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Forests
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Drought Resilience of Forest Trees
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Drought Resilience of Forest Trees

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Hazards and Risk Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 September 2021) | Viewed by 12048

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Maria C. Caldeira

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Centro de Estudos Florestais, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
Interests: forest; agro-forest and grassland ecology; climate change; ecosystem function; drought resilience; forest management

Special Issue Information

Global change is affecting tree functioning and mortality all over the world. In particular, the increasing occurrence and severity of droughts is one of the major factors determining structural and functional changes in forests. Furthermore, drought events are seldom isolated, and the interaction with other abiotic (e.g., heat waves) or biotic factors (e.g., pests, competition) can further accelerate tree decline. Tree resilience, including the resistance to and response following drought events, probably incorporates a complex set of processes regulated at several scales, from genes to the ecosystem level. For instance, physiological water- and carbon-related functional traits can determine differences in the ability of trees to withstand low levels of soil water availability. Understanding the mechanisms that mediate drought-induced tree mortality is critical to model and take sound science-based management decisions towards having drought-resilient forests. Forest management approaches such as the use of mixed-species stands, resilient tree provenances, or the control of tree density or understory cover may be determinant in increasing forest resilience to drought.

This Special issue is open to original contributions on tree resilience to drought, including studies on the mechanisms of tree resilience and the interaction of drought with other global change drivers. We strongly encourage studies relating tree functioning and management practices to increasing tree resilience to drought.

Dr. Maria C. Caldeira
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Species
  • Tree mortality
  • Functional traits
  • Tree resilience
  • Tree resistance
  • Forest management
  • Drought

