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Despite its importance for forest regeneration, food webs, and human economies, changes in tree fecundity with tree size and age remain largely unknown. The allometric increase with tree diameter assumed in ecological models would substantially overestimate seed contributions from large trees if fecundity eventually declines with size. Current estimates are dominated by overrepresentation of small trees in regression models. We combined global fecundity data, including a substantial representation of large trees. We compared size–fecundity relationships against traditional allometric scaling with diameter and two models based on crown architecture. All allometric models fail to describe the declining rate of increase in fecundity with diameter found for 80% of 597 species in our analysis. The strong evidence of declining fecundity, beyond what can be explained by crown architectural change, is consistent with physiological decline. A downward revision of projected fecundity of large trees can improve the next generation of forest dynamic models.
Tong Qiu; Marie-Claire Aravena; Robert Andrus; Davide Ascoli; Yves Bergeron; Roberta Berretti; Michal Bogdziewicz; Thomas Boivin; Raul Bonal; Thomas Caignard; Rafael Calama; J. Julio Camarero; Connie J. Clark; Benoit Courbaud; Sylvain Delzon; Sergio Donoso Calderon; William Farfan-Rios; Catherine A. Gehring; Gregory S. Gilbert; Cathryn H. Greenberg; Qinfeng Guo; Janneke Hille Ris Lambers; Kazuhiko Hoshizaki; Ines Ibanez; Valentin Journé; Christopher L. Kilner; Richard K. Kobe; Walter D. Koenig; Georges Kunstler; Jalene M. LaMontagne; Mateusz Ledwon; James A. Lutz; Renzo Motta; Jonathan A. Myers; Thomas A. Nagel; Chase L. Nuñez; Ian S. Pearse; Łukasz Piechnik; John R. Poulsen; Renata Poulton-Kamakura; Miranda D. Redmond; Chantal D. Reid; Kyle C. Rodman; C. Lane Scher; Harald Schmidt Van Marle; Barbara Seget; Shubhi Sharma; Miles Silman; Jennifer J. Swenson; Margaret Swift; Maria Uriarte; Giorgio Vacchiano; Thomas T. Veblen; Amy V. Whipple; Thomas G. Whitham; Andreas P. Wion; S. Joseph Wright; Kai Zhu; Jess K. Zimmerman; Magdalena Żywiec; James S. Clark. Is there tree senescence? The fecundity evidence. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2021, 118, 1 .
AMA StyleTong Qiu, Marie-Claire Aravena, Robert Andrus, Davide Ascoli, Yves Bergeron, Roberta Berretti, Michal Bogdziewicz, Thomas Boivin, Raul Bonal, Thomas Caignard, Rafael Calama, J. Julio Camarero, Connie J. Clark, Benoit Courbaud, Sylvain Delzon, Sergio Donoso Calderon, William Farfan-Rios, Catherine A. Gehring, Gregory S. Gilbert, Cathryn H. Greenberg, Qinfeng Guo, Janneke Hille Ris Lambers, Kazuhiko Hoshizaki, Ines Ibanez, Valentin Journé, Christopher L. Kilner, Richard K. Kobe, Walter D. Koenig, Georges Kunstler, Jalene M. LaMontagne, Mateusz Ledwon, James A. Lutz, Renzo Motta, Jonathan A. Myers, Thomas A. Nagel, Chase L. Nuñez, Ian S. Pearse, Łukasz Piechnik, John R. Poulsen, Renata Poulton-Kamakura, Miranda D. Redmond, Chantal D. Reid, Kyle C. Rodman, C. Lane Scher, Harald Schmidt Van Marle, Barbara Seget, Shubhi Sharma, Miles Silman, Jennifer J. Swenson, Margaret Swift, Maria Uriarte, Giorgio Vacchiano, Thomas T. Veblen, Amy V. Whipple, Thomas G. Whitham, Andreas P. Wion, S. Joseph Wright, Kai Zhu, Jess K. Zimmerman, Magdalena Żywiec, James S. Clark. Is there tree senescence? The fecundity evidence. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2021; 118 (34):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleTong Qiu; Marie-Claire Aravena; Robert Andrus; Davide Ascoli; Yves Bergeron; Roberta Berretti; Michal Bogdziewicz; Thomas Boivin; Raul Bonal; Thomas Caignard; Rafael Calama; J. Julio Camarero; Connie J. Clark; Benoit Courbaud; Sylvain Delzon; Sergio Donoso Calderon; William Farfan-Rios; Catherine A. Gehring; Gregory S. Gilbert; Cathryn H. Greenberg; Qinfeng Guo; Janneke Hille Ris Lambers; Kazuhiko Hoshizaki; Ines Ibanez; Valentin Journé; Christopher L. Kilner; Richard K. Kobe; Walter D. Koenig; Georges Kunstler; Jalene M. LaMontagne; Mateusz Ledwon; James A. Lutz; Renzo Motta; Jonathan A. Myers; Thomas A. Nagel; Chase L. Nuñez; Ian S. Pearse; Łukasz Piechnik; John R. Poulsen; Renata Poulton-Kamakura; Miranda D. Redmond; Chantal D. Reid; Kyle C. Rodman; C. Lane Scher; Harald Schmidt Van Marle; Barbara Seget; Shubhi Sharma; Miles Silman; Jennifer J. Swenson; Margaret Swift; Maria Uriarte; Giorgio Vacchiano; Thomas T. Veblen; Amy V. Whipple; Thomas G. Whitham; Andreas P. Wion; S. Joseph Wright; Kai Zhu; Jess K. Zimmerman; Magdalena Żywiec; James S. Clark. 2021. "Is there tree senescence? The fecundity evidence." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 118, no. 34: 1.
