scholarly journals Dominant forest tree species are potentially vulnerable to climate change over large portions of their range even at high latitudes

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine Périé ◽  
Sylvie de Blois
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Continental Scale ◽  
Climate Policies ◽  
Species Vulnerability ◽  
Suitable Habitats ◽  
Management Issues

Projecting suitable conditions for a species as a function of future climate provides a reasonable, although admittedly imperfect, spatially explicit estimate of species vulnerability associated with climate change. Projections emphasizing range shifts at continental scale, however, can mask contrasting patterns at local or regional scale where management and policy decisions are made. Moreover, models usually show potential for areas to become climatically unsuitable, remain suitable, or become suitable for a particular species with climate change, but each of these outcomes raises markedly different ecological and management issues. Managing forest decline at sites where climatic stress is projected to increase is likely to be the most immediate challenge resulting from climate change. Here we assess habitat suitability with climate change for five dominant tree species of eastern North American forests, focusing on areas of greatest vulnerability (loss of suitability in the baseline range) in Quebec (Canada) rather than opportunities (increase in suitability). Results show that these species are at risk of maladaptation over a remarkably large proportion of their baseline range. Depending on species, 5–21% of currently climatically suitable habitats are projected to be at risk of becoming unsuitable. This suggests that species that have traditionally defined whole regional vegetation assemblages could become less adapted to these regions, with significant impact on ecosystems and forest economy. In spite of their well-recognised limitations and the uncertainty that remains, regionally-explicit risk assessment approaches remain one of the best options to convey that message and the need for climate policies and forest management adaptation strategies.

Dendroecological assessment of climate resilience of the rare and scattered forest tree species Tilia cordata Mill. in northwestern Europe

2020 ◽  
Vol 93 (5) ◽  
pp. 675-684
Author(s):  
Nicolas Latte ◽  
Philippe Taverniers ◽  
Tanguy de Jaegere ◽  
Hugues Claessens
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Climatic Change ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Tilia Cordata ◽  
The Past ◽  
Lime Tree ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Forest Managers

Abstract To increase forest resilience to global change, forest managers are often directing forest stands towards a broader diversity of tree species. The small-leaved lime (Tilia cordata Mill.), a rare and scattered species in northwestern Europe, is a promising candidate for this purpose. Its life traits suggest a high resilience to climate change and a favourable impact on forest ecosystem services. This study used a dendroecological approach to assess how lime tree radial growth had responded to the past climatic change. First, 120 lime trees from nine sites were selected in southern Belgium based on criteria adapted to the rareness of the species. Chronology quality was assessed and resulting tree-ring series were validated at site and region levels. Second, a range of dendrochronological methods was used to analyze the changes over time in the variability and long-term trends of lime tree growth and their relation to climate during the period 1955–2016. Last, behaviour of lime trees was compared with that of beech from the same region and time period. For this purpose, the same methodology was applied to an additional beech tree-ring dataset (149 trees from 13 sites). Beech is the climax tree species of the region, but is known to be drought-sensitive and has shown weaknesses in the current climate. The quality of our tree-ring series attests that dendroecological investigation using rare and scattered species is possible, opening the way to further analysis on other such lesser-known forest tree species. The analysis showed that the small-leaved lime had been resilient to the past climatic change in multiple ways. Lime growth increased during the preceding decades despite an increased frequency and intensity of stressful climatic events. Lime growth quickly recovered in the years following the stresses. The growth–climate relationships were either stable over time or had a positive evolution. The behaviour of lime contrasted strongly with that of beech. Lime performed better than beech in every analysis. Small-leaved lime is thus a serious candidate for addressing climate change challenges in the region. It should be considered by forest managers planning to improve the sustainability and resilience of their forests, in particular in vulnerable beech stands.

scholarly journals How climate change might affect tree regeneration following fire at northern latitudes: a review

New Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 543-571 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Boucher ◽  
Sylvie Gauthier ◽  
Nelson Thiffault ◽  
William Marchand ◽  
Martin Girardin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Populus Tremuloides ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Fire Regime ◽  
Fire Severity ◽  
Tree Regeneration ◽  
Forest Recovery ◽  
Water Deficits ◽  
Climate Conditions

