TY - JOUR

T1 - Key ecological research questions for Central European forests

AU - Ammer, Christian

AU - Fichtner, Andreas

AU - Fischer, Anton

AU - Gossner, Martin M.

AU - Meyer, Peter

AU - Seidl, Rupert

AU - Thomas, Frank M.

AU - Annighöfer, Peter

AU - Kreyling, Jürgen

AU - Ohse, Bettina

AU - Berger, Uta

AU - Feldmann, Eike

AU - Häberle, Karl-Heinz

AU - Heer, Katrin

AU - Heinrichs, Steffi

AU - Huth, Franka

AU - Krämer-Klement, Klara

AU - Mölder, Andreas

AU - Müller, Jörg

AU - Mund, Martina

AU - Opgenoorth, Lars

AU - Schall, Peter

AU - Scherer-Lorenzen, Michael

AU - Seidel, Dominik

AU - Vogt, Juliane

AU - Wagner, Sven

PY - 2018/11

Y1 - 2018/11

N2 - Forests are under pressure from accelerating global change. To cope with the multiple challenges related to global change but also to further improve forest management we need a better understanding of (1) the linkages between drivers of ecosystem change and the state and management of forest ecosystems as well as their capacity to adapt to ongoing global environmental changes, and (2) the interrelationships within and between the components of forest ecosystems. To address the resulting challenges for the state of forest ecosystems in Central Europe, we suggest 45 questions for future ecological research. We define forest ecology as studies on the abiotic and biotic components of forest ecosystems and their interactions on varying spatial and temporal scales. Our questions cover five thematic fields and correspond to the criteria selected for describing the state of Europe’s forests by policy makers, i.e. biogeochemical cycling, mortality and disturbances, productivity, biodiversity and biotic interactions, and regulation and protection. We conclude that an improved mechanistic understanding of forest ecosystems is essential for the further development of ecosystem-oriented multifunctional forest management in the face of accelerating global change.

AB - Forests are under pressure from accelerating global change. To cope with the multiple challenges related to global change but also to further improve forest management we need a better understanding of (1) the linkages between drivers of ecosystem change and the state and management of forest ecosystems as well as their capacity to adapt to ongoing global environmental changes, and (2) the interrelationships within and between the components of forest ecosystems. To address the resulting challenges for the state of forest ecosystems in Central Europe, we suggest 45 questions for future ecological research. We define forest ecology as studies on the abiotic and biotic components of forest ecosystems and their interactions on varying spatial and temporal scales. Our questions cover five thematic fields and correspond to the criteria selected for describing the state of Europe’s forests by policy makers, i.e. biogeochemical cycling, mortality and disturbances, productivity, biodiversity and biotic interactions, and regulation and protection. We conclude that an improved mechanistic understanding of forest ecosystems is essential for the further development of ecosystem-oriented multifunctional forest management in the face of accelerating global change.

KW - Ecosystems Research

KW - Forest ecology

KW - Productivity

KW - Mortality

KW - Protection

KW - Biodiversity

KW - Management

KW - Conservation

KW - Forest ecology

KW - Productivity

KW - Mortality

KW - Protection

KW - Biodiversity

KW - Management

KW - Conservation

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85051992778&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - https://www.mendeley.com/catalogue/4e27837e-a720-30a7-9ecf-20b846bd3b00/

U2 - 10.1016/j.baae.2018.07.006

DO - 10.1016/j.baae.2018.07.006

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 32

SP - 3

EP - 25

JO - Basic and Applied Ecology

JF - Basic and Applied Ecology

SN - 1439-1791

ER -