The quantification of post-disturbance root reinforcement (RR) recovery dynamics is of paramount importance for the optimisation of forest ecosystem services and natural hazards risk management in mountain regions. In this work we analyse the long-term root reinforcement dynamic of spruce forests combining data of the Swiss National Forest Inventory with data on root distribution and root mechanical properties. The results show that root reinforcement recovery depends primarily on stand altitude and slope inclination. The maximum root reinforcement recovery rate is reached at circa 100 years. RR increases continuously with different rates for stand ages over 200 years. These results shows that RR in spruce stands varies considerably depending on the local conditions and that its recovery after disturbances requires decades. The new method applied in this study allowed for the first time to quantify the long term dynamics of RR in spruce stands supporting new quantitative approaches for the analysis of shallow landslides disposition in different disturbance regimes of forests.
Gianluca Flepp; Roger Robyr; Roberto Scotti; Filippo Giadrossich; Marco Conedera; Giorgio Vacchiano; Christoph Fischer; Peter Ammann; Dominik May; Massimiliano Schwarz. Temporal Dynamics of Root Reinforcement in European Spruce Forests. Forests 2021, 12, 815 .
AMA StyleGianluca Flepp, Roger Robyr, Roberto Scotti, Filippo Giadrossich, Marco Conedera, Giorgio Vacchiano, Christoph Fischer, Peter Ammann, Dominik May, Massimiliano Schwarz. Temporal Dynamics of Root Reinforcement in European Spruce Forests. Forests. 2021; 12 (6):815.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGianluca Flepp; Roger Robyr; Roberto Scotti; Filippo Giadrossich; Marco Conedera; Giorgio Vacchiano; Christoph Fischer; Peter Ammann; Dominik May; Massimiliano Schwarz. 2021. "Temporal Dynamics of Root Reinforcement in European Spruce Forests." Forests 12, no. 6: 815.
Forest restoration is currently a primary objective in environmental management policies at a global scale, to the extent that impressive initiatives and commitments have been launched to plant billions of trees. However, resources are limited and the success of any restoration effort should be maximized. Thus, restoration programs should seek to guarantee that what is planted today will become an adult tree in the future, a simple fact that, however, usually receives little attention. Here, we advocate for the need to focus restoration efforts on an individual plant level to increase establishment success while reducing negative side-effects by using an approach that we term “precision forest restoration” (PFR). The objective of PFR will be to ensure that planted seedlings or sowed seeds will become adult trees with the appropriate landscape configuration to create functional and self-regulating forest ecosystems while reducing the negative impacts of traditional massive reforestation actions. PFR can take advantage of ecological knowledge together with technologies and methodologies from the landscape scale to the individual-plant scale, and from the more traditional, low-tech approaches to the latest high-tech ones. PFR may be more expensive at the level of individual plants, but will be more cost-effective in the long-term if it allows for the creation of resilient forests able to provide multiple ecosystem services. PFR was not feasible a few years ago due to the high cost and low precision of the available technologies, but it is currently an alternative that might reformulate a wide spectrum of ecosystem restoration activities.
Jorge Castro; Fernando Morales‐Rueda; Francisco B. Navarro; Magnus Löf; Giorgio Vacchiano; Domingo Alcaraz‐Segura. Precision restoration: a necessary approach to foster forest recovery in the 21st century. Restoration Ecology 2021, e13421 .
AMA StyleJorge Castro, Fernando Morales‐Rueda, Francisco B. Navarro, Magnus Löf, Giorgio Vacchiano, Domingo Alcaraz‐Segura. Precision restoration: a necessary approach to foster forest recovery in the 21st century. Restoration Ecology. 2021; ():e13421.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJorge Castro; Fernando Morales‐Rueda; Francisco B. Navarro; Magnus Löf; Giorgio Vacchiano; Domingo Alcaraz‐Segura. 2021. "Precision restoration: a necessary approach to foster forest recovery in the 21st century." Restoration Ecology , no. : e13421.
Drought will increasingly threaten forest ecosystems worldwide. Understanding how competition influences tree growth response to drought is essential for forest management aiming at climate change adaptation. However, published results from individual case studies are heterogeneous and sometimes contradictory. We reviewed 166 cases from the peer-reviewed literature to assess the influence of stand-level competition on tree growth response to drought. We monitored five indicators of tree growth response: mean sensitivity (inter-annual tree ring width variability); association between inter-annual growth variability and water availability; resistance; recovery; and resilience to drought. Vote counting did not indicate a consistent effect of competition on mean sensitivity. Conversely, higher competition for resources strengthened the association between water availability and inter-annual growth rates. Meta-analysis showed that higher competition reduced resistance (p < 0.001) and improved recovery (p < 0.05), but did not consistently affect resilience. Species, site and stand characteristics, and drought intensity were insignificant or poor predictors for the large variability among the investigated cases. Our review and meta-analysis show that competition does not affect the response of tree growth to drought in a unidirectional and universal way. Although density reduction (thinning) can alleviate growth declines during drought, the effects on growth after stress are uncertain. The large variability among investigated cases suggests that local-scale processes play a crucial role in determining such responses and should be explicitly evaluated and integrated into specific strategies for adaptation of forests to climate change.
Daniele Castagneri; Giorgio Vacchiano; Andrew Hacket-Pain; R. Justin DeRose; Tamir Klein; Alessandra Bottero. Meta-analysis Reveals Different Competition Effects on Tree Growth Resistance and Resilience to Drought. Ecosystems 2021, 1 -14.
