Large‐scale disturbance legacies and the climate sensitivity of primary Picea abies forests

Determining the drivers of shifting forest disturbance rates remains a pressing global change issue. Large‐scale forest dynamics are commonly assumed to be climate driven, but appropriately scaled disturbance histories are rarely available to assess how disturbance legacies alter subsequent disturbance rates and the climate sensitivity of disturbance. We compiled multiple tree ring‐based disturbance histories from primary Picea abies forest fragments distributed throughout five European landscapes spanning the Bohemian Forest and the Carpathian Mountains. The regional chronology includes 11,595 tree cores, with ring dates spanning the years 1750–2000, collected from 560 inventory plots in 37 stands distributed across a 1,000 km geographic gradient, amounting to the largest disturbance chronology yet constructed in Europe. Decadal disturbance rates varied significantly through time and declined after 1920, resulting in widespread increases in canopy tree age. Approximately 75% of current canopy area recruited prior to 1900. Long‐term disturbance patterns were compared to an historical drought reconstruction, and further linked to spatial variation in stand structure and contemporary disturbance patterns derived from LANDSAT imagery. Historically, decadal Palmer drought severity index minima corresponded to higher rates of canopy removal. The severity of contemporary disturbances increased with each stand's estimated time since last major disturbance, increased with mean diameter, and declined with increasing within‐stand structural variability. Reconstructed spatial patterns suggest that high small‐scale structural variability has historically acted to reduce large‐scale susceptibility and climate sensitivity of disturbance. Reduced disturbance rates since 1920, a potential legacy of high 19th century disturbance rates, have contributed to a recent region‐wide increase in disturbance susceptibility. Increasingly common high‐severity disturbances throughout primary Picea forests of Central Europe should be reinterpreted in light of both legacy effects (resulting in increased susceptibility) and climate change (resulting in increased exposure to extreme events).     

Overstorey Control of Understorey Species Composition in a Near-natural Temperate Broadleaved Forest in Denmark

Little is known about the importance of the forest overstorey relative to other factors in controlling the spatial variability in understorey species composition in near-natural temperate broadleaved forests. We addressed this question for the 19 ha ancient forest Suserup Skov (55°22′ N, 11°34′ E) in Denmark, one of the few old-growth temperate broadleaved forest remnants in north-western Europe, by inventorying understorey species composition and environmental conditions in 163 100 m² plots. We use unconstrained and constrained ordinations, variation partitioning, and Indicator Species Analysis to provide a quantitative assessment of the importance of the forest overstorey in controlling understorey species composition. Comparison of the gradients extracted by unconstrained and constrained ordinations showed that the main gradients in understorey species composition in our old-growth temperate broadleaved forest remnant are not caused by variability in the forest overstorey, but are related to topography and soil, edge effects, and unknown broad-scale factors. Nevertheless, overstorey-related variables uniquely accounted for 15% of the total explained variation in understorey species composition, with the pure overstorey-related (R_po), topography and soil (R_pt), edge and anthropogenic disturbance effects (R_pa), and spatial (R_ps) variation fractions being of equal magnitude. The forward variable selection showed that among the overstorey-related variables understorey light availability and to a lesser extent vertical forest structure were most important for understorey species composition. No unique influence of overstorey tree species identity could be documented. There were many indicator species for high understorey light levels and canopy gap centres, but none for medium or low light or closed canopy. Hence, no understorey species behaved as obligate shade plants. Our study shows that, the forest overstorey has a weak control of understorey species composition in near-natural broadleaved forest, in contrast to results from natural and managed forests comprising both conifer and broadleaved species. Nevertheless, >20% of the understorey species found were indicators of high light conditions or canopy openings. Hence, variability in canopy structure and understorey light availability is important for maintaining understorey species diversity.     

