植被年际变化对蒸散发影响的模拟研究

利用通用陆面模式(CLM3.0)及其植被动力学模式(DGVM)研究植被覆盖度(FC)和叶面积指数(LAI)的年际变化对全球蒸散发的影响。设计两套实验方案,其植被的FC和LAI的气候态相同,但一套实验中植被的FC和LAI有年际变化,而对照实验中则没有。结果表明:(1)在草、灌木、树占优势的地区植被FC年际变化依次减小;LAI年际变化较大的地区集中在草和灌木覆盖的地区,在落叶林地区,春秋两季植被LAI的年际变化也较大。(2)全球树占优势的大部分地区,植被的年际变化使得年平均蒸散发和地表蒸发增加、冠层蒸发和蒸腾减少;而在灌木和草覆盖区,变化则大致相反。(3)低纬度地区蒸散发季节循环变化比较明显,而北半球中纬度地区,蒸散发变化明显区随着纬度增加而在时间上向后推延。(4)FC和LAI年际变化较大时,蒸散发及地表蒸发降低,而蒸腾增加;这些差异随FC和LAI年际变化的增加而增加。单点分析进一步表明植被年际变化不仅改变蒸散发的多年平均值,同时改变其分量间的相对比例。     

CLM3.0-DGVM中植物叶面积指数与气候因子的时空关系

作为陆面模型里植被的特征量,叶面积值数（LAI）和植被覆盖度在陆地-大气相互作用的相关研究里被广泛应用。LAI的模拟是动态植被模式（DVM）的核心任务之一,需要对模拟的LAI与气候因子间的时空关系进行评估以更好的了解模式性能以及理解植被-大气反馈过程。用1950—1999年的气象数据驱动通用陆面模式的动态植被模式（CLM3.0-DGVM）模拟得到的全球潜在植被的LAI和2001—2003年MODIS观测资料衍生出的LAI数据进行对比,并在此基础上研究当前气候条件下不同植物功能型（PFT）的LAI与不同气候因子在年际尺度上的时空关系,包括运用Moran系数理论分析空间自相关性、运用逐步回归算法构建空间最优一阶线性回归方程、分析模式LAI与气候因子间的滞后相关性。研究表明：1）以MODIS衍生数据作参照,改进后的CLM3.0-DGVM能较好地模拟不同PFTs的LAI年最大值的空间分布型,但是在物候模拟即LAI的季节循环上存在不足;2）植物LAI的分布具有正的空间自相关性。对潜在植物LAI和气候因子进行拟合时不同气候因子对不同PFTs的方差贡献不一样,一般降水最大、风速最小。这反映了陆地生态系统和气候间复杂的相互关系;3）模式模拟的LAI和气候因子有显著的1～2年的滞后相关,其中光照、降水和LAI的滞后相关性波动较大,而温度、比湿的较小,风速的不明显。这些基于CLM3.0-DGVM的结论在自然界的植物–气候相互作用系统中具有普遍意义：不同地区不同植物受不同气候因子的影响不一样;找出不同PFT的主要气候影响因子和理解其中最关键的生物物理和生物化学过程是至关重要的。进一步工作需要用更精确和更高分辨率的气候数据以及局地观测的LAI对DGVM做评估,同时DGVM本身也需要继续改进（例如加入农作物和灌溉过程的模拟）。     

Projected climate change effects on Alberta's boreal forests imply future challenges for oil sands reclamation