Abstract Climate change is projected to increase fire severity and frequency in the boreal forest, but it could also directly affect post-fire recruitment processes by impacting seed production, germination, and seedling growth and survival. We reviewed current knowledge regarding the effects of high temperatures and water deficits on post-fire recruitment processes of four major tree species (Picea mariana, Pinus banksiana, Populus tremuloides and Betula papyrifera) in order to anticipate the effects of climate change on forest recovery following fire in the boreal biome. We also produced maps of future vulnerability of post-fire recruitment by combining tree distributions in Canada with projections of temperature, moisture index and fire regime for the 2041–2070 and 2071–2100 periods. Although our review reveals that information is lacking for some regeneration stages, it highlights the response variability to climate conditions between species. The recruitment process of black spruce is likely to be the most affected by rising temperatures and water deficits, but more tolerant species are also at risk of being impacted by projected climate conditions. Our maps suggest that in eastern Canada, tree species will be vulnerable mainly to projected increases in temperature, while forests will be affected mostly by droughts in western Canada. Conifer-dominated forests are at risk of becoming less productive than they currently are, and eventually, timber supplies from deciduous species-dominated forests could also decrease. Our vulnerability maps are useful for prioritizing areas where regeneration monitoring efforts and adaptive measures could be developed.

Maladaptation, migration and extirpation fuel climate change risk in a forest tree species

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 166-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew V. Gougherty ◽  
Stephen R. Keller ◽  
Matthew C. Fitzpatrick
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Climate Change Risk ◽  
Forest Tree Species

scholarly journals Fate of forest tree biotechnology facing climate change

2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-136
Author(s):  
M. R. Ahuja
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Somatic Embryogenesis ◽  
Loblolly Pine ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Forest Trees ◽  
Forest Tree Species ◽  
Tree Biotechnology

Abstract Woody plants have been cultured in vitro since the 1930s. After that time much progress has been made in the culture of tissues, organs, cells, and protoplasts in tree species. Tree biotechnology has been making strides in clonal propagation by organogenesis and somatic embryogenesis. These regeneration studies have paved the way for gene transfer in forest trees. Transgenics from a number of forest tree species carrying a variety of recombinant genes that code for herbicide tolerance, pest resistance, lignin modification, increased woody bio-mass, and flowering control have been produced by Agrobacterium-mediated and biolistic methods, and some of them are undergoing confined field trials. Although relatively stable transgenic clones have been produced by genetic transformation in trees using organogenesis or somatic embryogenesis, there were also unintended unstable genetic events. In order to overcome the problems of randomness of transgene integration and instability reported in Agrobacterium-mediated or biolistically transformed plants, site-specific transgene insertion strategies involving clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR-Cas9) platform offer prospects for precise genome editing in plants. Nevertheless, it is important to monitor phenotypic and genetic stability of clonal material, not just under greenhouse conditions, but also under natural field conditions. Genetically modified poplars have been commercialized in China, and eucalypts and loblolly pine are expected to be released for commercial deployment in USA. Clonal forestry and transgenic forestry have to cope with rapid global climate changes in the future. Climate change is impacting species distributions and is a significant threat to biodiversity. Therefore, it is important to deploy Strategies that will assist the survival and evolution of forest tree species facing rapid climate change. Assisted migration (managed relocation) and biotechnological approaches offer prospects for adaptation of forest trees to climate change.

scholarly journals Maxent Modelling Predicts a Shift in Suitable Habitats of a Subtropical Evergreen Tree (Cyclobalanopsis glauca (Thunberg) Oersted) under Climate Change Scenarios in China

Forests ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 126
Author(s):  
Lijuan Zhang ◽  
Lianqi Zhu ◽  
Yanhong Li ◽  
Wenbo Zhu ◽  
Yingyong Chen
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Maxent Modelling ◽  
The Future ◽  
Suitable Habitats ◽  
Increasing Precipitation ◽  
Cyclobalanopsis Glauca

