scholarly journals Birch as a Model Species for the Acclimation and Adaptation of Northern Forest Ecosystem to Changing Environment

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elina Oksanen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Silver Birch ◽  
Stress Factors ◽  
Soil Drought ◽  
Sink Strength ◽  
High Plasticity ◽  
Changing Environment ◽  
Northern Forest

Northern forest ecosystems are exposed to rapid climate change, i.e., climate warming, extended growing seasons, increasing greenhouse gases, and changes in precipitation and water availability, accompanied by increasing pressure of herbivores and pathogens. Silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) is an important deciduous trees species in the boreal zone, with extensive distribution across Eurasia. Silver birch is an excellent model system for the adaptation of northern trees to climate change due to recent advances in genomics, high genetic variation, and intensive studies with different abiotic and biotic stress factors. In this paper, the current understanding about the responses and acclimation mechanisms of birch to changing environment is presented, based on Fennoscandian studies. Several complementary experiments in laboratory, semi-field and natural field conditions have shown that warming climate and increasing CO2 is expected to increase the growth and biomass of birch, but the risk of herbivore damage will increase with negative impact on carbon sink strength. Deleterious impacts of high humidity, soil drought and increasing ozone has been clearly demonstrated. All these environmental changes have led to metabolic shifts or changes in carbon/nutrient balance which may have further ecological impacts. However, high plasticity and genotypic variation predict excellent acclimation capacity in rapidly changing environment and a rich genetic pool for sustainable forestry. Because the trees and forest ecosystems are exposed to multiple environmental factors simultaneously, it is necessary to continue research with multiple-stress interaction studies.

scholarly journals Environmental Dynamics of the Ribbon-Like Pine Forests in the Parklands of North Kazakhstan

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 2
Author(s):  
Sholpan Zhumadina ◽  
Jiri Chlachula ◽  
Alina Zhaglovskaya-Faurat ◽  
Jolanta Czerniawska ◽  
Gulmira Satybaldieva ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Growth Dynamics ◽  
Biomass Productivity ◽  
Steppe Zone ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Environmental Stability ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Lowland Forest

The ribbon-like pine forests of North Kazakhstan represent the principal territorial intrazonal and azonal biotopes. Integrated bio-geographic studies of the pine forests’ status were performed in the Beskaragai and Chaldai Nature Reserves in the Pri-Irtysh River basin within, at present, the climate–change most susceptible transitional parkland-steppe zone of Central Asia, adjoining the West Siberian Lowland. The investigations followed the regional topographic gradient with a series of mapped sites characterizing the spatial relief patterns of the pristine forest distribution and the associated phytocenoses. The results revealed marked natural arboreal cover restoration differences between the geographically close upland and lowland forest ecosystems. The regional tree growth dynamics show the varying intensity of the pine seedlings’ succession, the tree stands’ biomass productivity and the environmental stability, weakened by the extreme continentality and progressing aridification along with adverse anthropogenic ecological impacts. The specific geomorphic, soil and hydrological conditions are the principal determining factors. The more vital plain and lowland pine forests host the floristically richer fescue-dominated communities compared to the more fragile and precipitation-poorer upland pine settings. The latter forest ecosystems display a higher vulnerability to the current climate change, generating tree drying, forest fires, and to modern human activities such as logging, herding and recreation. The research conclusions provide new insights on the natural ribbon-like pine forests’ sustainability and adaptation to the ongoing continental warming triggering fundamental environmental transformations in Central Asia’s parklands.

Wald und Klimawandel in der inneralpinen Trockenregion Visp

2012 ◽  
Vol 163 (12) ◽  
pp. 481-492
Author(s):  
Andreas Rigling ◽  
Ché Elkin ◽  
Matthias Dobbertin ◽  
Britta Eilmann ◽  
Arnaud Giuggiola ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Forest Ecosystem ◽  
Bark Beetles ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Forest Monitoring ◽  
Management Interventions ◽  
Forest Ecosystem Services

Forest and climate change in the inner-Alpine dry region of Visp Over the past decades, observed increases in temperature have been particularly pronounced in mountain regions. If this trend should continue in the 21st Century, frequency and intensity of droughts will increase, and will pose major challenges for forest management. Under current conditions drought-related tree mortality is already an important factor of forest ecosystems in dry inner-Alpine valleys. Here we assess the sensitivity of forest ecosystems to climate change and evaluate alternative forest management strategies in the Visp region. We integrate data from forest monitoring plots, field experiments and dynamic forests models to evaluate how the forest ecosystem services timber production, protection against natural hazards, carbon storage and biodiver-sity will be impacted. Our results suggest that at dry low elevation sites the drought tolerance of native tree species will be exceeded so that in the longer term a transition to more drought-adapted species should be considered. At medium elevations, drought and insect disturbances as by bark beetles are projected to be important for forest development, while at high elevations forests are projected to expand and grow better. All of the ecosystem services that we considered are projected to be impacted by changing forest conditions, with the specific impacts often being elevation-dependent. In the medium term, forest management that aims to increase the resilience of forests to drought can help maintain forest ecosystem services temporarily. However, our results suggest that relatively rigid management interventions are required to achieve significant effects. By using a combination of environmental monitoring, field experiments and modeling, we are able to gain insight into how forest ecosystem, and the services they provide, will respond to future changes.

scholarly journals Breathing space: deoxygenation of aquatic environments can drive differential ecological impacts across biological invasion stages

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
James W. E. Dickey ◽  
Neil E. Coughlan ◽  
Jaimie T. A. Dick ◽  
Vincent Médoc ◽  
Monica McCard ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Oxygen Saturation ◽  
Ecological Impacts ◽  
Neogobius Melanostomus ◽  
Aquatic Environments ◽  
Relative Impact ◽  
Low Oxygen ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Prey Populations