Climate change will drive significant changes in vegetation cover and also impact efforts to restore ecosystems that have been disturbed by human activities. Bitumen mining in the Alberta oil sands region of western Canada requires reclamation to “equivalent land capability,” implying establishment of vegetation similar to undisturbed boreal ecosystems. However, there is consensus that this region will be exposed to relatively severe climate warming, causing increased occurrence of drought and wildfire, which threaten the persistence of both natural and reclaimed ecosystems. We used a landscape model, LANDIS‐II, to simulate plant responses to climate change and disturbances, forecasting changes to boreal forests within the oil sands region. Under the most severe climate forcing scenarios (representative concentration pathway [RCP] 8.5) the model projected substantial decreases in forest biomass, with the future forest being dominated by drought‐ and fire‐tolerant species characteristic of parkland or prairie ecosystems. In contrast, less extreme climate forcing scenarios (RCPs 2.6 and 4.5) had relatively minor effects on forest composition and biomass with boreal conifers continuing to dominate the landscape. If the climate continues to change along a trajectory similar to those simulated by climate models for the RCP 8.5 forcing scenario, current reclamation goals to reestablish spruce‐dominated boreal forest will likely be difficult to achieve. Results from scenario modeling studies such as ours, and continued monitoring of change in the boreal forest, will help inform reclamation practices, which could include establishment of species better adapted to warmer and drier conditions.     

用于全球变化研究的中国植物功能型划分

 植物功能型(Plant functional types, PFTs)作为沟通植物的结构和功能与生态系统属性的桥梁,随着全球变化与植被的关系研究的深入而受到广泛重视。植物功能型的划分依赖于研究的背景、尺度和要解决的问题。为了区域尺度全球变化研究的需要,该文提出了一个基于植物关键特征的植物功能型划分方法。该方法首先选择了6项植物特征,包括3项冠层特征：木本-草本、常绿-落叶和针叶-阔叶,以及3项生理特征：光合途径(C3 / C4)、植物的水分需求和热量需求,作为划分植物功能型的关键特征;然后,先根据植物冠层特征划分得到5个基本类型,再根据水分和热量条件进行详细划分,得到29种备选类型;需要时,再根据研究目的从这29种备选类型中选择所需类型。根据这个方法,在充分考虑了我国季风气候条件下特有的水热配置和高海拔环境对植物的形态和功能特征影响的基础上,从备选类型中选择了一套适合中国气候和植被特征的植物功能型体系。这套体系包括18类植物功能型,其中含7类‘树’功能型、6类‘灌木’功能型和5类‘草’功能型,另根据需要设置2类‘裸地’功能型。并且根据植物的生理生态特征和中国植被的地理分布确定了用于限制植物功能型分布的气候因子,这些气候因子包括绝对最低温度、最暖月平均温度、有效积温、年最热月平均温和最冷月平均温之差、湿润指数、年均降水量。应用表明,这套植物功能型可用于模拟我国植被在当前气候条件下的分布。该研究为发展适于我国的植被模型和区域气候模型、评估全球变化对我国植被的影响及植被变化对气候的反馈作用提供依据与参数。     

Sensitivity of African biomes to changes in the precipitation regime

Aim Africa is identified by the Inter‐governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) as the least studied continent in terms of ecosystem dynamics and climate variability. The aim of this study was (1) to adapt the Lund‐Postdam‐Jena‐GUESS (LPJ‐GUESS) ecological modelling framework to Africa by providing new parameter values for tropical plant functional types (PFT), and (2) to assess the sensitivity of some African biomes to changes in precipitation regime. Location The study area was a representative transect (0–22° N and 7–18° E) through the transition from equatorial evergreen forests to savannas, steppes and desert northwards. The transect showed large latitudinal variation in precipitation (mean rainfall ranged from 50 to 2300 mm year^?1). Methods New PFT parameters used to calibrate LPJ‐GUESS were based on modern pollen PFTs and remote sensed leaf area index (LAI). The model was validated using independent modern pollen assemblages, LAI and through comparison with White's modern potential vegetation map. Several scenarios were developed by combining changes in total rainfall amount with variation in the length of the dry season in order to test the sensitivity of African biomes. Results Simulated vegetation compared well to observed data at local and regional scales, in terms of ecosystem functioning (LAI), and composition (pollen and White's vegetation map). The assessment of the sensitivity of biomes to changes in precipitation showed that none of the ecosystems would shift towards a new type under the range of precipitation increases suggested by the IPCC (increases from 5 to 20%). However, deciduous and semi‐deciduous forests may be very sensitive to small reductions in both the amount and seasonality of precipitation. Main conclusions This version of LPJ‐GUESS parameterized for Africa simulated correctly the vegetation present over a wide precipitation gradient. The biome sensitivity assessment showed that, compared with savannas and grasslands, closed canopy forests may be more sensitive to change in precipitation regime due to the synergetic effects of changed rainfall amounts and seasonality on vegetation functioning.     

