A disturbance-induced increase in tree species diversity facilitates forest productivity

Pedro, Mariana; Rammer, Werner; Seidl, Rupert

doi:10.1007/s10980-015-0317-y

Cited by 51 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…Nevertheless, climate change will lead to greater frequency of disturbance, but this should not be seen only as a threat to forest stability. Disturbances offer the potential to increase tree species diversity, which in turn may have positive effects on productivity and other ecosystem functions (Silva Pedro et al ., ). This is why promotion of mixed stands should also be a major subject of forest extension and consultancy.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…with rather long rotation periods of at least > 100 yr), environmental conditions change more rapidly than tree species composition if no indirect factors such as insect outbreaks, fire, or storms come into play. In fact, positive relationships between disturbance and subsequent increase in tree diversity were found in a modelling approach (Silva Pedro et al ., ). However, under scenarios 1 and 2, changed environmental conditions will ultimately lead to a reorganization of the interactions between species’ resource demands, their competitive interactions, and facilitation effects.…”

Section: Responses Of Mixed Stands To Climate Changesmentioning

confidence: 97%

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Diversity and forest productivity in a changing climate

2018

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Contents Summary 50 I. Introduction 50 II. Drivers of the diversity-productivity relationship 51 III. Patterns of the diversity-productivity relationship 55 IV. Responses of mixed stands to climate change 57 V. Conclusions 60 Acknowledgements 61 References 61 SUMMARY: Although the relationship between species diversity and biomass productivity has been extensively studied in grasslands, the impact of tree species diversity on forest productivity, as well as the main drivers of this relationship, are still under discussion. It is widely accepted that the magnitude of the relationship between tree diversity and forest stand productivity is context specific and depends on environmental conditions, but the underlying mechanisms of this relationship are still not fully understood. Competition reduction and facilitation have been identified as key mechanisms driving the diversity-productivity relationship. However, contrasting results have been reported with respect to the extent to which competition reduction and facilitation determine the diversity-productivity relationship. They appear to depend on regional climate, soil fertility, functional diversity of the tree species involved, and developmental stage of the forest. The purpose of this review is to summarize current knowledge and to suggest a conceptual framework to explain the various processes leading to higher productivity of species-rich forests compared with average yields of their respective monocultures. This framework provides three pathways for possible development of the diversity-productivity relationship under a changing climate.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Responses Of Mixed Stands To Climate Changesmentioning

confidence: 97%

Diversity and forest productivity in a changing climate

2018

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“…Natural disturbances, which are predicted to intensify in the future (Seidl et al 2014), are also modifying the diversity effect on productivity, but were not considered here. Disturbances disrupt competition exclusion and increase compositional diversity, which can in turn facilitate forest productivity (Silva Pedro et al 2016). Other aspects not considered in our simulations and thus contributing to a potential underestimation of the compositional diversity effect on NPP are mutualism among co-existing species (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Disturbances disrupt competition exclusion and increase compositional diversity, which can in turn facilitate forest productivity (Silva Pedro et al. ). Other aspects not considered in our simulations and thus contributing to a potential underestimation of the compositional diversity effect on NPP are mutualism among co‐existing species (e.g.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disentangling the effects of compositional and structural diversity on forest productivity

Pedro

Rammer

Seidl

2017

J Vegetation Science

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Questions Tree species diversity is widely reported to positively influence forest productivity. Yet, a consistent attribution of productivity effects is complicated by the fact that compositional and structural diversity are often related in forest ecosystems. Here, our objective was to disentangle the effects of diversity in species and structures on forest productivity. We further assessed whether the influence of structure and composition on productivity changes over the course of forest development. Location Hainich National Park, central Germany. Methods We conducted a factorial simulation experiment in which 63 unique combinations of six different tree species were studied over 500 yr of forest development. The model used was iLand, a process‐based simulator operating at individual tree resolution. The indicators of compositional diversity considered included species richness, entropy, evenness and identity, while structural diversity was characterized by indicators describing vertical and horizontal stand structure. Net primary production (NPP) was studied as the response variable, and random forest analysis was used to synthesize simulation output. Results We found positive effects of both compositional and structural diversity on productivity, but their influence changed distinctly over the course of forest development. In early‐seral stages, diversity effects on NPP were dominated by aspects of tree species composition, and displayed a strong positive selection effect for European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). In later stages of forest development, diversity effects on NPP were dominated by structural diversity, with productivity increasing with increased variation in tree diameter and canopy complexity. Conclusion To better understand the effects of diversity on ecosystem functioning, both the compositional and structural dimensions of diversity in forest ecosystems (and their changes over time) need to be considered. In the context of ecosystem management our results suggest that the reduction in productivity associated with the loss of a canopy tree species (e.g. due to the invasion of an alien pest species) can to some degree be compensated through increased structural diversity. Fostering both compositional and structural diversity are important means to increase the robustness of forest ecosystem functioning.

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“…Natural disturbances, for instance, are a threat to the temporal stability of ecosystem service provisioning, but at the same time foster diversity (Peltzer et al 2000, Franklin et al 2002, Silva Pedro et al 2016, which, in turn, has a generally positive effect on stability. Natural disturbances, for instance, are a threat to the temporal stability of ecosystem service provisioning, but at the same time foster diversity (Peltzer et al 2000, Franklin et al 2002, Silva Pedro et al 2016, which, in turn, has a generally positive effect on stability.…”

Section: Stabilizing Effects Of Biodiversity On Ecosystem Servicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trade‐offs between temporal stability and level of forest ecosystem services provisioning under climate change

Albrich

Rammer

Thom

et al. 2018

Ecological Applications

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The ability of forests to continuously provide ecosystem services (ES) is threatened by rapid changes in climate and disturbance regimes. Consequently, these changes present a considerable challenge for forest managers. Management of forests often focuses on maximizing the level of ES provisioning over extended time frames (i.e., rotation periods of more than 100 yr). However, temporal stability is also crucial for many ES, for example, in the context of a steady provisioning of resources to the industry, or the protection of human infrastructure against natural hazards. How temporal stability and the level of ES provisioning are related is of increasing interest, particularly since changing climate and disturbance regimes amplify temporal variability in forest ecosystems. In this simulation study, we investigated whether forest management can simultaneously achieve high levels and temporal stability of ES provisioning. Specifically, we quantified (1) trade-offs between ES stability and level of ES provisioning, and (2) the effect of tree species diversity on ES stability. Simulating a wide range of future climate scenarios and management strategies, we found a negative relationship between temporal stability and level of ES provisioning for timber production, carbon cycling, and site protection in a landscape in the Austrian Alps. Tree species diversity had a predominantly positive effect on ES stability. We conclude that attempts to maximize the level of ES provisioning may increase its temporal variability, and thus threaten the continuity of ES supply. Consequently, considerations of stability need to be more explicitly included in forest management planning under increasingly variable future conditions.

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A disturbance-induced increase in tree species diversity facilitates forest productivity

Cited by 51 publications

References 62 publications

Diversity and forest productivity in a changing climate

Diversity and forest productivity in a changing climate

Disentangling the effects of compositional and structural diversity on forest productivity

Trade‐offs between temporal stability and level of forest ecosystem services provisioning under climate change

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