Citation
Rubio Cuadrado, Álvaro
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5299-6063, Camarero, J.J., Río Gaztelurrutia, Miren del, Sánchez González, María de la O, Ruiz Peinado, Ricardo, Bravo Oviedo, Andrés, Gil, L. and Montes Pita, Fernando
(2018).
Drought modifies tree competitiveness in an oak-beech temperate forest.
"Forest Ecology and Management", v. 429
;
pp. 7-17.
ISSN 0378-1127.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2018.06.035.
Description
Title: |
Drought modifies tree competitiveness in an oak-beech temperate forest |
Author/s: |
-
Rubio Cuadrado, Álvaro
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5299-6063
-
Camarero, J.J.
-
Río Gaztelurrutia, Miren del
-
Sánchez González, María de la O
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Ruiz Peinado, Ricardo
-
Bravo Oviedo, Andrés
-
Gil, L.
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Montes Pita, Fernando
|
Item Type: |
Article
|
Título de Revista/Publicación: |
Forest Ecology and Management |
Date: |
1 December 2018 |
ISSN: |
0378-1127 |
Volume: |
429 |
Subjects: |
|
Freetext Keywords: |
dendroecology, projection, Fagus sylvatica, Quercus petraea, successional dynamics, succession, species dynamics, competitive advantage |
Faculty: |
E.T.S.I. Montes, Forestal y del Medio Natural (UPM) |
Department: |
Sistemas y Recursos Naturales |
UPM's Research Group: |
Genética, Fisiología e Historia Forestal |
Creative Commons Licenses: |
Recognition - Non commercial - Share |
Abstract
Over recent decades, forest management in Europe has increasingly moved towards the emulation of natural dynamics. Natural dynamics in beech-oak forests leads to the formation of monospecific beech stands, the oak usually being excluded or restricted to sites with poor growing conditions. However, beech is more vulnerable than oak to drought and high temperatures. In this study, we examine whether climate change could attenuate the dominance of beech and improve the competitive capacity of oak in an old-growth temperate forest located in the “Picos de Europa” National Park, northern Spain. We used a dendroecological approach to reconstruct the competitive capacity of beech and oak and developed a projection for the 21st century based on forecasted climate conditions under three different emission scenarios. Beech is the dominant tree species in the studied forest, where the disturbance regime has favored the replacement of oak by beech. In general oaks are older than beeches and most of the small trees are beeches. Our results show that this substitution process may weaken due to the vulnerability of beech to warmer and drier conditions. Climate change will benefit oak growth over beech over the course of the 21st century, as was observed in the late 20th century. However, the natural gap dynamic benefits beech due to its greater shade-tolerance. Therefore, if the resilience of the ecosystem is to be increased, management strategies favoring oak regeneration are necessary given the better adaptation of oak to climate change.
Funding Projects
Government of Spain
979S/2013
Unspecified
Fernando Montes Pita
Pasado, presente y futuro de los bosques de montaña: seguimiento y modelización de los efectos del cambio climático y la gestión sobre la dinámica forestal
Madrid Regional Government
P2013/MAE-2760
BOSSANOVA
Luis Gil
Bosques Sanos y Variados: Gestión Sostenible en Sistemas Forestales de la Comunidad de Madrid en el Contexto del Cambio Global
Government of Spain
AGL2016-76769-C2-1-R
FORESTCHANGE
Fernando Montes Pita
Influencia del régimen de perturbaciones y la gestión en el balance de carbono, estructura y dinámica de las masas forestales
Government of Spain
CGL2015-69186-C2-1-R
Fundiver
Jesús Julio Camarero
Explorando si la diversidad funcional estructural de los bosques confiere resistencia y resiliencia a la sequía: implicaciones para la adaptación al cambio climático.