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- Fraver, Shawn, et al.
(författare)
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Tree growth and competition in an old-growth Picea abies forest of boreal Sweden : influence of tree spatial patterning
- 2014
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Ingår i: Journal of Vegetation Science. - : Wiley. - 1100-9233 .- 1654-1103. ; 25:2, s. 374-385
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Question What factors best characterize tree competitive environments in this structurally diverse old-growth forest, and do these factors vary spatially within and among stands? Location Old-growth Picea abies forest of boreal Sweden. Methods Using long-term, mapped permanent plot data augmented with dendrochronological analyses, we evaluated the effect of neighbourhood competition on focal tree growth by means of standard competition indices, each modified to include various metrics of trees size, neighbour mortality weighting (for neighbours that died during the inventory period), and within-neighbourhood tree clustering. Candidate models were evaluated using mixed-model linear regression analyses, with mean basal area increment as the response variable. We then analysed stand-level spatial patterns of competition indices and growth rates (via kriging) to determine if the relationship between these patterns could further elucidate factors influencing tree growth. Results Inter-tree competition clearly affected growth rates, with crown volume being the size metric most strongly influencing the neighbourhood competitive environment. Including neighbour tree mortality weightings in models only slightly improved descriptions of competitive interactions. Although the within-neighbourhood clustering index did not improve model predictions, competition intensity was influenced by the underlying stand-level tree spatial arrangement: stand-level clustering locally intensified competition and reduced tree growth, whereas in the absence of such clustering, inter-tree competition played a lesser role in constraining tree growth. Conclusions Our findings demonstrate that competition continues to influence forest processes and structures in an old-growth system that has not experienced major disturbances for at least two centuries. The finding that the underlying tree spatial pattern influenced the competitive environment suggests caution in interpreting traditional tree competition studies, in which tree spatial patterning is typically not taken into account. Our findings highlight the importance of forest structure - particularly the spatial arrangement of trees - in regulating inter-tree competition and growth in structurally diverse forests, and they provide insight into the causes and consequences of heterogeneity in this old-growth system.
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- Gärtner, Antje, et al.
(författare)
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Temperature and Tree Size Explain the Mean Time to Fall of Dead Standing Trees across Large Scales
- 2023
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Ingår i: Forests. - : MDPI. - 1999-4907. ; 14:5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AbstractDead standing trees (DSTs) generally decompose slower than wood in contact with the forest floor. In many regions, DSTs are being created at an increasing rate due to accelerating tree mortality caused by climate change. Therefore, factors determining DST fall are crucial for predicting dead wood turnover time but remain poorly constrained. Here, we conduct a re-analysis of published DST fall data to provide standardized information on the mean time to fall (MTF) of DSTs across biomes. We used multiple linear regression to test covariates considered important for DST fall, while controlling for mortality and management effects. DSTs of species killed by fire, insects and other causes stood on average for 48, 13 and 19 years, but MTF calculations were sensitive to how tree size was accounted for. Species’ MTFs differed significantly between DSTs killed by fire and other causes, between coniferous and broadleaved plant functional types (PFTs) and between managed and unmanaged sites, but management did not explain MTFs when we distinguished by mortality cause. Mean annual temperature (MAT) negatively affected MTFs, whereas larger tree size or being coniferous caused DSTs to stand longer. The most important explanatory variables were MAT and tree size, with minor contributions of management and plant functional type depending on mortality cause. Our results provide a basis to improve the representation of dead wood decomposition in carbon cycle assessments.
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