大兴安岭北部兴安落叶松(Larix gmelinii)林下穿透雨空间分布特征

森林冠层对降雨的水量和水质再分配是生态水文学研究的热点问题之一。为了研究兴安落叶松林下穿透雨的空间分布规律,探究森林冠层结构对穿透雨影响的生态机制,利用在兴安落叶松林下布设38个雨量筒,测定19场不同降雨事件的穿透雨数据(2013年7—8月),通过统计学方法分析冠层结构各因子与穿透雨的空间变异性规律,结果表明:观测期间,兴安落叶松林穿透雨量为148.3 mm,占同期大气降雨量的80.62%,穿透雨率随着降雨量的增加呈增加趋势;兴安落叶松林下穿透雨具有较大空间异质性,其变异程度随降雨量的增加而减小,以对数方程拟合较好(P0.01);冠层结构特征是影响穿透雨空间变异的重要因素,冠层复杂程度与穿透雨量呈负相关关系(P0.01);距树干距离、冠层厚度、叶面积指数等因素均可影响穿透雨的空间分布,以距树干距离影响最大,其与穿透雨率呈正相关关系(P0.01),而冠层厚度、叶面积指数则均与穿透雨率呈负相关关系(P0.01),但拟合效果不佳;从影响穿透雨的生态学机制来考虑,在冠层结构特征因子中,冠层厚度是决定穿透雨空间分布的最主要因素。     

Canopy structure and vertical patterns of photosynthesis and related leaf traits in a deciduous forest

Canopy structure and light interception were measured in an 18-m tall, closed canopy deciduous forest of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) in southwestern Wisconsin, USA, and related to leaf structural characteristics, N content, and leaf photosynthetic capacity. Light attenuation in the forest occurred primarily in the upper and middle portions of the canopy. Forest stand leaf area index (LAI) and its distribution with respect to canopy height were estimated from canopy transmittance values independently verified with a combined leaf litterfall and point-intersect method. Leaf mass, N and A _max per unit area (LMA, N/area and A _max/area, respectively) all decreased continuously by over two-fold from the upper to lower canopy, and these traits were strongly correlated with cumulative leaf area above the leaf position in the canopy. In contrast, neither N concentration nor A _max per unit mass varied significantly in relation to the vertical canopy gradient. Since leaf N concentration showed no consistent pattern with respect to canopy position, the observed vertical pattern in N/area is a direct consequence of vertical variation of LMA. N/area and LMA were strongly correlated with A _max/area among different canopy positions (r²=0.81 and r²=0.66, respectively), indicating that vertical variation in area-based photosynthetic capacity can also be attributed to variation in LMA. A model of whole-canopy photosynthesis was used to show that observed or hypothetical canopy mass distributions toward higher LMA (and hence higher N/area) in the upper portions of the canopy tended to increase integrated daily canopy photosynthesis over other LMA distribution patterns. Empirical relationships between leaf and canopy-level characteristics may help resolve problems associated with scaling gas exchange measurements made at the leaf level to the individual tree crown and forest canopy-level.     

Post-cultivation Secondary Succession in a Venezuelan Lower Montane Rain Forest

Since tropical rain forests are widely threatened by conversion to agriculture, even within protected areas, an understanding of recovery processes is important for restoration of forest ecosystems and thus conservation of their biodiversity. Secondary succession following land clearance and crop cultivation was studied in a lower montane rain forest in a protected area of the Venezuelan Cordillera de la Costa Central. Forest recovery was studied using a chronosequence of eight 20 × 20 m plots which represented four forest types ca.10 year-old Secondary Forest, ca. 20 year-old Secondary Forest, ca. 35 year-old (uncultivated) secondary forest and mature forest. Species richness and structural complexity increased during succession, with the oldest secondary forest having a physiognomy comparable to the mature forest. Species diversity was lower in the secondary forests than the mature forest, and their floristic composition was distinct. Four phases are hypothesized to occur in the succession process, each with a distinctive species assemblage: initial colonisation by non-woody vegetation; establishment and canopy closure by short-lived small-seeded woody pioneer species; replacement by longer-lived secondary species; and gradual replacement by mature forest large-seeded climax species. Full recovery of the forests in the protected area is likely to take many years, although it may be assisted through conservation management measures.     

