The different types of effects it causes climate change make many ecosystems more vulnerable and begin to degrade, such as that of conifers. The situation is aggravated by the fact that forests with greater biodiversity tend to be more drought-resistant. It is also important to consider the effects of climate change in various regions.
Among the effects that are most noticeable are the increase in the duration and frequency of droughts, floods, etc. Rising temperatures and a longer duration of droughts threaten some Iberian coniferous forests.
Research on the affection of conifers
This research on the effect of drought on coniferous forests has been carried out by the Pablo de Olavide University (UPO), Seville, the Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (CSIC) and the University of Barcelona. In order to complete the research, this work has had the collaboration of the Complutense universities of Madrid and Columbia (USA) and the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL). In addition, the work has been published in the Global Change Biology journal.
The job leader has been Raul Sanchez Salguero, postdoctoral researcher at UPO and IPE-CSIC. The study has focused on the risk that most threatens forests further south. The increase in temperatures caused by climate change and the longer duration and frequency of droughts threaten species such as the Scots pine(Pinus sylvestris)), fir (Abies alba) and black pine (Pinus uncinata). These climate changes are also related to the adaptation of plants to climate change.
Scots pine
In order to predict the impacts and changes that occur in these species, we have worked with mathematical models based on the effect of climate on the thickness of the annual growth rings studied by dendrochronology.
Mediterranean forests are more vulnerable
Through the study of these growth rings it has been possible to evaluate the vulnerability of forests across broad climatic and biogeographic gradients. To estimate tree vulnerability, the observed adaptation of forests to climate change during the second half of the 20th century was taken into account. The temporal evolution of forest growth was then projected under different climate trends, derived from socioeconomic scenarios that estimate greenhouse gas emissions during the 21st century, including the impact of climate change on Mediterranean coniferous forests.
Abies alba
Researchers have concluded that Mediterranean forests are quite vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, especially droughts. However, the responses of these ecosystems are highly uncertain given the climate scenarios predicted for the future if greenhouse gas emissions continue. This is especially relevant considering that Forests will have difficulty regenerating after the fires due to climate change.
In these ecosystems there are species that have something more than adaptability and plasticity to temperature changes and resistance to drought, which has been analyzed in various studies.
“Assessing and defining easily identifiable vulnerability thresholds to climate change is essential to determine the forest management measures that could buffer these effects, especially in the driest distribution limits, as well as to identify those populations that are more tolerant to climate change that serve to establish conservation measures ”have indicated Raúl Sánchez-Salguero and Juan Linares.
Carbon study
It is essential to evaluate changes in carbon cycles in the species of Mediterranean ecosystems, since forests absorb large amounts of carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. This CO2 remains stored in wood for decades and is released when trees are cut down, which could exacerbate the effects of climate change.
Black pine
Furthermore, another factor to take into account is that, even if the trees are not cut down for timber extraction, it must be taken into account that if these trees do not survive the effects of climate change, they will also accumulated carbon is released back into the atmosphere. This phenomenon is crucial, since it could contribute to global warming.
The authors conclude that a global increase in temperatures and drier periods will reduce growth and shorten the optimal growing season during the second half of the XNUMXst century, which could trigger decay phenomena and increase tree mortality rates.