AMA StyleDaniele Castagneri, Giorgio Vacchiano, Andrew Hacket-Pain, R. Justin DeRose, Tamir Klein, Alessandra Bottero. Meta-analysis Reveals Different Competition Effects on Tree Growth Resistance and Resilience to Drought. Ecosystems. 2021; ():1-14.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDaniele Castagneri; Giorgio Vacchiano; Andrew Hacket-Pain; R. Justin DeRose; Tamir Klein; Alessandra Bottero. 2021. "Meta-analysis Reveals Different Competition Effects on Tree Growth Resistance and Resilience to Drought." Ecosystems , no. : 1-14.
Understanding the processes that shape forest functioning, structure, and diversity remains challenging, although data on forest systems are being collected at a rapid pace and across scales. Forest models have a long history in bridging data with ecological knowledge and can simulate forest dynamics over spatio‐temporal scales unreachable by most empirical investigations. We describe the development that different forest modelling communities have followed to underpin the leverage that simulation models offer for advancing our understanding of forest ecosystems. Using three widely applied but contrasting approaches – species distribution models, individual‐based forest models, and dynamic global vegetation models – as examples, we show how scientific and technical advances have led models to transgress their initial objectives and limitations. We provide an overview of recent model applications on current important ecological topics and pinpoint ten key questions that could, and should, be tackled with forest models in the next decade. Synthesis. This overview shows that forest models, due to their complementarity and mutual enrichment, represent an invaluable toolkit to address a wide range of fundamental and applied ecological questions, hence fostering a deeper understanding of forest dynamics in the context of global change.
Isabelle Maréchaux; Fanny Langerwisch; Andreas Huth; Harald Bugmann; Xavier Morin; Christopher P.O. Reyer; Rupert Seidl; Alessio Collalti; Mateus Dantas de Paula; Rico Fischer; Martin Gutsch; Manfred J. Lexer; Heike Lischke; Anja Rammig; Edna Rödig; Boris Sakschewski; Franziska Taubert; Kirsten Thonicke; Giorgio Vacchiano; Friedrich J. Bohn. Tackling unresolved questions in forest ecology: The past and future role of simulation models. Ecology and Evolution 2021, 11, 3746 -3770.
AMA StyleIsabelle Maréchaux, Fanny Langerwisch, Andreas Huth, Harald Bugmann, Xavier Morin, Christopher P.O. Reyer, Rupert Seidl, Alessio Collalti, Mateus Dantas de Paula, Rico Fischer, Martin Gutsch, Manfred J. Lexer, Heike Lischke, Anja Rammig, Edna Rödig, Boris Sakschewski, Franziska Taubert, Kirsten Thonicke, Giorgio Vacchiano, Friedrich J. Bohn. Tackling unresolved questions in forest ecology: The past and future role of simulation models. Ecology and Evolution. 2021; 11 (9):3746-3770.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIsabelle Maréchaux; Fanny Langerwisch; Andreas Huth; Harald Bugmann; Xavier Morin; Christopher P.O. Reyer; Rupert Seidl; Alessio Collalti; Mateus Dantas de Paula; Rico Fischer; Martin Gutsch; Manfred J. Lexer; Heike Lischke; Anja Rammig; Edna Rödig; Boris Sakschewski; Franziska Taubert; Kirsten Thonicke; Giorgio Vacchiano; Friedrich J. Bohn. 2021. "Tackling unresolved questions in forest ecology: The past and future role of simulation models." Ecology and Evolution 11, no. 9: 3746-3770.
Forests make over 30% of global land and perform functions of vital importance for the well-being of humans on Earth. Yet, forest cover is declining due to deforestation that mainly affect tropical biomes, due to land use changes for agricultural, mining, and urban use to satisfy growing global demands. Globalization of markets and development have in fact raised the pressure on environmental resources by humans, and at least 30% of global deforestation is linked to the production of exported goods.
We propose here a method to quantify the impact of global trade on forest cover, by assessing the deforestation embodied in the production, trade, and consumption of forest-risk agricultural products and by-products. from 2000 to 2020. We provide the first estimate of a country-based deforestation footprint, an indicator of the pressure on forest cover by countries that consume goods produced on land previously occupied by forests.
This is a first attempt to systematically and critically address the issue taking into account responsibilities of both exporting and importing countries. Our methods and first assessment can support domestic and international policies aiming at reducing deforestation through a correct assessment of a country's impact on global forests and their services.
Giorgio Vacchiano; Maria Giovanna Lahoz; Alessia Ventrice; Marco Bagliani. A global deforestation footprint from production and consumption of primary goods . 2021, 1 .
AMA StyleGiorgio Vacchiano, Maria Giovanna Lahoz, Alessia Ventrice, Marco Bagliani. A global deforestation footprint from production and consumption of primary goods . . 2021; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiorgio Vacchiano; Maria Giovanna Lahoz; Alessia Ventrice; Marco Bagliani. 2021. "A global deforestation footprint from production and consumption of primary goods ." , no. : 1.
The monitoring of environmental policies in Europe has taken place since the 1980s and still remains a challenge for decision- and policy-making. For forests, it is concretized through the publication of a State Of Europe’s Forests every five years, the last report just been released. However, the process lacks a clear analytical framework and appears limited to orient and truly assess sustainable management of European forests. We classified the 34 quantitative sustainable forest management indicators in the Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework to analyse gaps in the process. In addition, we classified biodiversity-related indicators in the simpler Pressure-State-Response (PSR) framework. We showed that most of the sustainable forest management indicators assess the state of European forests, but almost half could be classified in another DPSIR category. For biodiversity, most indicators describe pressures, while direct taxonomic state indicators are very few. Our expert-based classification show that sustainable forest management indicators are unbalanced regarding the DPSIR framework. However, completing this framework with other indicators would help to have a better view and more relevant tools for decision-making. The results for biodiversity were comparable, but we showed that some indicators from other criteria than the one dedicated to biodiversity could also help understanding threats and actions concerning it. Such classification helps in the decision process, but is not sufficient to fully support policy initiative. In particular, the next step would be to better understand the links between DPSIR and PSR categories.
