TY - JOUR

T1 - Legacy effects of land-use modulate tree growth responses to climate extremes

AU - Mausolf, Katharina

AU - Härdtle, Werner

AU - Jansen, Kirstin

AU - Delory, Benjamin

AU - Hertel, Dietrich

AU - Leuschner, Christoph

AU - Temperton, Victoria Martine

AU - von Oheimb, Goddert

AU - Fichtner, Andreas

PY - 2018/7/1

Y1 - 2018/7/1

N2 - Climate change can impact forest ecosystem processes via individual tree and community responses. While the importance of land-use legacies in modulating these processes have been increasingly recognised, evidence of former land-use mediated climate-growth relationships remain rare. We analysed how differences in former land-use (i.e. forest continuity) affect the growth response of European beech to climate extremes. Here, using dendrochronological and fine root data, we show that ancient forests (forests with a long forest continuity) and recent forests (forests afforested on former farmland) clearly differ with regard to climate–growth relationships. We found that sensitivity to climatic extremes was lower for trees growing in ancient forests, as reflected by significantly lower growth reductions during adverse climatic conditions. Fine root morphology also differed significantly between the former land-use types: on average, trees with high specific root length (SRL) and specific root area (SRA) and low root tissue density (RTD) were associated with recent forests, whereas the opposite traits were characteristic of ancient forests. Moreover, we found that trees of ancient forests hold a larger fine root system than trees of recent forests. Our results demonstrate that land-use legacy-mediated modifications in the size and morphology of the fine root system act as a mechanism in regulating drought resistance of beech, emphasising the need to consider the ‘ecological memory’ of forests when assessing or predicting the sensitivity of forest ecosystems to global environmental change.

AB - Climate change can impact forest ecosystem processes via individual tree and community responses. While the importance of land-use legacies in modulating these processes have been increasingly recognised, evidence of former land-use mediated climate-growth relationships remain rare. We analysed how differences in former land-use (i.e. forest continuity) affect the growth response of European beech to climate extremes. Here, using dendrochronological and fine root data, we show that ancient forests (forests with a long forest continuity) and recent forests (forests afforested on former farmland) clearly differ with regard to climate–growth relationships. We found that sensitivity to climatic extremes was lower for trees growing in ancient forests, as reflected by significantly lower growth reductions during adverse climatic conditions. Fine root morphology also differed significantly between the former land-use types: on average, trees with high specific root length (SRL) and specific root area (SRA) and low root tissue density (RTD) were associated with recent forests, whereas the opposite traits were characteristic of ancient forests. Moreover, we found that trees of ancient forests hold a larger fine root system than trees of recent forests. Our results demonstrate that land-use legacy-mediated modifications in the size and morphology of the fine root system act as a mechanism in regulating drought resistance of beech, emphasising the need to consider the ‘ecological memory’ of forests when assessing or predicting the sensitivity of forest ecosystems to global environmental change.

KW - Ecosystems Research

KW - climate change

KW - European beech

KW - fine roots

KW - forest continuity

KW - Plant-climate interactions

KW - climate change

KW - European beech

KW - Fine roots

KW - forest continuity

KW - Plant-climate interactions

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85046713669&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s00442-018-4156-9

DO - 10.1007/s00442-018-4156-9

M3 - Journal articles

C2 - 29748934

VL - 187

SP - 825

EP - 837

JO - Oecologia

JF - Oecologia

SN - 0029-8549

IS - 3

ER -