Decline and dieback of cork oak(Quercus suber L.)forests in the Mediterranean basin:a case study of Kroumirie,Northwest Tunisia

Assessing the vulnerability of forest ecosystems in the climate change context is a challenging task as the mechanisms that determine this vulnerability cannot be directly observed.Based on the ecological interrelationships between forests and climate,the present review focused on providing current information about vulnerability assessments of cork oak(Quercus suber L.)forests in the Mediterranean basin,especially,in the Kroumirie region(northwest Tunisia),currently under historic extreme drought conditions.From comparing recent findings in this region,we synthesized data on cork oak decline and mortality collected during the historic drought years 1988–1995 period.Climate change impacts cork forest decline,with special interest shown in elevated temperatures and drought;cork oak forest regeneration,and the adaptation of the Kroumirie forest to climate change,are reviewed herein.The studied region has been influenced largely by frequent prolonged drought periods,especially from 1988 to 1995.Droughts were found to consistently have a more detrimental impact on the growth and mortality rates of cork oak populations.Cork oak mortality was recorded for up to 63,622 trees.In the future,more research studies and observational data will be needed,which could represent an important key to understand ecosystem processes,and to facilitate the development of better models that project climate change impacts and vulnerability.The study is useful for researchers and forestry decision makers to develop the appropriate strategies to restore and protect ecosystems,and to help anticipate potential future droughts and climate change.

Tree growth is more limited by drought in rear-edge forests most of the times

Background:Equatorward,rear-edge tree populations are natural monitors to estimate species vulnerability to climate change.According to biogeographical theory,exposition to drought events increases with increasing aridity towards the equator and the growth of southern tree populations will be more vulnerable to drought than in central populations.However,the ecological and biogeographical margins can mismatch due to the impact of ecological factors(topography,soils)or tree-species acclimation that can blur large-scale geographical imprints in trees responses to drought making northern populations more drought limited.Methods:We tested these ideas in six tree species,three angiosperms(Fagus sylvatica,Quercus robur,Quercus petraea)and three gymnosperms(Abies alba,Pinus sylvestris and Pinus uncinata)by comparing rear-edge tree populations subjected to different degrees of aridity.We used dendrochronology to compare the radial-growth patterns of these species in northern,intermediate,and southern tree populations at the continental rear edge.Results and conclusions:We found marked variations in growth variability between species with coherent patterns of stronger drought signals in the tree-ring series of the southern populations of F.sylvatica,P.sylvestris,and A.alba.This was also observed in species from cool-wet sites(P.uncinata and Q.robur),despite their limited responsiveness to drought.However,in the case of Q.petraea the intermediate population showed the strongest relationship to drought.For drought-sensitive species as F.sylvatica and P.sylvestris,southern populations presented more variable growth which was enhanced by cool-wet conditions from late spring to summer.We found a trend of enhanced vulnerability to drought in these two species.The response of tree growth to drought has a marked biogeographical component characterized by increased drought sensitivity in southern populations even within the species distribution rear edge.Nevertheless,the relationship between tree growth and drought varied between species suggesting that biogeographical and ecological limits do not always overlap as in the case of Q.petraea.In widespread species showing enhanced vulnerability to drought,as F.sylvatica and P.sylvestris,increased vulnerability to climate warming in their rear edges is forecasted.Therefore,we encourage the monitoring and conservation of such marginal tree populations.

Changes in foliar carbon isotope composition and seasonal stomatal conductance reveal adaptive traits in Mediterranean coppices affected by drought