Biodiversity bottleneck: seedling establishment under changing climatic conditions at the boreal–temperate ecotone

Climate change is increasing global temperatures, severe rainfall events, and the occurrence and severity of drought. Changes in global climate may have negative consequences for particular plant species and for biodiversity overall. In the short term, altered temperature and precipitation regimes may have the most severe effects on plant species near their range limits and in the earliest stages of plant development. To address these issues, we assessed seedling emergence, early survival, and growth of 18 boreal, temperate, and exotic woody species at the boreal–temperate forest ecotone in central Minnesota. We experimentally warmed forest plots to mimic projected warming by the end of the twenty-first century (+ 1.7 °C and + 3.4 °C). We also experimentally removed summer rainfall (~?42% reduction) to simulate drought conditions in this region. We found that emergence and survival of boreal and exotic species was lower in experimentally warmed plots. This was exacerbated by drought. Temperate species emergence and survival was largely unaffected by climate manipulations (on average). Conversely, temperate seedling growth was greater in warmer conditions, but only when paired with drought. We found that overall seedling species richness was reduced by warming, mostly due to lower boreal and exotic species emergence and survival (conifers were also strongly negatively affected across species-range groups). If temperate seedling emergence and survival does not compensate for loss of boreal species, these forests may experience loss of biodiversity (and associated ecosystem functions) in the future.     

Drought tolerance and growth in populations of a wide‐ranging tree species indicate climate change risks for the boreal north

Choosing drought‐tolerant planting stock in reforestation programs may help adapt forests to climate change. To inform such reforestation strategies, we test lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Doug. ex Loud. var latifolia Englm.) population response to drought and infer potential benefits of a northward transfer of seeds from drier, southern environments. The objective is addressed by combining dendroecological growth analysis with long‐term genetic field trials. Over 500 trees originating from 23 populations across western North America were destructively sampled in three experimental sites in southern British Columbia, representing a climate warming scenario. Growth after 32 years from provenances transferred southward or northward over long distances was significantly lower than growth of local populations. All populations were affected by a severe natural drought event in 2002. The provenances from the most southern locations showed the highest drought tolerance but low productivity. Local provenances were productive and drought tolerant. Provenances from the boreal north showed lower productivity and less drought tolerance on southern test sites than all other sources, implying that maladaptation to drought may prevent boreal populations from taking full advantage of more favorable growing conditions under projected climate change.     

气候变化和林火干扰对大兴安岭林区地上生物量影响的动态模拟

预测森林地上生物量对气候变化和林火干扰的响应是陆地生态系统碳循环研究的重要内容,气温、降水等因素的改变和气候变暖导致林火干扰强度的变化将会影响森林生态系统的碳库动态.东北森林作为我国森林的重要组成部分,对气候变化和林火干扰的响应逐渐显现.本文运用LANDIS PRO模型,模拟气候变化对大兴安岭森林地上生物量的影响,并比较分析了气候变暖对森林地上生物量的直接影响与通过林火干扰强度改变所产生的影响.结果表明: 未来气候变暖和火干扰增强情景下,森林地上生物量增加;当前气候条件和火干扰下,研究区森林地上生物量为(97.14±5.78) t·hm^-2;在B1F2预案下,森林地上生物量均值为(97.93±5.83) t·hm^-2;在A2F3预案下,景观水平第100～150和150～200年模拟时期内的森林地上生物量均值较高,分别为(100.02±3.76)和(110.56±4.08) t·hm^-2.与当前火干扰相比,CF2预案(当前火干扰增加30%)在一定时期使景观水平地上生物量增加(0.56±1.45) t·hm^-2,CF3预案(当前火干扰增加230%)在整个模拟阶段使地上生物量减少(7.39±1.79) t·hm^-2.针叶、阔叶树种对气候变暖的响应存在差异,兴安落叶松和白桦生物量随气候变暖表现为降低趋势,而樟子松、云杉和山杨的地上生物量则随气候变暖表现出不同程度的增加;气候变暖对针阔树种的直接影响具有时滞性,针叶树种响应时间比阔叶树种迟25～50年.研究区森林对高CO₂排放情景下气候变暖和高强度火干扰的共同作用较为敏感,未来将明显改变研究区森林生态系统的树种组成和结构.     