How is light interception efficiency related to shoot structure in tall canopy species?

Coexistence of multiple species is a fundamental aspect of plant and forest ecology. Although spatial arrangement of leaves within crowns is an important determinant of light interception and productivity, shoot structure varies considerably among coexisting canopy species. We investigated the relative importance of structural traits in determining the light availability of leaves (I) and light interception efficiency at the current-year shoot level (LIE_CS; the total light interception of leaves divided by shoot biomass) at the top of crowns of 11 canopy species in a cool-temperate forest in Japan. In accordance with Corner’s rules, the total mass, stem mass, total mass of leaf laminae, individual leaf area, and stem cross-sectional area of current-year shoot were positively correlated with each other, and branching intensity (the number of current-year shoots per branch unit of 1-m length) was inversely correlated with these traits across species. In contrast, I was correlated not with these traits, but with leaf elevation angle (a _L). Moreover, variation in LIE_CS across species was caused by variation in I (thus in a _L). Thus, a _L is a key parameter for the leaf light interception of canopy shoots in this cool-temperate forest. Differences in a _L across species might be related to different physiological strategies that developed in the high light and water-limited environment of forest canopies. Small variation in the length of current-year shoots among species implies that variations in I and LIE_CS would be important for the coexistence of these canopy species.     

Remote sensing of forest gas exchange: Considerations derived from a tomographic perspective

The global exchange of gas (CO₂, H₂O) and energy (sensible and latent heat) between forest ecosystems and the atmosphere is often assessed using remote sensing (RS) products. Although these products are essential in quantifying the spatial variability of forest–atmosphere exchanges, large uncertainties remain from a measurement bias towards top of canopy fluxes since optical RS data are not sensitive for the vertically integrated forest canopy. We hypothesize that a tomographic perspective opens new pathways to advance upscaling gas exchange processes from leaf to forest stands and larger scales. We suggest a 3D modelling environment comprising principles of ecohydrology and radiative transfer modelling with measurements of micrometeorological variables, leaf optical properties and forest structure, and assess 3D fields of net CO₂ assimilation (A_n) and transpiration (T) in a Swiss temperate forest canopy. 3D simulations were used to quantify uncertainties in gas exchange estimates inherent to RS approaches and model assumptions (i.e. a big‐leaf approximation in modelling approaches). Our results reveal substantial 3D heterogeneity of forest gas exchange with top of canopy A_n and T being reduced by up to 98% at the bottom of the canopy. We show that a simplified use of RS causes uncertainties in estimated vertical gas exchange of up to 300% and that the spatial variation of gas exchange in the footprint of flux towers can exceed diurnal dynamics. We also demonstrate that big‐leaf assumptions can cause uncertainties up to a factor of 10 for estimates of A_n and T. Concluding, we acknowledge the large potential of 3D assessments of gas exchange to unravelling the role of vertical variability and canopy structure in regulating forest–atmosphere gas and energy exchange. Such information allows to systematically link canopy with global scale controls on forest functioning and eventually enables advanced understanding of forest responses to environmental change.     

Rain forest invasion of eucalypt-dominated woodland savanna, Iron Range, north-eastern Australia: I. Successional processes

