwater resources and groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) under the risks of climate change scenarios. For the present study the distribution of deep-rooted woody species in southern Portugal was modeled using climatic, hydrological and topographic environmental variables. To do so, Quercus suber, Quercus ilex and Pinus pinea were used as proxy species to represent the groundwater-dependent vegetation (GDV). Model fitting was performed between the proxy species Kernel density and the selected environmental predictors using (1) a simple linear model and (2) a geographically weighted regression (GWR) to account for autocorrelation of the spatial data and residuals. When comparing the results of both models, the GWR modeling results showed improved goodness of fit as opposed to the simple linear model. Climatic indices were the main drivers of GDV density, followed by a much lower influence by groundwater depth, drainage density and slope. Groundwater depth did not appear to be as pertinent in the model as initially expected, accounting only for about 7 % of the total variation compared to 88 % for climate drivers. The relative proportion of model predictor coefficients was used as weighting factors for multicriteria analysis to create a suitability map for the GDV in southern Portugal showing where the vegetation most likely relies on groundwater to cope with aridity. A validation of the resulting map was performed using independent data of the normalized difference water index (NDWI), a satellite-derived vegetation index. June, July and August of 2005 NDWI anomalies, for the years 1999–2009, were calculated to assess the response of active woody species in the region after an extreme drought. The results from the NDWI anomalies provided an overall good agreement with the suitability to host GDV. The model was considered to be reliable for predicting the distribution of the studied vegetation. The methodology developed to map GDVs will allow for the prediction of the evolution of the distribution of GDV according to climate change and aid stakeholder decision-making concerning priority areas of water resource management.

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