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

16 pages, 1915 KiB  
Article
Timing of Drought Affected the Growth, Physiology, and Mortality of Mongolian Pine Saplings
by Hui Qian, Ai-Mei Dong, Marja Roitto, Di-Ying Xiang, Gang Zhang, Tapani Repo and Ai-Fang Wang
Forests 2021, 12(11), 1491; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12111491 - 29 Oct 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1668
Abstract
Background and Objectives: More frequent and severe droughts are occurring due to climate change in northern China. In addition to intensity and duration, the timing of droughts may be decisive for its impacts on tree growth, mortality, and the whole forest ecosystem. The [...] Read more.
Background and Objectives: More frequent and severe droughts are occurring due to climate change in northern China. In addition to intensity and duration, the timing of droughts may be decisive for its impacts on tree growth, mortality, and the whole forest ecosystem. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of drought occurring in the early- and mid-growing season on the growth and physiology of Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica Litv.) saplings. Materials and Methods: Four-year-old container saplings that were about to sprout were exposed to three treatments: (i) regular irrigation throughout the growing season (CTRL), (ii) no irrigation in the early growing season (weeks 1–5) followed by regular irrigation (EGD), (iii) no irrigation in the mid growing season (weeks 5–10), and regular irrigation in the early and late growing season (MGD). We measured the root and shoot growth, sapling mortality, and the physiological changes in the roots and needles periodically. Results: Drought in the mid growing season was more harmful than in the early growing season in terms of chlorophyll fluorescence, electrolyte leakage of needles, needle length, stem diameter increment, and sapling mortality. The high mortality in the mid growing season might be attributed to the joint effect of drought and high temperature. Drought in the early growing season decreased root growth, and the starch and soluble sugars in roots as much as the drought in the mid growing season. Abscisic acid concentration increased in fine roots, but decreased in old needles after drought. Conclusions: Special attention should be paid on forest sites susceptible to drought during afforestation in the face of ongoing climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Drought Resilience of Forest Trees)
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18 pages, 3146 KiB  
Article
Spatial Patterns of Non-Structural Carbohydrates in Eucalyptus urophylla× E. grandis under Dry-Season Irrigation with Fertilization
by Jie-Jun Kong, Wen-Quan Liu, Feng Huang, Lei Hua, Fei Yu, Qian He, Yan Su, Ji-Yue Li and Quan Qiu
Forests 2021, 12(8), 1049; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12081049 - 07 Aug 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2123
Abstract
Non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) affect tree growth and survival when photosynthesis is impacted by climate change, such as seasonal drought and extreme precipitation. Nevertheless, it is still unclear whether Eucalyptus suffers growth limitation under natural conditions and if trees recover under artificial cultivation. In [...] Read more.
Non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) affect tree growth and survival when photosynthesis is impacted by climate change, such as seasonal drought and extreme precipitation. Nevertheless, it is still unclear whether Eucalyptus suffers growth limitation under natural conditions and if trees recover under artificial cultivation. In present study, we conducted a field control experiment to compare the NSC storage in Eucalyptus urophylla × Eucalyptus grandis trees on fertilization and dry-season irrigation to determine the variations of NSC under drought stress. The results indicated total soluble sugar (TSS) was the primary existing form of NSC. In spatial patterns, NSC concentration showed gradient differences from source organ to sink organ, and finally accumulated in root. The TSS concentration showed a decreased trend with height except leaf, while the trend of starch concentration was contrast. Surprisingly, fertilization and dry-season irrigation had not changed the carbon distribution among all tissues but reduced the TSS concentration in most organs. The fast-growing E. urophylla × E. grandis will consume the assimilates and carbohydrates of storage organs, but maintains the NSC concentration at a certain threshold. Our results help to comprehend the NSC allocation and improve the productivity of E. urophylla × E. grandis plantations in seasonal arid areas. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Drought Resilience of Forest Trees)
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12 pages, 2557 KiB  
Article
Trees at a Moderately Arid Site Were More Sensitive to Long-Term Drought
by Bin Wang, Pengtao Yu, Yipeng Yu, Yanhui Wang, Lei Zhang, Yanfang Wan, Shunli Wang and Xiande Liu
Forests 2021, 12(5), 579; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12050579 - 06 May 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2223
Abstract
Climate change has dramatically altered the frequency and intensity of droughts, thereby altering tree growth. Understanding whether tree growth in semiarid areas in response to long-term drought and the post-drought recovery rate of tree growth vary along moisture gradients is crucial for predicting [...] Read more.
Climate change has dramatically altered the frequency and intensity of droughts, thereby altering tree growth. Understanding whether tree growth in semiarid areas in response to long-term drought and the post-drought recovery rate of tree growth vary along moisture gradients is crucial for predicting future forest change. Here, we assessed the spatial variation in both the growth resistance of Qinghai spruce (Picea crassifolia Kom.) to long-term drought and its post-drought recovery using a stand-total sampling strategy along a moisture gradient that covered three sites (with an annual precipitation of 330.4, 394.2, and 515.9 mm for the western, middle, and eastern sites, respectively) with six plots. Resistance and recovery were evaluated by analyzing the tree growth trends during a long-term drought period (1980–2001) and the subsequent post-drought period (2001–2013), respectively. Our results indicate that the trees with the highest temporal stability were those at the wetter eastern site; specifically, during the long-term drought period, the trees at the wetter eastern site showed the highest resistance (−0.015) and the lowest recovery (0.002). The trees in moderately arid conditions were much more sensitive to climate change than those at the relatively arid western site, showing the lowest resistance (−0.050) and highest recovery (0.020). Climate change had the strongest impact on tree growth at the moderately arid site, contributing 60.6% to the tree growth decreasing trend during the long-term drought period and 65.4% to the tree recovery during the post-drought period, respectively. Climate change had a lower impact on tree growth at the wet and dry sites, contributing less than 50% to the tree growth trends at these sites. The results indicate that a trade-off relationship exists between resistance and recovery at the different sites; that is, the highly resistant trees at the wetter eastern site tend to have lower recovery, whereas the weakly resistant trees at the moderately arid site tend to have higher recovery. These results have implications for predicting tree growth in response to future climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Drought Resilience of Forest Trees)