Y. Paillet; T. Campagnaro; S. Burrascano; M. Gosselin; J. Ballweg; F. Chianucci; J. Dorioz; J. Marsaud; L. Maciejewski; T. Sitzia; G. Vacchiano. With great power comes great responsibility: an analysis of sustainable forest management quantitative indicators in the DPSIR framework. 2021, 1 .
AMA StyleY. Paillet, T. Campagnaro, S. Burrascano, M. Gosselin, J. Ballweg, F. Chianucci, J. Dorioz, J. Marsaud, L. Maciejewski, T. Sitzia, G. Vacchiano. With great power comes great responsibility: an analysis of sustainable forest management quantitative indicators in the DPSIR framework. . 2021; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleY. Paillet; T. Campagnaro; S. Burrascano; M. Gosselin; J. Ballweg; F. Chianucci; J. Dorioz; J. Marsaud; L. Maciejewski; T. Sitzia; G. Vacchiano. 2021. "With great power comes great responsibility: an analysis of sustainable forest management quantitative indicators in the DPSIR framework." , no. : 1.
Root reinforcement is a mechanism through which forests contribute to the prevention and mitigation of shallow instabilities in soils, one of the main hazards in mountain areas. This study aims to assess how spatial tree distribution and whether thinning operations affect root reinforcement in the most common forest types of the European Southern Alps. We measured size and position of the trees of 119 stands, belonging to sweet chestnut, European beech, Norway spruce, and spruce-beech-silver fir forest types. We developed, calibrated and validated a model for estimating root reinforcement at the stand level, using the spatial distribution of tree diameter as the input variable. Finally, we simulated a thinning of 18% stand basal area, selecting removal trees from smaller diameter classes (low thinning) or from random clusters (random cluster thinning), and assessed its effect on root reinforcement. Root reinforcement statistically differed among forest types and the lowest values were found in the sweet chestnut forest type. Irrespective of the forest type, low thinning did not significantly modify root reinforcement, while random cluster thinning reduced it five-fold.
Alessio Cislaghi; Edoardo Alterio; Paolo Fogliata; Andrea Rizzi; Emanuele Lingua; Giorgio Vacchiano; Gian Battista Bischetti; Tommaso Sitzia. Effects of tree spacing and thinning on root reinforcement in mountain forests of the European Southern Alps. Forest Ecology and Management 2021, 482, 118873 .
AMA StyleAlessio Cislaghi, Edoardo Alterio, Paolo Fogliata, Andrea Rizzi, Emanuele Lingua, Giorgio Vacchiano, Gian Battista Bischetti, Tommaso Sitzia. Effects of tree spacing and thinning on root reinforcement in mountain forests of the European Southern Alps. Forest Ecology and Management. 2021; 482 ():118873.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAlessio Cislaghi; Edoardo Alterio; Paolo Fogliata; Andrea Rizzi; Emanuele Lingua; Giorgio Vacchiano; Gian Battista Bischetti; Tommaso Sitzia. 2021. "Effects of tree spacing and thinning on root reinforcement in mountain forests of the European Southern Alps." Forest Ecology and Management 482, no. : 118873.
D. Ascoli; G. Vacchiano; C. Scarpa; B. Arca; A. Barbati; G. Battipaglia; M. Elia; A. Esposito; V. Garfì; R. Lovreglio; P. Mairota; M. Marchetti; E. Marchi; S. Meytre; M. Ottaviano; G. Pellizzaro; R. Rizzolo; L. Sallustio; M. Salis; C. Sirca; E. Valese; A. Ventura; V. Bacciu. Harmonized dataset of surface fuels under Alpine, temperate and Mediterranean conditions in Italy. A synthesis supporting fire management. iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry 2020, 13, 513 -522.
AMA StyleD. Ascoli, G. Vacchiano, C. Scarpa, B. Arca, A. Barbati, G. Battipaglia, M. Elia, A. Esposito, V. Garfì, R. Lovreglio, P. Mairota, M. Marchetti, E. Marchi, S. Meytre, M. Ottaviano, G. Pellizzaro, R. Rizzolo, L. Sallustio, M. Salis, C. Sirca, E. Valese, A. Ventura, V. Bacciu. Harmonized dataset of surface fuels under Alpine, temperate and Mediterranean conditions in Italy. A synthesis supporting fire management. iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry. 2020; 13 (6):513-522.
Chicago/Turabian StyleD. Ascoli; G. Vacchiano; C. Scarpa; B. Arca; A. Barbati; G. Battipaglia; M. Elia; A. Esposito; V. Garfì; R. Lovreglio; P. Mairota; M. Marchetti; E. Marchi; S. Meytre; M. Ottaviano; G. Pellizzaro; R. Rizzolo; L. Sallustio; M. Salis; C. Sirca; E. Valese; A. Ventura; V. Bacciu. 2020. "Harmonized dataset of surface fuels under Alpine, temperate and Mediterranean conditions in Italy. A synthesis supporting fire management." iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry 13, no. 6: 513-522.
Projections of landscape dynamics are uncertain, partly due to uncertainties in model formulations. However, quantitative comparative analyses of forest landscape models are lacking. We conducted a systematic comparison of all forest landscape models currently applied in temperate European forests (LandClim, TreeMig, LANDIS-II, iLand). We examined the uncertainty of model projections under several future climate, disturbance, and dispersal scenarios, and quantified uncertainties by variance partitioning. While projections under past climate conditions were in good agreement with observations, uncertainty under future climate conditions was high, with between-model biomass differences of up to 200 t ha-1. Disturbances strongly influenced landscape dynamics and contributed substantially to uncertainty in model projections (∼25-40% of observed variance). Overall, model differences were the main source of uncertainty, explaining at least 50% of observed variance. We advocate a more rigorous and systematic model evaluation and calibration, and a broader use of ensemble projections to quantify uncertainties in future landscape dynamics.
