Canopy damage by spring frost in European beech along the Apennines: effect of latitude, altitude and aspect

Allevato, Emilia; Saulino, Luigi; Cesarano, Gaspare; Chirico, Giovanni Battista; D’Urso, Guido; Bolognesi, Salvatore Falanga; Rita, Angelo; Rossi, Sergio; Saracino, Antonio; Bonanomi, Giuliano

doi:10.1016/j.rse.2019.03.023

Cited by 60 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…Changes in temperature and precipitation regimes may increase drought risk, which can negatively affect physiological performance (Rezaie et al, 2018), carbon allocation (D'Andrea, Guidolotti, Scartazza, De Angelis, & Matteucci, 2020), as well as the growth and competition strength (Peuke, Schraml, Hartung, & Rennenberg, 2002) of common beech, one of the most important and widespread broadleaved trees in Europe. Increasing spring temperatures can trigger earlier leaf unfolding (Allevato et al, 2019;Gordo & Sanz, 2010), which in turn results in a higher risk that young leaves are exposed to late spring frost (Augspurger, 2013), especially in Europe (Zohner et al, 2020) and at higher elevations (Vitasse, Schneider, Rixen, Christen, & Rebetez, 2018). Temperatures below −4 C can kill the developing new shoots and leaves, thus reducing the photosynthetic area and ultimately the trees' growth.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frost and drought: Effects of extreme weather events on stem carbon dynamics in a Mediterranean beech forest

D’Andrea

Rezaie

Prislan

et al. 2020

Plant Cell & Environment

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The effects of short‐term extreme events on tree functioning and physiology are still rather elusive. European beech is one of the most sensitive species to late frost and water shortage. We investigated the intra‐annual C dynamics in stems under such conditions. Wood formation and stem CO2 efflux were monitored in a Mediterranean beech forest for 3 years (2015–2017), including a late frost (2016) and a summer drought (2017). The late frost reduced radial growth and, consequently, the amount of carbon fixed in the stem biomass by 80%. Stem carbon dioxide efflux in 2016 was reduced by 25%, which can be attributed to the reduction of effluxes due to growth respiration. Counter to our expectations, we found no effects of the 2017 summer drought on radial growth and stem carbon efflux. The studied extreme weather events had various effects on tree growth. Even though late spring frost had a strong impact on beech radial growth in the current year, trees fully recovered in the following growing season, indicating high resilience of beech to this stressful event.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frost and drought: Effects of extreme weather events on stem carbon dynamics in a Mediterranean beech forest

D’Andrea

Rezaie

Prislan

et al. 2020

Plant Cell & Environment

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“…reduction in canopy photosynthesis, canopy dieback and tree mortality) or long-lasting lagged effects on the components of forest dynamics (e.g. phenology, growth, structure, mortality and composition) triggered by extreme climate events (Allevato et al, 2019;Boisvenue & Running, 2006;Nolè, Rita, Ferrara, & Borghetti, 2018). The serious negative consequences of prolonged heat waves and dry spells include forest dieback, which can be caused by the starvation of carbohydrate reserves or hydraulic failure as well as result in an increased risk of pest/pathogen attacks, which might contribute to reduced productivity and increased forest mortality (Allen, Breshears, & McDowell, 2015;Anderegg et al, 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of drought spells on forests depends on site conditions: The case of 2017 summer heat wave in southern Europe

Rita

Camarero

Nolè

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

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A major component of climate change is an increase in temperature and precipitation variability. Over the last few decades, an increase in the frequency of extremely warm temperatures and drought severity has been observed across Europe. These warmer and drier conditions may reduce productivity and trigger compositional shifts in forest communities. However, we still lack a robust, biogeographical characterization of the negative impacts of climate extremes, such as droughts on forests. In this context, we investigated the impact of the 2017 summer drought on European forests. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was used as a proxy of forest productivity and was related to the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index, which accounts for the temperature effects of the climate water balance. The spatial pattern of NDVI reduction in 2017 was largely driven by the extremely warm summer for parts of the central and eastern Mediterranean Basin (Italian and Balkan Peninsulas). The vulnerability to the 2017 summer drought was heterogeneously distributed over Europe, and topographic factors buffered some of the negative impacts. Mediterranean forests dominated by oak species were the most negatively impacted, whereas Pinus pinaster was the most resilient species. The impact of drought on the NDVI decreased at high elevations and mainly on east and north‐east facing slopes. We illustrate how an adequate characterization of the coupling between climate conditions and forest productivity (NDVI) allows the determination of the most vulnerable areas to drought. This approach could be widely used for other extreme climate events and when considering other spatially resolved proxies of forest growth and health.

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“…In the night between 25 th and 26 th of April 2016 (Day Of Year, DOY 115), a spring late frost occurred in Central and South Italy, causing leaf damage in many beech stands (Bascietto et al , 2018; Greco et al , 2018; Nolѐ et al , 2018; Allevato et al , 2019). In the Selva Piana site the air temperature reached − 6°C at canopy level, destroying the whole-stand canopy and leaving the trees without leaves for almost two months.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Increasing spring temperatures can trigger earlier leaf unfolding (Gordo & Sanz, 2010; Allevato et al , 2019), which in turn results in higher risk that young leaves are exposed to spring frost, especially at higher elevation (Vitasse et al , 2018). Temperatures below −4°C can kill the developing new shoots and leaves, thus reducing the photosynthetic area and ultimately the trees’ growth.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frost and drought: effects of extreme weather events on stem carbon dynamics in a Mediterranean beech forest

D’Andrea

Rezaie

Prislan

et al. 2019

Preprint

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SummaryThe effects of short-term extreme events on tree functioning and physiology are still rather elusive. European beech is one of the most sensitive species to late frost and water shortage. We investigated the intra-annual C dynamics in stems under such conditions.Wood formation and stem CO2 efflux were monitored in a Mediterranean beech forest for three years (2015–2017), including a late frost (2016) and a summer drought (2017).The late frost reduced radial growth and, consequently, the amount of carbon fixed in the stem biomass by 80%. Stem carbon efflux in 2016 was reduced by 25%, which can be attributed to the reduction of effluxes due to growth respiration. Counter to our expectations, we found no effects of the 2017 summer drought on radial growth and stem carbon efflux.The studied extreme weather events had various effects on tree growth. Even though late spring frost had a devastating impact on beech radial growth in the current year, trees fully recovered in the following growing season, indicating high resilience of beech to this stressful event.

show abstract

Canopy damage by spring frost in European beech along the Apennines: effect of latitude, altitude and aspect

Cited by 60 publications

References 46 publications

Frost and drought: Effects of extreme weather events on stem carbon dynamics in a Mediterranean beech forest

Frost and drought: Effects of extreme weather events on stem carbon dynamics in a Mediterranean beech forest

The impact of drought spells on forests depends on site conditions: The case of 2017 summer heat wave in southern Europe

Frost and drought: effects of extreme weather events on stem carbon dynamics in a Mediterranean beech forest

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