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32 pages, 8210 KiB  
Article
How Does Radial Growth of Water-Stressed Populations of European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) Trees Vary under Multiple Drought Events?
by Tamalika Chakraborty, Albert Reif, Andreas Matzarakis and Somidh Saha
Forests 2021, 12(2), 129; https://doi.org/10.3390/f12020129 - 24 Jan 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2199
Abstract
European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) trees are becoming vulnerable to drought, with a warming climate. Existing studies disagree on how radial growth varies in European beech in response to droughts. We aimed to find the impact of multiple droughts on beech trees’ [...] Read more.
European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) trees are becoming vulnerable to drought, with a warming climate. Existing studies disagree on how radial growth varies in European beech in response to droughts. We aimed to find the impact of multiple droughts on beech trees’ annual radial growth at their ecological drought limit created by soil water availability in the forest. Besides, we quantified the influence of competition and canopy openness on the mean basal area growth of beech trees. We carried out this study in five near-natural temperate forests in three localities of Germany and Switzerland. We quantified available soil water storage capacity (AWC) in plots laid in the transition zone from oak to beech dominated forests. The plots were classified as ‘dry’ (AWC < 60 mL) and ‘less-dry’ (AWC > 60 mL). We performed dendroecological analyses starting from 1951 in continuous and discontinuous series to study the influence of climatic drought (i.e., precipitation-potential evapotranspiration) on the radial growth of beech trees in dry and less-dry plots. We used observed values for this analysis and did not use interpolated values from interpolated historical records in this study. We selected six drought events to study the resistance, recovery, and resilience of beech trees to drought at a discontinuous level. The radial growth was significantly higher in less-dry plots than dry plots. The increase in drought had reduced tree growth. Frequent climatic drought events resulted in more significant correlations, hence, increased the dependency of tree growth on AWC. We showed that the recovery and resilience to climatic drought were higher in trees in less-dry plots than dry plots, but it was the opposite for resistance. The resistance, recovery, and resilience of the trees were heterogeneous between the events of drought. Mean growth of beech trees (basal area increment) were negatively impacted by neighborhood competition and positively influenced by canopy openness. We emphasized that beech trees growing on soil with low AWC are at higher risk of growth decline. We concluded that changes in soil water conditions even at the microsite level could influence beech trees’ growth in their drought limit under the changing climate. Along with drought, neighborhood competition and lack of light can also reduce beech trees’ growth. This study will enrich the state of knowledge about the ongoing debate on the vulnerability of beech trees to drought in Europe. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Drought Resilience of Forest Trees)
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21 pages, 1904 KiB  
Article
Practical Implications of Different Phenotypic and Molecular Responses of Evergreen Conifer and Broadleaf Deciduous Forest Tree Species to Regulated Water Deficit in a Container Nursery
by Piotr Robakowski, Tomasz P. Wyka, Wojciech Kowalkowski, Władysław Barzdajn, Emilia Pers-Kamczyc, Artur Jankowski and Barbara Politycka
Forests 2020, 11(9), 1011; https://doi.org/10.3390/f11091011 - 20 Sep 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2836
Abstract
Recent climatic changes have resulted in an increased frequency and prolonged periods of drought and strained water resources affecting plant production. We explored the possibility of reducing irrigation in a container nursery and studied the growth responses of seedlings of four economically important [...] Read more.
Recent climatic changes have resulted in an increased frequency and prolonged periods of drought and strained water resources affecting plant production. We explored the possibility of reducing irrigation in a container nursery and studied the growth responses of seedlings of four economically important forest trees: broadleaf deciduous angiosperms Fagus sylvatica L., Quercus petraea (Matt.) Liebl., and evergreen conifers Abies alba Mill. and Pinus sylvestris L. We also studied markers of water stress including modifications of biomass allocation, leaf anatomy, proline accumulation, and expression of selected genes. Growth of the broadleaved deciduous species was more sensitive to the reduced water supply than that of conifers. Remarkably, growth of the shade tolerant Abies was not affected. Adjustment of biomass allocations was strongest in P. sylvestris, with a remarkable increase in allocation to roots. In response to water deficit both deciduous species accumulated proline in leaves and produced leaves with shorter palisade cells, reduced vascular tissues, and smaller conduit diameters. These responses did not occur in conifers. Relative transcript abundance of a gene encoding the Zn-finger protein in Q. petraea and a gene encoding the pore calcium channel protein 1 in A. alba increased as water deficit increased. Our study shows major differences between functional groups in response to irrigation, with seedlings of evergreen conifers having higher tolerance than the deciduous species. This suggests that major water savings could be achieved by adjusting irrigation regime to functional group or species requirements. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Drought Resilience of Forest Trees)
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