Gunnar Petter; Paola Mairota; Katharina Albrich; Peter Bebi; Josef Brůna; Harald Bugmann; Austin Haffenden; Robert M. Scheller; Dirk R. Schmatz; Rupert Seidl; Matthias Speich; Giorgio Vacchiano; Heike Lischke. How robust are future projections of forest landscape dynamics? Insights from a systematic comparison of four forest landscape models. Environmental Modelling & Software 2020, 134, 104844 .
AMA StyleGunnar Petter, Paola Mairota, Katharina Albrich, Peter Bebi, Josef Brůna, Harald Bugmann, Austin Haffenden, Robert M. Scheller, Dirk R. Schmatz, Rupert Seidl, Matthias Speich, Giorgio Vacchiano, Heike Lischke. How robust are future projections of forest landscape dynamics? Insights from a systematic comparison of four forest landscape models. Environmental Modelling & Software. 2020; 134 ():104844.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGunnar Petter; Paola Mairota; Katharina Albrich; Peter Bebi; Josef Brůna; Harald Bugmann; Austin Haffenden; Robert M. Scheller; Dirk R. Schmatz; Rupert Seidl; Matthias Speich; Giorgio Vacchiano; Heike Lischke. 2020. "How robust are future projections of forest landscape dynamics? Insights from a systematic comparison of four forest landscape models." Environmental Modelling & Software 134, no. : 104844.
S Fares; G Sanesi; Giorgio Vacchiano; F Salbitano; M Marchetti. Urban forests at the time of COVID-19 protect us from fine dust. [email protected] - Rivista di Selvicoltura ed Ecologia Forestale 2020, 17, 48 -51.
AMA StyleS Fares, G Sanesi, Giorgio Vacchiano, F Salbitano, M Marchetti. Urban forests at the time of COVID-19 protect us from fine dust. [email protected] - Rivista di Selvicoltura ed Ecologia Forestale. 2020; 17 (1):48-51.
Chicago/Turabian StyleS Fares; G Sanesi; Giorgio Vacchiano; F Salbitano; M Marchetti. 2020. "Urban forests at the time of COVID-19 protect us from fine dust." [email protected] - Rivista di Selvicoltura ed Ecologia Forestale 17, no. 1: 48-51.
Forest ecosystems are threatened by different natural disturbances. Among them, the irruption of large herbivores represents one of the most alarming issues. Several local-scale studies have been carried out to clarify the mechanisms governing ungulate–forest interactions, to understand the effect of wild ungulates overabundance, and to apply conservation plans. However, information at large scales, over long periods of observation and from unmanipulated conditions is still scarce. This study aims to improve our knowledge in this field by using repeated inventories to investigate: the types of damage produced by ungulate populations on young trees, the drivers that stimulate browsing activity and its consequences on the specific composition of seedlings and saplings. To reach these goals, we used data collected during a twenty-year monitoring program (1994–2014) in the forests of Paneveggio-Pale di San Martino Nature Park (Italy). We applied descriptive statistics to summarize the data, GLMs to identify the drivers of browsing activity and Non-Metric Multidimensional Scaling (nMDS) ordinations to investigate the changes in specific composition of young trees across 20 years. We detected increasing browsing activity from 1994 to 2008 and a decline in 2014. Ungulates browsed preferentially in mature stands, and fed mostly on seedlings and saplings under 150 cm of height. The analysis of the environmental drivers of browsing pressure on the smallest size classes of plants suggests that foraging behavior is influenced by snowpack conditions, ungulate density and seasonality. Moreover, results underline the fact that ungulates feed mostly on palatable species, especially European rowan, but can also use unpalatable plants as emergency food under high competition levels. nMDS results suggest that rowan seed dispersion might be promoted by deer movements, however, saplings of this species were not able to exceed 30 cm of height because of heavy browsing. This bottleneck effect led to the dominance of unpalatable species, mostly Norway spruce, reducing diversity during forest regeneration. If prolonged, this effect could lead to a reduction of tree species richness, with cascading effects on many parts of the ecosystem, and threatening the resilience of the forest to future disturbances.
Davide D’Aprile; Giorgio Vacchiano; Fabio Meloni; Matteo Garbarino; Renzo Motta; Vittorio Ducoli; Piergiovanni Partel. Effects of Twenty Years of Ungulate Browsing on Forest Regeneration at Paneveggio Reserve, Italy. Forests 2020, 11, 612 .
AMA StyleDavide D’Aprile, Giorgio Vacchiano, Fabio Meloni, Matteo Garbarino, Renzo Motta, Vittorio Ducoli, Piergiovanni Partel. Effects of Twenty Years of Ungulate Browsing on Forest Regeneration at Paneveggio Reserve, Italy. Forests. 2020; 11 (6):612.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDavide D’Aprile; Giorgio Vacchiano; Fabio Meloni; Matteo Garbarino; Renzo Motta; Vittorio Ducoli; Piergiovanni Partel. 2020. "Effects of Twenty Years of Ungulate Browsing on Forest Regeneration at Paneveggio Reserve, Italy." Forests 11, no. 6: 612.