AbstractThe influence of climate change on the ecological impacts of invasive alien species (IAS) remains understudied, with deoxygenation of aquatic environments often-overlooked as a consequence of climate change. Here, we therefore assessed how oxygen saturation affects the ecological impact of a predatory invasive fish, the Ponto-Caspian round goby (Neogobius melanostomus), relative to a co-occurring endangered European native analogue, the bullhead (Cottus gobio) experiencing decline in the presence of the IAS. In individual trials and mesocosms, we assessed the effect of high, medium and low (90%, 60% and 30%) oxygen saturation on: (1) functional responses (FRs) of the IAS and native, i.e. per capita feeding rates; (2) the impact on prey populations exerted; and (3) how combined impacts of both fishes change over invasion stages (Pre-invasion, Arrival, Replacement, Proliferation). Both species showed Type II potentially destabilising FRs, but at low oxygen saturation, the invader had a significantly higher feeding rate than the native. Relative Impact Potential, combining fish per capita effects and population abundances, revealed that low oxygen saturation exacerbates the high relative impact of the invader. The Relative Total Impact Potential (RTIP), modelling both consumer species’ impacts on prey populations in a system, was consistently higher at low oxygen saturation and especially high during invader Proliferation. In the mesocosm experiment, low oxygen lowered RTIP where both species were present, but again the IAS retained high relative impact during Replacement and Proliferation stages at low oxygen. We also found evidence of multiple predator effects, principally antagonism. We highlight the threat posed to native communities by IAS alongside climate-related stressors, but note that solutions may be available to remedy hypoxia and potentially mitigate impacts across invasion stages.

scholarly journals Climate Change and Informal Education in the Opinion of Forest Users in Poland

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7892
Author(s):  
Natalia Korcz ◽  
Jacek Koba ◽  
Agata Kobyłka ◽  
Emilia Janeczko ◽  
Joanna Gmitrowicz-Iwan
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Informal Education ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Total N ◽  
Weather Patterns ◽  
Agriculture Economics ◽  
Forested Areas ◽  
Forest Use ◽  
Forest Education ◽  
Forest Users

Climate change affects various aspects of the economy, agriculture, economics, and politics, including forestry. There is more and more talk about the real impact of the effects of climate change. This paper presents the results of a survey on the perceptions of two groups, foresters and recreational forest users, about climate change and its impacts on forested areas; 130 foresters and 146 recreational forest users participated in the survey (total n = 276). The survey was conducted from April to November 2019 and consisted of three parts. The first part included questions about the demographic characteristics of the respondents (gender, age, education, place of residence), the second part focused on the respondents’ views on climate change and its implications for forest ecosystems, and the third part focused on informal forest education and its relationship to climate change. The results of our study indicated that progressive climate change affecting forest ecosystems is clearly felt by the professional group related to forests such as foresters, and to a lesser extent by people using forests for tourism and recreation. According to foresters, the effects of climate change on forest areas include rapid changes in weather patterns and more frequent insect infestations. On the other hand, people resting in forests mainly observe the lack of snow cover and occurrence of drought. Informal forest education insufficiently covers the topic of climate change. Thus, our study can help guide informal education towards topics related to climate change and the need for sustainable forest use.

scholarly journals Impact of global climate change and fire on the occurrence and function of understorey legumes in forest ecosystems

2011 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 150-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédérique Reverchon ◽  
Zhihong Xu ◽  
Timothy J. Blumfield ◽  
Chengrong Chen ◽  
Kadum M. Abdullah
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Climate Change ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
And Function

scholarly journals Impact of Natural Hazards on Forest Ecosystems and Their Surrounding Landscape under Climate Change

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 979
Author(s):  
Jaroslav Vido ◽  
Paulína Nalevanková
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Surrounding Landscape

In the last decades, the increasing frequency of natural hazards has impacted forest ecosystems and their surroundings [...]

Spatial variability of trace metals in Podzols of northern forest ecosystems: Sampling implications

2003 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 581-587 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. MacDonald ◽  
W. H. Hendershot
Keyword(s):  
Trace Metals ◽  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Point Source ◽  
Forest Ecosystems ◽  
Physical Factors ◽  
Individual Plant ◽  
Forest Site ◽  
Organic Carbon Content ◽  
Metal Concentrations ◽  
Northern Forest

The concentrations of metals in soils are spatially heterogeneous and soil sampling carried out when studying metals in forest ecosystems is often inadequate. We examined the spatial variability of Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn in northern forest ecosystems on a transect with distance from two point source emitters with the goal of providing basic information about the distribution and variability of metals in these soils. Samples were taken under six sampling points at four depths from three experimental sites on each of the two transects. Soils were analysed for acid digestible metals, pH and organic carbon content. Standard deviation, coefficients of variation, mean and medians were analysed for each horizon of each site. It was observed that Cu and Mn variability is higher in closer proximity to the point source while the variability of Zn increased with decreasing soil pH. In Sudbury, emitted metals Ni and Cu accumulate together in soils, whereas in Rouyn-Noranda, with the exception of Cd and Zn, metal concentrations were not related in forest floors. Observations suggest that physical factors influencing where metals are deposited as well as the inherent variability in soil chemical characteristics, and the distance from the point source can all act together to result in high variability in soil metal concentrations in a single forest site. Sampling in the interest of relating vegetation metal concentrations or response to soil metals should be carried out on an individual plant basis with multiple samples taken for each individual. Soil samples taken at intervals of 1 to 1.7 m will provide relative error in estimating soil concentrations of 10% or 20%, respectively. Key words: Spatial variability, trace metals, podzolic soils, smelter emissions

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