Aim To explore successional processes associated with rain forest expansion in Eucalyptus‐dominated woodland savanna vegetation in north‐eastern Australia. Location Iron Range National Park and environs, northeast Queensland, Australia. This remote region supports probably the largest extent of lowland (< 300 m) rainforest remnant in Australia. Rainfall (c. 1700 mm p.a.) occurs mostly between November and June, with some rain typically occurring even in the driest months July–October. Methods (1) Sampling of rain forest seedling distributions, and other vegetation structural attributes, in fifteen 10 × 10 m quadrats distributed equi‐distantly between mature rain forest margins (range: 70–840 m), at each of 10 sites which were open‐canopied vegetation in 1943. (2) Assessment of relationships between rain forest seedling densities and structural characteristics, including distance‐to‐rain forest‐margin, canopy height, stem density. (3) Assessment of lifeform and dispersal spectra for defined vegetation structural types. Results Rates of rain forest invasion were found to be substrate‐mediated. Transects established on hematite schist, diorite, riverine alluvium, and granite developed closed canopies (termed phase III sites) by 1991. The remainder (four transects on poorly drained colluvial/alluvial sediments; one on dune sands) continued to occur either as grassy woodland (phase I), or with developing rain forest understoreys (phase II). Rain forest seedlings were observed at maximum sampled distances from mature rain forest margins at all sites. Lifeform and dispersal spectra data illustrated that: (1) the proportions of woodland trees, shrubs and graminoids declined with successional phase, with concomitant increases in rain forest primary trees and all other lifeform categories save rain forest trees; (2) the proportions of major dispersal syndromes did not vary between successional phases, neither for rain forest nor woodland taxa. Main conclusions Rain forest seedling distribution data for phases I and II sites illustrate three successional processes: margin extension – seedling density significantly negatively correlated with distance from mature rain forest margins at two sites; nucleation – seedling densities significantly positively correlated with tall trees at two sites; and irruption – seedling densities at two sites neither correlated with distance from mature rain forest margins, nor with measured vegetation structural features. The observation of irruptive rain forest regeneration at these sites, combined with decadal‐scale rain forest canopy development at the five remaining sites, illustrates that under conditions conducive to growth (moisture, substrate), low fire disturbance, and maintenance of diverse dispersal processes (high frugivore richness), rain forest can rapidly invade regional landscapes.     

祁连山青海云杉林冠生态水文效应及其影响因素

以位于祁连山中段大野口关滩森林站的青海云杉林为研究对象,利用2008年观测期间(6月12日至10月8日)34场降雨的大气降雨量、穿透雨量和树干茎流量观测资料,对青海云杉林的降雨再分配特征及其影响因素进行综合分析。结果表明:青海云杉林的总穿透雨量、截留量和干流量分别为212.6、64.5 mm和3.4 mm,分别占大气降雨量的75.8%、23.0%和1.2%;穿透雨在林内具有较大的空间变异性,其变异程度随降雨量的增大而减小,叶面积指数和冠层郁闭度在一定程度上也影响穿透雨的空间分布,且降雨量越小其影响效果越明显;青海云杉林的总干流量为3.4 mm,平均干流率为0.58%,雨前林冠的湿润程度对树干流的产生有很大影响,导致当降雨量为5.6 mm时就开始产生树干茎流;青海云杉林冠截留率的大小主要取决于降雨量,且随着降雨量的增大先减小并逐渐趋于稳定,林冠截留量总体上随冠层郁闭度和叶面积指数的增大而增大,但当观测点位于树冠边缘或多个树冠重叠处时出现负截留现象。所以,就特定林分而言,冠层结构特征对于其林冠生态水文效应起着重要的作用。     

Spatial and temporal scaling of intercellular CO2 concentration in a temperate rain forest dominated by Dacrydium cupressinum in New Zealand

Seven methods, including measurements of photosynthesis (A) and stomatal conductance (g(s)), carbon isotope discrimination, ecosystem CO2 and water vapour exchange using eddy covariance and the use of a multilayer canopy model and ecosystem Keeling plots, were employed to derive estimates of intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci) across a range of spatial and temporal scales in a low productivity rain forest ecosystem dominated by the conifer Dacrydium cupressinum Lamb. in New Zealand. Estimates of shoot and canopy Ci across temporal scales ranging from minutes to years were remarkably similar (range of 274-294 micromol mol(-1)). The gradual increase in shoot Ci with depth in the canopy was more likely attributable to decreases in A resulting from lower irradiance (Q) than to increases in g, due to changes in air saturation deficit (D). The lack of marked vertical gradients in A and g(s) at saturating Q through the canopy and the low seasonal variability in environmental conditions contributed to the efficacy of scaling Ci. However, the canopy Ci estimate calculated from the carbon isotope composition of respired ecosystem CO2 (delta13CR; 236 micromol mol(-1)) was much lower than other estimates of canopy Ci. Partitioning delta13CR into four components (soil, roots, litter and foliage) indicated root respiration as the dominant (> 50%) contributor to delta13CR. Variable time lags and differences in isotopic composition during photosynthesis and respiration make the direct estimation of canopy Ci from delta 13CR problematic.     