The role of values in climate-related decision-making is a prominent theme of climate communication research. The present study examines whether forest professionals are more driven by values than scientists are, and if this results in value polarization. A questionnaire was designed to elicit and assess the values assigned to expected effects of climate change by forest professionals and scientists working on forests and climate change in Europe. The countries involved covered a north-to-south and west-to-east gradient across Europe, representing a wide range of bio-climatic conditions and a mix of economic–social–political structures. We show that European forest professionals and scientists do not exhibit polarized expectations about the values of specific impacts of climate change on forests in their countries. In fact, few differences between forest professionals and scientists were found. However, there are interesting differences in the expected values of forest professionals with regard to climate change impacts across European countries. In Northern European countries, the aggregated values of the expected effects are more neutral than they are in Southern Europe, where they are more negative. Expectations about impacts on timber production, economic returns, and regulatory ecosystem services are mostly negative, while expectations about biodiversity and energy production are mostly positive.
Johannes Persson; Kristina Blennow; Luísa Gonçalves; Alexander Borys; Ioan Dutcă; Jari Hynynen; Emilia Janeczko; Mariyana Lyubenova; Simon Martel; Jan Merganic; Katarína Merganičová; Mikko Peltoniemi; Michal Petr; Fernando H. Reboredo; Giorgio Vacchiano; Christopher P.O. Reyer. No polarization–Expected Values of Climate Change Impacts among European Forest Professionals and Scientists. Sustainability 2020, 12, 2659 .
AMA StyleJohannes Persson, Kristina Blennow, Luísa Gonçalves, Alexander Borys, Ioan Dutcă, Jari Hynynen, Emilia Janeczko, Mariyana Lyubenova, Simon Martel, Jan Merganic, Katarína Merganičová, Mikko Peltoniemi, Michal Petr, Fernando H. Reboredo, Giorgio Vacchiano, Christopher P.O. Reyer. No polarization–Expected Values of Climate Change Impacts among European Forest Professionals and Scientists. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (7):2659.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJohannes Persson; Kristina Blennow; Luísa Gonçalves; Alexander Borys; Ioan Dutcă; Jari Hynynen; Emilia Janeczko; Mariyana Lyubenova; Simon Martel; Jan Merganic; Katarína Merganičová; Mikko Peltoniemi; Michal Petr; Fernando H. Reboredo; Giorgio Vacchiano; Christopher P.O. Reyer. 2020. "No polarization–Expected Values of Climate Change Impacts among European Forest Professionals and Scientists." Sustainability 12, no. 7: 2659.
R Motta; M Marchetti; Giorgio Vacchiano. Climate and environmental politics needs to be supported by accurate information and communication. What is the role of the scientific community? [email protected] - Rivista di Selvicoltura ed Ecologia Forestale 2020, 17, 17 -22.
AMA StyleR Motta, M Marchetti, Giorgio Vacchiano. Climate and environmental politics needs to be supported by accurate information and communication. What is the role of the scientific community? [email protected] - Rivista di Selvicoltura ed Ecologia Forestale. 2020; 17 (1):17-22.
Chicago/Turabian StyleR Motta; M Marchetti; Giorgio Vacchiano. 2020. "Climate and environmental politics needs to be supported by accurate information and communication. What is the role of the scientific community?" [email protected] - Rivista di Selvicoltura ed Ecologia Forestale 17, no. 1: 17-22.
Climate change is expected to cause major changes in forest ecosystems during the 21st century and beyond. To assess forest impacts from climate change, the existing empirical information must be structured, harmonised and assimilated into a form suitable to develop and test state-of-the-art forest and ecosystem models. The combination of empirical data collected at large spatial and long temporal scales with suitable modelling approaches is key to understand forest dynamics under climate change. To facilitate data and model integration, we identified major climate change impacts observed on European forest functioning and summarised the data available for monitoring and predicting such impacts. Our analysis of c. 120 forest-related databases (including information from remote sensing, vegetation inventories, dendroecology, palaeoecology, eddy-flux sites, common garden experiments and genetic techniques) and 50 databases of environmental drivers highlights a substantial degree of data availability and accessibility. However, some critical variables relevant to predicting European forest responses to climate change are only available at relatively short time frames (up to 10-20 years), including intra-specific trait variability, defoliation patterns, tree mortality and recruitment. Moreover, we identified data gaps or lack of data integration particularly in variables related to local adaptation and phenotypic plasticity, dispersal capabilities and physiological responses. Overall, we conclude that forest data availability across Europe is improving, but further efforts are needed to integrate, harmonise and interpret this data (i.e. making data useable for non-experts). Continuation of existing monitoring and networks schemes together with the establishments of new networks to address data gaps is crucial to rigorously predict climate change impacts on European forests.
Paloma Ruiz-Benito; Giorgio Vacchiano; Emily R. Lines; Christopher P.O. Reyer; Sophia Ratcliffe; Xavier Morin; Florian Hartig; Annikki Mäkelä; Rasoul Yousefpour; Jimena E. Chaves; Alicia Palacios-Orueta; Marta Benito-Garzón; Cesar Morales-Molino; J. Julio Camarero; Alistair S. Jump; Jens Kattge; Aleksi Lehtonen; Andreas Ibrom; Harry J.F. Owen; Miguel A. Zavala. Available and missing data to model impact of climate change on European forests. Ecological Modelling 2019, 416, 108870 .
AMA StylePaloma Ruiz-Benito, Giorgio Vacchiano, Emily R. Lines, Christopher P.O. Reyer, Sophia Ratcliffe, Xavier Morin, Florian Hartig, Annikki Mäkelä, Rasoul Yousefpour, Jimena E. Chaves, Alicia Palacios-Orueta, Marta Benito-Garzón, Cesar Morales-Molino, J. Julio Camarero, Alistair S. Jump, Jens Kattge, Aleksi Lehtonen, Andreas Ibrom, Harry J.F. Owen, Miguel A. Zavala. Available and missing data to model impact of climate change on European forests. Ecological Modelling. 2019; 416 ():108870.
