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Paludification and forest retreat in northern oceanic environments
R M M Crawford1, C E Jeffree, W G Rees
1Plant Science Laboratory, Sir Harold Mitchell Building, St Andrews University, St Andrews KY1 6AJ, UK. rmmc@st-and.ac.uk
Annals of Botany
|January 2, 2003
Summary
Climate change is causing northern forests to retreat as bogs expand. Increased oceanicity and winter flooding threaten forest regeneration in oceanic climates, impacting the boreal forest limit.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Science
- Ecology
- Climatology
Background:
- Temperature variations over the past century in Europe and the Arctic show links to the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO).
- Oceanic regions exhibit a southward shift in the tree line, favoring wetland communities like bogs and tundra.
- Ecological succession is shifting from forest to bog, influenced by long-term flooding effects on tree survival.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the ecological impacts of climate change and North Atlantic Oscillation variations on European and Arctic environments.
- To understand the physiological and ecological factors inhibiting forest regeneration in response to changing climate conditions.
- To analyze the risk of paludification and its consequences for boreal forest limits in oceanic climates.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of temperature variations and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index data over the past century.
- Observation of changes in vegetation communities, specifically the tree line and expansion of bogs.
- Discussion of physiological and ecological factors affecting tree survival and regeneration under flooding conditions.
Main Results:
- North Atlantic Oscillation variations correlate with increased oceanicity in maritime regions.
- A southward depression of the tree line and expansion of bogs and wetland tundra are observed.
- Rising winter temperatures and increased rainfall heighten the risk of paludification, adversely affecting forest regeneration in oceanic climates.
Conclusions:
- Climatic warming in oceanic areas may lead to bog expansion and a retreat of the boreal forest northern limit.
- High water tables are not universally detrimental to forest survival; swamp and mangrove forests demonstrate this.
- Forest regeneration inhibition in northern regions is complex, involving interactions between physiological and ecological factors, particularly prolonged winter-flooding with warmer winters and cool, moist summers.
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