Spatiotemporal variability of soil respiration in a seasonal tropical forest

We monitored soil CO ₂ effluxes for over 3 years in a seasonally wet tropical forest in Central Panama using automated and manual measurements from 2013 to 2016. The measurements displayed a high degree of spatial and temporal variability. Temporal variability could be largely explained by surface soil water dynamics over a broad range of temporal scales. Soil moisture was responsible for seasonal cycles, diurnal cycles, intraseasonal variability such as rain‐induced pulses following dry spells, as well as suppression during near saturated conditions, and ultimately, interannual variability. Spatial variability, which remains largely unexplained, revealed an emergent role of forest structure in conjunction with physical drivers such as soil temperature and topography. Mean annual soil CO ₂ effluxes (±SE ) amounted to 1,613 (±59) gC  m^?2 year^?1 with an increasing trend in phase with an El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO ) cycle which culminated with the strong 2015–2016 event. We attribute this trend to a relatively mild wet season during which soil saturated conditions were less persistent.     

Temporal dynamics and spatial variability in the enhancement of canopy leaf area under elevated atmospheric CO2

Increased canopy leaf area (L) may lead to higher forest productivity and alter processes such as species dynamics and ecosystem mass and energy fluxes. Few CO₂ enrichment studies have been conducted in closed canopy forests and none have shown a sustained enhancement of L. We reconstructed 8 years (1996–2003) of L at Duke's Free Air CO₂ Enrichment experiment to determine the effects of elevated atmospheric CO₂ concentration ([CO₂]) on L before and after canopy closure in a pine forest with a hardwood component, focusing on interactions with temporal variation in water availability and spatial variation in nitrogen (N) supply. The dynamics of L were reconstructed using data on leaf litterfall mass and specific leaf area for hardwoods, and needle litterfall mass and specific leaf area combined with needle elongation rates, and fascicle and shoot counts for pines. The dynamics of pine L production and senescence were unaffected by elevated [CO₂], although L senescence for hardwoods was slowed. Elevated [CO₂] enhanced pine L and the total canopy L (combined pine and hardwood species; P<0.050); on average, enhancement following canopy closure was ～16% and 14% respectively. However, variation in pine L and its response to elevated [CO₂] was not random. Each year pine L under ambient and elevated [CO₂] was spatially correlated to the variability in site nitrogen availability (e.g. r²=0.94 and 0.87 in 2001, when L was highest before declining due to droughts and storms), with the [CO₂]‐induced enhancement increasing with N (P=0.061). Incorporating data on N beyond the range of native fertility, achieved through N fertilization, indicated that pine L had reached the site maximum under elevated [CO₂] where native N was highest. Thus closed canopy pine forests may be able to increase leaf area under elevated [CO₂] in moderate fertility sites, but are unable to respond to [CO₂] in both infertile sites (insufficient resources) and sites having high levels of fertility (maximum utilization of resources). The total canopy L, representing the combined L of pine and hardwood species, was constant across the N gradient under both ambient and elevated [CO₂], generating a constant enhancement of canopy L. Thus, in mixed species stands, L of canopy hardwoods which developed on lower fertility sites (～3 g N inputs m^?2 yr^?1) may be sufficiently enhanced under elevated [CO₂] to compensate for the lack of response in pine L, and generate an appreciable response of total canopy L (～14%).     