Chicago/Turabian StylePaloma Ruiz-Benito; Giorgio Vacchiano; Emily R. Lines; Christopher P.O. Reyer; Sophia Ratcliffe; Xavier Morin; Florian Hartig; Annikki Mäkelä; Rasoul Yousefpour; Jimena E. Chaves; Alicia Palacios-Orueta; Marta Benito-Garzón; Cesar Morales-Molino; J. Julio Camarero; Alistair S. Jump; Jens Kattge; Aleksi Lehtonen; Andreas Ibrom; Harry J.F. Owen; Miguel A. Zavala. 2019. "Available and missing data to model impact of climate change on European forests." Ecological Modelling 416, no. : 108870.
Highly variable and synchronised production of seeds by plant populations, known as masting, is implicated in many important ecological processes, but how it arises remains poorly understood. The lack of experimental studies prevents underlying mechanisms from being explicitly tested, and thereby precludes meaningful predictions on the consequences of changing environments for plant reproductive patterns and global vegetation dynamics. Here we review the most relevant proximate drivers of masting and outline a research agenda that takes the biology of masting from a largely observational field of ecology to one rooted in mechanistic understanding. We divide the experimental framework into three main processes: resource dynamics, pollen limitation and genetic and hormonal regulation, and illustrate how specific predictions about proximate mechanisms can be tested, highlighting the few successful experiments as examples. We envision that the experiments we outline will deliver new insights into how and why masting patterns might respond to a changing environment.
Michał Bogdziewicz; Davide Ascoli; Andrew Hacket‐Pain; Walter D. Koenig; Ian Pearse; Mario Pesendorfer; Akiko Satake; Peter Thomas; Giorgio Vacchiano; Thomas Wohlgemuth; Andrew Tanentzap. From theory to experiments for testing the proximate mechanisms of mast seeding: an agenda for an experimental ecology. Ecology Letters 2019, 23, 210 -220.
AMA StyleMichał Bogdziewicz, Davide Ascoli, Andrew Hacket‐Pain, Walter D. Koenig, Ian Pearse, Mario Pesendorfer, Akiko Satake, Peter Thomas, Giorgio Vacchiano, Thomas Wohlgemuth, Andrew Tanentzap. From theory to experiments for testing the proximate mechanisms of mast seeding: an agenda for an experimental ecology. Ecology Letters. 2019; 23 (2):210-220.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMichał Bogdziewicz; Davide Ascoli; Andrew Hacket‐Pain; Walter D. Koenig; Ian Pearse; Mario Pesendorfer; Akiko Satake; Peter Thomas; Giorgio Vacchiano; Thomas Wohlgemuth; Andrew Tanentzap. 2019. "From theory to experiments for testing the proximate mechanisms of mast seeding: an agenda for an experimental ecology." Ecology Letters 23, no. 2: 210-220.
Mast seeding is one of the most intriguing reproductive traits in nature. Despite its potential drawbacks in terms of fitness, the widespread existence of this phenomenon suggests that it should have evolutionary advantages under certain circumstances. Using a global dataset of seed production time series for 219 plant species from all of the continents, we tested whether masting behaviour appears predominantly in species with low foliar nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations when controlling for local climate and productivity. Here, we show that masting intensity is higher in species with low foliar N and P concentrations, and especially in those with imbalanced N/P ratios, and that the evolutionary history of masting behaviour has been linked to that of nutrient economy. Our results support the hypothesis that masting is stronger in species growing under limiting conditions and suggest that this reproductive behaviour might have evolved as an adaptation to nutrient limitations and imbalances.
M. Fernández-Martínez; I. Pearse; J. Sardans; F. Sayol; W. D. Koenig; J. M. Lamontagne; M. Bogdziewicz; A. Collalti; A. Hacket-Pain; G. Vacchiano; J. M. Espelta; J. Peñuelas; I. A. Janssens. Nutrient scarcity as a selective pressure for mast seeding. Nature Plants 2019, 5, 1222 -1228.
AMA StyleM. Fernández-Martínez, I. Pearse, J. Sardans, F. Sayol, W. D. Koenig, J. M. Lamontagne, M. Bogdziewicz, A. Collalti, A. Hacket-Pain, G. Vacchiano, J. M. Espelta, J. Peñuelas, I. A. Janssens. Nutrient scarcity as a selective pressure for mast seeding. Nature Plants. 2019; 5 (12):1222-1228.
Chicago/Turabian StyleM. Fernández-Martínez; I. Pearse; J. Sardans; F. Sayol; W. D. Koenig; J. M. Lamontagne; M. Bogdziewicz; A. Collalti; A. Hacket-Pain; G. Vacchiano; J. M. Espelta; J. Peñuelas; I. A. Janssens. 2019. "Nutrient scarcity as a selective pressure for mast seeding." Nature Plants 5, no. 12: 1222-1228.
Carbon allocation plays a key role in ecosystem dynamics and plant adaptation to changing environmental conditions. Hence, proper description of this process in vegetation models is crucial for the simulations of the impact of climate change on carbon cycling in forests. Here we review how carbon allocation modelling is currently implemented in 31 contrasting models to identify the main gaps compared with our theoretical and empirical understanding of carbon allocation. A hybrid approach based on combining several principles and/or types of carbon allocation modelling prevailed in the examined models, while physiologically more sophisticated approaches were used less often than empirical ones. The analysis revealed that, although the number of carbon allocation studies over the past 10 years has substantially increased, some background processes are still insufficiently understood and some issues in models are frequently poorly represented, oversimplified or even omitted. Hence, current challenges for carbon allocation modelling in forest ecosystems are (i) to overcome remaining limits in process understanding, particularly regarding the impact of disturbances on carbon allocation, accumulation and utilization of nonstructural carbohydrates, and carbon use by symbionts, and (ii) to implement existing knowledge of carbon allocation into defence, regeneration and improved resource uptake in order to better account for changing environmental conditions.
