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Demographic and Structural Variability Modulate Growth Dynamics in European Beech Primary Forests
Krešimir Begović1, Jakob Pavlin1, Thomas Langbehn1
1Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, Prague, Czech Republic.
Global Change Biology
|May 6, 2026
Summary
European beech forests face declining productivity due to climate change. Demographic variability in tree growth is crucial for adaptation, but overall losses outweigh gains under warming.
Area of Science:
- Forest Ecology
- Climate Change Biology
- Plant Physiology
Background:
- Intensifying droughts and heatwaves increasingly stress European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) at its range margins.
- Existing growth models often overlook intraspecific demographic variability, potentially underestimating forest adaptive capacity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess how demographic variability in growth dynamics influences European beech forest productivity across a wide environmental gradient.
- To explore differences in radial growth patterns and climate sensitivity among trees of varying ages and sizes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from 530 plots and ~11,000 European beech trees across central and southeastern Europe.
- Analyzed temporal and spatial variations in radial growth, linking them to prior and current climatic conditions (temperature, water balance).
- Investigated demographic differences in growth sensitivity to heat stress and moisture availability, and long-term growth trends.
Main Results:
- Radial growth was constrained by prior summer heat and water balance in xeric regions, and current spring/summer conditions in mesic regions.
- Larger trees showed higher sensitivity to prior heat stress; smaller trees were more sensitive to current moisture.
- Severe droughts induced multi-year growth reductions, particularly in xeric areas. Heterogeneous growth trends observed, with some age/size classes declining and others showing gains.
- Overall productivity losses exceeded gains under climate warming, despite the buffering effects of structural complexity and demographic variability diminishing under severe stress.
Conclusions:
- Demographic and structural heterogeneity are critical for shaping European beech growth dynamics under climate change.
- Future ecosystem productivity projections must explicitly incorporate demographic variability to accurately reflect adaptive potential.
- Findings caution against overestimating forest resilience without accounting for diverse tree responses to climate stress.
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