Canopy structure in a temperate old-growth evergreen forest analyzed by using aerial photographs

We used aerial photographs to create a digital elevation model of the canopy surface of a 10-ha study area in a temperate old-growth evergreen forest. A topographic map of the ground surface in a 4-ha permanent plot within the study area was also drawn from ground measurements. The difference between the two elevation values (i.e., canopy surface – ground surface) at each point in a 5-m grid was considered to be the canopy height, and a canopy height profile was constructed from these data. The canopy structure in the 4-ha plot that was estimated in this way was compared with that obtained by two ground observation methods, i.e., the canopy (vegetation) height profile method and the canopy coverage census method. Large gaps were adequately detected by the aerial photograph method, but small gaps were less often detected. Gap size distribution obtained by the aerial photograph method was similar to that observed on the ground, and was a function of gap depth. This study indicates that if a detailed topographic map can be made, the canopy height profile derived from aerial photography can be effective in analyzing the canopy structure of evergreen forests, such as tropical rain forests, over large areas.     

Assessing ecological habitat structure from local to landscape scales using synthetic aperture radar

Ecological studies need accurate environmental data such as vegetation characterization, landscape structure and organization, to predict and explain the spatial distribution of biodiversity. Few ecological studies use remote sensing data to assess the biophysical or structural properties of vegetation to understand species distribution. To date, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data have seldom been used for ecological applications. However, these sensors provide data allowing access to the inner structure of vegetation which is a key information in ecology. The objective of this article is to compare the predictive power of ecological habitat structure variables derived from a TerraSAR-X image, an aerial photograph and a SPOT-5 image for species distribution. The test was run with a hedgerow network in Brittany and assessed the spatial distribution of the forest ground carabid beetles which inhabit these hedgerows. The results confirmed that radar and optical images can be indifferently used to extract hedgerow network and derived landscape metrics (hedgerow density, network grain) useful to explain the spatial distribution of forest carabid beetles. In comparison with passive optical remotely sensed data, VHSR SAR images provide new data to characterize vegetation structure and more particularly hedgerow canopy cover, a variable known to explain the spatial distribution of carabid beetles in an agricultural landscape, but not yet quantified at a fine scale. The hedgerow canopy cover derived from the SAR image is a strong predictor of the abundance of forest carabid beetles at two scales i.e., a local scale and a landscape scale.     

西双版纳热带雨林林窗空间分布格局及其特征数与林窗下植物多样性的相关性

林窗作为森林群落中一种重要的干扰方式, 对林下物种构成有着重要的影响。开展林窗空间格局及其特征指数与林下植物多样性关系研究对于探讨林窗对林下生物多样性的影响有重要意义, 有助于进一步了解群落动态, 在物种多样性保护方面也具有指导作用。本研究在西双版纳热带雨林地区随机选取3块大小为1 ha的热带雨林为研究样地, 采用轻小型六旋翼无人机搭载Sony ILCE-A7r可见光传感器, 分别获取各个样地的高清数字影像, 结合数字表面高程模型以及各个样地的地形数据用以确定各样区的林窗分布格局, 并进一步提取出各林窗的景观格局指数。结合地面样方基础调查数据, 对各样地各林窗下植物多样性情况进行统计, 旨在分析热带雨林林窗空间分布格局以及林窗下植物多样性对各林窗空间格局特征的响应情况。研究表明, 西双版纳州热带雨林林窗呈大而分散的空间分布, 林窗空间格局特征指数如林窗形状复杂性指数、林窗面积都与林下植物多样性呈显著正相关关系。在面积小的林窗下, 较之林窗形状复杂性因子, 林窗面积大小对林下植物多样性影响更显著; 在面积达到一定程度后, 相对于面积因子, 林窗形状复杂性指数对林下植物多样性影响更显著, 各样地林窗皆趋于向各自所处样地顶极群落发展。     

Patterns and ecological consequences of abiotic heterogeneity in managed cork oak forests of Southern Spain