Katarína Merganičová; Ján Merganič; Aleksi Lehtonen; Giorgio Vacchiano; Masa Zorana Ostrogovic Sever; Andrey L D Augustynczik; Rüdiger Grote; Ina Kyselová; Annikki Mäkelä; Rasoul Yousefpour; Jan Krejza; Alessio Collalti; Christopher P O Reyer. Forest carbon allocation modelling under climate change. Tree Physiology 2019, 39, 1937 -1960.
AMA StyleKatarína Merganičová, Ján Merganič, Aleksi Lehtonen, Giorgio Vacchiano, Masa Zorana Ostrogovic Sever, Andrey L D Augustynczik, Rüdiger Grote, Ina Kyselová, Annikki Mäkelä, Rasoul Yousefpour, Jan Krejza, Alessio Collalti, Christopher P O Reyer. Forest carbon allocation modelling under climate change. Tree Physiology. 2019; 39 (12):1937-1960.
Chicago/Turabian StyleKatarína Merganičová; Ján Merganič; Aleksi Lehtonen; Giorgio Vacchiano; Masa Zorana Ostrogovic Sever; Andrey L D Augustynczik; Rüdiger Grote; Ina Kyselová; Annikki Mäkelä; Rasoul Yousefpour; Jan Krejza; Alessio Collalti; Christopher P O Reyer. 2019. "Forest carbon allocation modelling under climate change." Tree Physiology 39, no. 12: 1937-1960.
M Marchetti; R Motta; F Salbitano; Giorgio Vacchiano. Planting trees in Italy for the health of the planet. Where, how and why. [email protected] - Rivista di Selvicoltura ed Ecologia Forestale 2019, 16, 59 -65.
AMA StyleM Marchetti, R Motta, F Salbitano, Giorgio Vacchiano. Planting trees in Italy for the health of the planet. Where, how and why. [email protected] - Rivista di Selvicoltura ed Ecologia Forestale. 2019; 16 (5):59-65.
Chicago/Turabian StyleM Marchetti; R Motta; F Salbitano; Giorgio Vacchiano. 2019. "Planting trees in Italy for the health of the planet. Where, how and why." [email protected] - Rivista di Selvicoltura ed Ecologia Forestale 16, no. 5: 59-65.
1.Synchronous pulses of seed masting and natural disturbance have positive feedbacks on the reproduction of masting species in disturbance‐prone ecosystems. We test the hypotheses that disturbances and proximate causes of masting are correlated, and that their large‐scale synchrony is driven by similar climate teleconnection patterns at both inter‐annual and decadal time scales. 2.Hypotheses were tested on white spruce (Picea glauca), a masting species which surprisingly persists in fire‐prone boreal forests while lacking clear fire adaptations. We built masting, drought and fire indices at regional (Alaska, Yukon, Alberta, Quebec) and subcontinental scales (western North America) spanning the second half of the 20th century. Superposed Epoch Analysis tested the temporal associations between masting events, drought and burnt area at the regional scale. At the sub‐continental scale, Superposed Epoch Analysis tested whether El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and its coupled effects with the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) in the positive phase (AMO+/ENSO+) synchronize drought, burnt area and masting. We additionally tested the consistency of our synchronization hypotheses on a decadal temporal scale to verify whether long‐term oscillations in AMO+/ENSO + are coherent to decadal variation in drought, burnt area and masting. 3.Analyses demonstrated synchronicity between drought, fire and masting. In all regions the year before a mast event was drier and more fire‐prone than usual. During AMO+/ENSO + events sub‐continental indices of drought and burnt area experienced significant departures from mean values. The same was observed for large‐scale masting in the subsequent year, confirming 1 year lag between fire and masting. Sub‐continental indices of burnt area and masting showed in‐phase decadal fluctuations led by the AMO+/ENSO+. Results support the “Environmental prediction hypothesis” for mast seeding. 4.Synthesis. We provide evidence of large‐scale synchronicity between seed masting in Picea glauca and fire regimes in boreal forests of western North America at both inter‐annual and decadal time scales. We conclude that seed production in white spruce predicts changes in disturbance regimes by sharing the same large‐scale climate drivers with drought and fire. This gives new insides in a mechanism providing a fire‐sensitive species with higher than expected adaptability to changes in climate.
Davide Ascoli; Andrew Hacket-Pain; Jalene M. LaMontagne; Adrián Cardil; Marco Conedera; Janet Maringer; Renzo Motta; Ian S. Pearse; Giorgio Vacchiano. Climate teleconnections synchronize Picea glauca masting and fire disturbance: Evidence for a fire‐related form of environmental prediction. Journal of Ecology 2019, 108, 1186 -1198.
AMA StyleDavide Ascoli, Andrew Hacket-Pain, Jalene M. LaMontagne, Adrián Cardil, Marco Conedera, Janet Maringer, Renzo Motta, Ian S. Pearse, Giorgio Vacchiano. Climate teleconnections synchronize Picea glauca masting and fire disturbance: Evidence for a fire‐related form of environmental prediction. Journal of Ecology. 2019; 108 (3):1186-1198.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDavide Ascoli; Andrew Hacket-Pain; Jalene M. LaMontagne; Adrián Cardil; Marco Conedera; Janet Maringer; Renzo Motta; Ian S. Pearse; Giorgio Vacchiano. 2019. "Climate teleconnections synchronize Picea glauca masting and fire disturbance: Evidence for a fire‐related form of environmental prediction." Journal of Ecology 108, no. 3: 1186-1198.