98 research outputs found
A silviculture-oriented spatio-temporal model for germination in Pinus pinea L. in the Spanish Northern Plateau based on a direct seeding experiment
Natural regeneration in Pinus pinea stands
commonly fails throughout the Spanish Northern Plateau
under current intensive regeneration treatments. As a
result, extensive direct seeding is commonly conducted to
guarantee regeneration occurrence. In a period of rationalization
of the resources devoted to forest management,
this kind of techniques may become unaffordable. Given
that the climatic and stand factors driving germination
remain unknown, tools are required to understand the
process and temper the use of direct seeding. In this study,
the spatio-temporal pattern of germination of P. pinea was
modelled with those purposes. The resulting findings will
allow us to (1) determine the main ecological variables
involved in germination in the species and (2) infer adequate
silvicultural alternatives. The modelling approach
focuses on covariates which are readily available to forest
managers. A two-step nonlinear mixed model was fitted to
predict germination occurrence and abundance in P. pinea
under varying climatic, environmental and stand conditions,
based on a germination data set covering a 5-year
period. The results obtained reveal that the process is primarily
driven by climate variables. Favourable conditions
for germination commonly occur in fall although the
optimum window is often narrow and may not occur at all
in some years. At spatial level, it would appear that germination
is facilitated by high stand densities, suggesting
that current felling intensity should be reduced. In accordance
with other studies on P. pinea dispersal, it seems that
denser stands during the regeneration period will reduce
the present dependence on direct seeding
Climate Change Alters Seedling Emergence and Establishment in an Old-Field Ecosystem
Background: Ecological succession drives large-scale changes in ecosystem composition over time, but the mechanisms whereby climatic change might alter succession remain unresolved. Here, we asked if the effects of atmospheric and climatic change would alter tree seedling emergence and establishment in an old-field ecosystem, recognizing that small shifts in rates of seedling emergence and establishment of different species may have long-term repercussions on the transition of fields to forests in the future. Methodology/Principal Findings: We introduced seeds from three early successional tree species into constructed old-field plant communities that had been subjected for 4 years to altered temperature, precipitation, and atmospheric CO 2 regimes in an experimental facility. Our experiment revealed that different combinations of atmospheric CO2 concentration, air temperature, and soil moisture altered seedling emergence and establishment. Treatments directly and indirectly affected soil moisture, which was the best predictor of seedling establishment, though treatment effects differed among species. Conclusions: The observed impacts, coupled with variations in the timing of seed arrival, are demonstrated as predictors o
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