Climate change has caused substantial shifts in the geographical distribution of many species. There is growing evidence that many species are migrating in response to climate change. Changes in the distribution of dominant tree species induced by climate change can have an impact not only on organisms such as epiphytes and understory vegetation, but also on the whole ecosystem. Cyclobalanopsis glauca is a dominant tree species in the mingled evergreen and deciduous broadleaf forests of China. Understanding their adaptive strategies against climate change is important for understanding the future community structure. We employed the Maxent framework to model current suitable habitats of C. glauca under current climate conditions and predicted it onto the climate scenarios for 2041–2060 and 2081–2100 using 315 occurrence data. Our results showed that annual precipitation was the most critical factor for the distribution of C. glauca. In the future, increasing precipitation would reduce the limitation of water on habitats, leading to an expansion of the distribution to a higher latitude and higher altitude. At the same time, there were habitat contractions at the junction of the Jiangxi and Fujian Provinces. This study can provide vital information for the management of C. glauca, and serve as a reminder for managers to protect C. glauca in the range contraction areas.

scholarly journals Challenges and Perspectives in the Epigenetics of Climate Change-Induced Forests Decline

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabel García-García ◽  
Belén Méndez-Cea ◽  
David Martín-Gálvez ◽  
José Ignacio Seco ◽  
Francisco Javier Gallego ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Epigenetic Modifications ◽  
Sequencing Technologies ◽  
Induced Stress ◽  
Generation Times ◽  
Reference Genomes ◽  
Sessile Organisms

Forest tree species are highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. As sessile organisms with long generation times, their adaptation to a local changing environment may rely on epigenetic modifications when allele frequencies are not able to shift fast enough. However, the current lack of knowledge on this field is remarkable, due to many challenges that researchers face when studying this issue. Huge genome sizes, absence of reference genomes and annotation, and having to analyze huge amounts of data are among these difficulties, which limit the current ability to understand how climate change drives tree species epigenetic modifications. In spite of this challenging framework, some insights on the relationships among climate change-induced stress and epigenomics are coming. Advances in DNA sequencing technologies and an increasing number of studies dealing with this topic must boost our knowledge on tree adaptive capacity to changing environmental conditions. Here, we discuss challenges and perspectives in the epigenetics of climate change-induced forests decline, aiming to provide a general overview of the state of the art.

How much does climate change threaten European forest tree species distributions?

2017 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 1150-1163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcin K. Dyderski ◽  
Sonia Paź ◽  
Lee E. Frelich ◽  
Andrzej M. Jagodziński
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Species Distributions ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Forest Tree Species ◽  
European Forest ◽  
Tree Species Distributions

Dominant tree species are at risk from exaggerated drought under climate change

2015 ◽  
Vol 21 (10) ◽  
pp. 3777-3785 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roderick J. Fensham ◽  
Josie Fraser ◽  
Harry J. MacDermott ◽  
Jenifer Firn
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Tree Species

scholarly journals Facilitating Adaptive Forest Management under Climate Change: A Spatially Specific Synthesis of 125 Species for Habitat Changes and Assisted Migration over the Eastern United States

Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis R. Iverson ◽  
Anantha M. Prasad ◽  
Matthew P. Peters ◽  
Stephen N. Matthews
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
United States ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Habitat Suitability ◽  
Analysis Data ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Data Set ◽  
The Face ◽  
Suitable Habitats

We modeled and combined outputs for 125 tree species for the eastern United States, using habitat suitability and colonization potential models along with an evaluation of adaptation traits. These outputs allowed, for the first time, the compilation of tree species’ current and future potential for each unit of 55 national forests and grasslands and 469 1 × 1 degree grids across the eastern United States. A habitat suitability model, a migration simulation model, and an assessment based on biological and disturbance factors were used with United States Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis data to evaluate species potential to migrate or infill naturally into suitable habitats over the next 100 years. We describe a suite of variables, by species, for each unique geographic unit, packaged as summary tables describing current abundance, potential future change in suitable habitat, adaptability, and capability to cope with the changing climate, and colonization likelihood over 100 years. This resulting synthesis and summation effort, culminating over two decades of work, provides a detailed data set that incorporates habitat quality, land cover, and dispersal potential, spatially constrained, for nearly all the tree species of the eastern United States. These tables and maps provide an estimate of potential species trends out 100 years, intended to deliver managers and publics with practical tools to reduce the vast set of decisions before them as they proactively manage tree species in the face of climate change.

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