We estimated water-use efficiency and potential photosyn- thetic assimilation of Holm oak （Quercus ilex L.） on slopes of NW and SW aspects in a replicated field test examining the effects of intensifying drought in two Mediterranean coppice forests. We used standard tech- niques for quantifying gas exchange and carbon isotopes in leaves and analyzed total chlorophyll, carotenoids and nitrogen in leaves collected from Mediterranean forests managed under the coppice system. We pos- tulated that responses to drought of coppiced trees would lead to differ- ential responses in physiological traits and that these traits could be used by foresters to adapt to predicted warming and drying in the Mediterra- nean area. We observed physiological responses of the eoppiced trees that suggested acclimation in photosynthetic potential and water-use effi- ciency： （1） a significant reduction in stomatal conductance （p〈0.01） wasrecorded as the drought increased at the SW site; （2） foliar 813C increased as drought increased at the SW site （p〈0.01）; （3） variations in levels of carotenoids and foliar nitrogen, and differences in foliar morphology were recorded, and were tentatively attributed to variation in photosyn- thetic assimilation between sites. These findings increase knowledge of the capacity for acclimation of managed forests in the Mediterranean region of Europe.

Comparing leaf area index estimates in a Mediterranean forest using field measurements, Landsat 8, and Sentinel-2 data

Background Leaf area index(LAI)is a key indicator for the assessment of the canopy’s processes such as net primary production and evapotranspiration.For this reason,the LAI is often used as a key input parameter in ecosystem services’modeling,which is emerging as a critical tool for steering upcoming urban reforestation strategies.However,LAI field measures are extremely time-consuming and require remarkable economic and human resources.In this context,spectral indices computed using high-resolution multispectral satellite imagery like Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8,may represent a feasible and economic solution for estimating the LAI at the city scale.Nonetheless,as far as we know,only a few studies have assessed the potential of Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 data doing so in Mediterranean forest ecosystems.To fill such a gap,we assessed the performance of 10 spectral indices derived from Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 data in estimating the LAI,using field measurements collected with the LI-COR LAI 2200c as a reference.We hypothesized that Sentinel-2 data,owing to their finer spatial and spectral resolution,perform better in estimating vegetation’s structural parameters compared to Landsat 8.Results We found that Landsat 8-derived models have,on average,a slightly better performance,with the best model(the one based on NDVI)showing an R^(2) of 0.55 and NRMSE of 14.74%,compared to R^(2) of 0.52 and NRMSE of 15.15%showed by the best Sentinel-2 model,which is based on the NBR.All models were affected by spectrum saturation for high LAI values(e.g.,above 5).Conclusion In Mediterranean ecosystems,Sentinel-2 and Landsat 8 data produce moderately accurate LAI estimates during the peak of the growing season.Therefore,the uncertainty introduced using satellite-derived LAI in ecosystem services’assessments should be systematically accounted for.

Old coppice versus high forest:the impact of beech forest management on plant species diversity in central Apennines(italy)

Aims Silvicultural management plays a major role in shaping understory diversity through its action on stand structure.in many parts of Europe,recent socioeconomic changes have led to the progressive abandonment of coppicing in favor of high forest(HF)management.in order to examine how this change impacts understory species,we compared old coppice-with-standards and HF stands in terms of structural features and understory richness and composition,also taking into account the diagnostic species pool of the habitat.Since the management systems for coppices and HFs differ in cutting regime,we expect that they would cause different changes in floristic composition and richness.Methods The study area was the Montagne della Duchessa massif,in central italy.Structural differences and floristic richness were compared,and the diagnostic species diversity was analyzed using rarefaction curves and Rényi diversity profiles.Differences in understory com-position were analyzed through indicator species analysis.Important Findings Our results showed that,though the old coppices have a slightly higher number of understory species in general,the HF stands have greater mean species richness in both understory and diagnostic species,the latter being more evenly distributed inside the com-munity.These finding were related to the cut regime,which favor a constant canopy cover over time and thus the maintenance of more stable microclimatic conditions,promoting the higher abundance and evenness of shade-tolerant and vernal species.Conversely,the dense canopy of the old coppice appears to affect the understory richness by reducing the presence of light-demanding species,but still without a complete recolonization of the shade-tolerant spe-cies.Overall,our findings provide the first insights supporting that,in a Mediterranean montane context,old coppice conversion to HF could over time improve the species diversity in these habitats and help maintain good conservation status of the typical mature beech forests.