Spatial heterogeneity of abiotic factors influences the structure and function of forests and must be taken into account for their conservation and sustainable management. In this study, we evaluate the heterogeneity of abiotic environmental variables in managed cork oak (Quercus suber L.) forests in southern Spain at patch, site and regional scales. The extent of spatial heterogeneity depended on the environmental variable examined and the scale considered. For example, soil Mn and P and light availability in the understorey were very heterogeneous at the regional scale, while soil N had low regional heterogeneity, but high spatial variability, at patch scale, attributed to open overstorey and grazing disturbance. There was a general trend of increasing heterogeneity with spatial scale. We also study the effects of a silvicultural practice—shrub clearing on the forest environment and its consequence for spatial heterogeneity. Shrub clearing increased understorey light and decreased its spatial heterogeneity with idiosyncratic effects on soil properties and their spatial heterogeneity at each site. Finally, we compare the heterogeneity (estimated by the coefficient of variation) obtained in these cork oak forests with a database compiled from published studies on other forest environments. The comparison revealed a remarkable extent of abiotic heterogeneity in the cork oak forests studied, suggesting that a sustainable management of these forests should combine intrinsic and human induced abiotic heterogeneity to preserve crucial ecological processes and to maintain high levels of biodiversity.     

Transpiration of trees and forest stands: short and long-term monitoring using sapflow methods

We show that sapflow is a useful tool for studies of water fluxes in forest ecosystems, because (i) it gives access to the spatial variability within a forest stand, (ii) it can be used even on steep slopes, and (iii) when combined with eddy correlation measurements over forests, it allows separation of individual tree transpiration from the total water loss of the stand. Moreover, sapflow techniques are quite easy to implement. Four sapflow techniques currently coexist, all based on heat diffusion in the xylem. We found a good agreement between three of these techniques. Most results presented here were obtained using the radial flow meter (Granier 1985). Tree sapflow is computed as sap flux density times sapwood area. To scale up from trees to a stand, measurements have to be made on a representative sample of trees. Thus, a number of trees in each circumference class is selected according to the fraction of sapwood they represent in the total sapwood area of the stand. The variability of sap flux density among trees is usually low (CV. 10–15%) in close stands of temperate coniferous or deciduous forests, but is much higher (35–50%) in a tropical rain forest. It also increases after thinning or during a dry spell. A set of 5–10 sapflow sensors usually provides an accurate estimate of stand transpiration. Transpiration measured on two dense spruce stands in the Vosges mountains (France) and one Scot's pine plantation in the Rhine valley (Germany) showed that maximum rate was related to stand LAI and to local climate. Preliminary results comparing the sapflow of a stand of Pinus banksiana to the transpiration of large branches, as part of the BOREAS programme in Saskachewan, Canada showed a similar trend. For modelling purposes, tree canopy conductance (g_c) was calculated from Penman-Monteith equation. In most experiments, calculated canopy conductance was dependent on global radiation (positive effect) and on vapour pressure deficit (negative effect) in the absence of other limiting factors. A comparison of the vapour pressure deficit response curves of g_c for several tree species and sites showed only small differences among spruce, oak and pine forests when including understorey. Tropical rainforests exhibited a similar behaviour.     

Spatial analysis of structural and tree‐ring related parameters in a timberline forest in the Italian Alps

Abstract. We investigated the variability in spatial pattern of some structural, dendrochronological and dendroclimatological features of a mixed Larix decidua‐Pinus cembra forest at the timberline in the eastern Italian Alps at fine geographical and temporal scales. Forest structure variables such as stem diameter, tree height, age and tree‐ring related parameters (yearly growth index, mean sensitivity, first order autocorrelation and some dendroclimatic variables) have been compared at various scale levels. We observed that most of the variables show positive autocorrelated structures due to both forest dynamics and fine‐scale driving forces, probably related to microrelief. Spatial structure of yearly indexed radial growth appears sensitive to extreme climatic events. Secondary succession after past disturbances drives the forest towards a structure governed by a gap regeneration dynamics that seems to ensure the different requirements of the two main tree species present. Small spatial scale studies of forest structures, especially if integrated to dendro‐ecological data, seem an efficient tool to assess the disturbance regime and species sensitivity to environmental change.