Long‐term vegetation changes in a temperate forest impacted by climate change
Long‐term vegetation changes in a temperate forest impacted by climate change
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受气候变化影响的温带森林的长期植被变化
DOI：
10.1890/es14-00225.1
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发表时间：
2014
期刊：
影响因子：
2.7
通讯作者：
R. Dirzo
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Lauren E. Oakes;P. Hennon;K. O’Hara;R. Dirzo
©2014年奥克斯等人。由于气温上升，预计未来几十年普遍存在的森林死亡将会增加。气候引起的森林枯萎可能会对生态系统服务产生影响，这可能是由于森林结构和林下群落组成的变化对树木死亡的反应。虽然近年来世界各地的许多枯萎事件都有记载，但黄柏(Callitropsis Nootkatens)的衰退为研究过去一个世纪以来的植被变化提供了机会。目前的研究发现，与气候相关的降雪减少是该物种死亡的关键驱动因素。为了研究枯萎后森林发展的过程，我们对阿拉斯加东南外海岸的50个样地进行了植被调查，调查了死亡的时间序列。我们的主要研究目标是研究林冠上针叶树种的苗木和幼树丰度和群落结构的变化；黄柏死亡对林下植物多样性和群落组成的影响；以及在整个区域管理的西特卡黑尾鹿(Odocoileus Hemion Sitkensis)的主要饲料种类的数量。在整个时间序列中，黄柏幼树发生的概率都降低了。黄柏苗木和幼树丰富度也有所下降。我们观察到从黄柏到西铁杉的更替以铁杉为主。在整个时间序列中，功能植物多样性增加，林下植被群落组成发生变化。在林分发育的早期，苔藓植物逐渐减少，草本植物逐渐丰富，灌木相对丰富度在林分发育后期逐渐增加。我们的结果表明，黄柏在受广泛死亡影响的森林中再生的可能性显著降低，随着时间的推移，物种死亡可以动态地重新安排植物群落。这些研究结果强调了在评估气候变化对生物多样性和生态系统服务的影响以及使森林管理适应不断变化的气候时考虑长期时间动态的重要性。版权所有：
© 2014 Oakes et al. Pervasive forest mortality is expected to increase in future decades as a result of increasing temperatures. Climate-induced forest dieback can have consequences on ecosystem services, potentially mediated by changes in forest structure and understory community composition that emerge in response to tree death. Although many dieback events around the world have been documented in recent years, yellowcedar (Callitropsis nootkatensis) decline provides an opportunity to study vegetation changes occurring over the past century. Current research identifies climate-related reductions in snow cover as a key driver of this species dieback. To examine the process of forest development post-dieback, we conducted vegetation surveys at 50 plots along the outer coast of southeast Alaska across a chronosequence of mortality. Our main study objectives were to examine changes in seedling and sapling abundance, and community structure of conifer species in the overstory; effects of yellow-cedar mortality on plant diversity and community composition of functional groups in the understory; and volume of key forage species for Sitka black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis) managed throughout the region. The probability of yellow-cedar sapling occurrence was reduced across the chronosequence. Yellow-cedar seedling and sapling abundance also decreased. We observed a turnover from yellow-cedar to western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) dominated forests. Functional plant diversity increased and the community composition of the understory changed across the chronosequence. Bryophytes became less abundant and grasses more abundant in the early stages of stand development, and shrubs increased in relative abundance in latter stages. Our results demonstrate that yellow-cedar is significantly less likely to regenerate in forests affected by widespread mortality, and a species dieback can dynamically rearrange the plant community over time. These findings emphasize the importance of considering long-term temporal dynamics when assessing the impacts of climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem services, and adapting forest management to a changing climate. Copyright: