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

Abstract

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.

Different Wood Anatomical and Growth Responses in European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) at Three Forest Sites in Slovenia

“…However, trees fully recovered in the following growing season, which indicates high resilience of beech to this stress event (D' Andrea et al, 2020). In contrast, no effect of summer drought was found on the radial growth of beech in the current year (D' Andrea et al, 2020), but it may be evident in the following year (Decuyper et al, 2020).…”

“…Recent studies showed that late spring frost essentially influenced beech foliage and TRW in the current year (D' Andrea et al, 2020;Decuyper et al, 2020;Sanguesa-Barreda et al, 2021). However, trees fully recovered in the following growing season, which indicates high resilience of beech to this stress event (D' Andrea et al, 2020). In contrast, no effect of summer drought was found on the radial growth of beech in the current year (D' Andrea et al, 2020), but it may be evident in the following year (Decuyper et al, 2020).…”

“…Indeed, historical records show a largescale ice break disturbance at this site (Šifrer, 1977), which seems to have affected the growth of some trees. Recent studies showed that late spring frost essentially influenced beech foliage and TRW in the current year (D' Andrea et al, 2020;Decuyper et al, 2020;Sanguesa-Barreda et al, 2021). However, trees fully recovered in the following growing season, which indicates high resilience of beech to this stress event (D' Andrea et al, 2020).…”

“…While for northern and north-eastern part of beech distribution range, growth was limited by combination of spring frost and drought stress (Muffler et al, 2020). Finally, growth reduction in beech may also be associated with late spring frost, summer drought, or mast years, which are also strongly affected by temperature (Kolář et al, 2017;Hacket-Pain et al, 2018;Gazol et al, 2019;D' Andrea et al, 2020). Due to climate warming, a higher masting frequency of beech has been observed in recent decades in Central Europe (Bogdziewicz et al, 2021).…”

Model-Based Estimation of Amazonian Forests Recovery Time after Drought and Fire Events

“…Natural disturbances have a key role in forest ecosystem dynamics [1], yet global changes in climate and land-uses have intensified disturbances rates in several biomes with important consequences on the ecosystems resilience [2]. Events like droughts and wildfires are becoming widespread phenomena in vast areas of the globe, potentially affecting the ecosystem services they provide [3,4] even in humid biomes with high rainfall rates, such as Amazonia [5][6][7].…”