Drought causes reduced growth of trembling aspen in western Canada

Adequate and advance knowledge of the response of forest ecosystems to temperature‐induced drought is critical for a comprehensive understanding of the impacts of global climate change on forest ecosystem structure and function. Recent massive decline in aspen‐dominated forests and an increased aspen mortality in boreal forests have been associated with global warming, but it is still uncertain whether the decline and mortality are driven by drought. We used a series of ring‐width chronologies from 40 trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) sites along a latitudinal gradient (from 52° to 58°N) in western Canada, in an attempt to clarify the impacts of drought on aspen growth by using Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI). Results indicated that prolonged and large‐scale droughts had a strong negative impact on trembling aspen growth. Furthermore, the spatiotemporal variability of drought indices is useful for explaining the spatial heterogeneity in the radial growth of trembling aspen. Due to ongoing global warming and rising temperatures, it is likely that severer droughts with a higher frequency will occur in western Canada. As trembling aspen is sensitive to drought, we suggest that drought indices could be applied to monitor the potential effects of increased drought stress on aspen trees growth, achieve classification of eco‐regions and develop effective mitigation strategies to maintain western Canadian boreal forests.     

Potential effects of interaction between CO2 and temperature on forest landscape response to global warming

Projected temperature increases under global warming could benefit southern tree species by providing them the optimal growing temperature and could be detrimental to northern species by exposing them to the supra optimal growing temperatures. This benefit-detriment trade-off could increase the competitive advantage of southern species in the northern species range and cause the increase or even dominance of southern species in the northern domain. However, the optimum temperature for photosynthesis of C3 plants may increase due to CO₂ enrichment. An increase in the optimum temperature could greatly reduce the benefit-detriment effect. In this study, we coupled a forest ecosystem process model (PnET-II) and a forest GAP model (LINKAGES) with a spatially dynamic forest landscape model (LANDIS-II) to study how an optimum temperature increase could affect forest landscape response due to global warming. We simulated 360 years of forest landscape change in the Boundary Water Canoe Area (BWCA) in northern Minnesota, which is transitional between boreal and temperate forest. Our results showed that, under the control scenario of continuing the historic 1984–1993 mean climate (mainly temperature, precipitation and CO₂), the BWCA will become a spruce-fir dominated boreal forest. However, under the scenario of predicted climatic change [the 2000–2099 climates are predicted by Canadian Climate Center (CCC), followed by 200 years of continuing the predicted 2090–2099 mean climate], the BWCA will become a pine-dominated mixed forest. If the optimum temperature increases gradually with [CO₂] (the increase in optimum temperature is assumed to change gradually from 0 °C in year 2000 to 5 °C in year 2099 when [CO₂] reaches 711 ppm and stabilizes at 5 °C after year 2099), the BWCA would remain a fir-dominated boreal forest in areas with relatively high water-holding capacity, but not in areas with relatively low water-holding capacity. Our results suggest that the [CO₂] induced increases in optimum temperature could substantially reduce forest landscape change caused by global warming. However, not all tree species would be able to successfully adapt to future warming as predicted by CCC, regardless of optimum temperature acclimations.     

气候变化和不同强度造林对大兴安岭主要树种林分信息和地上生物量的长期影响

气候变化及相应火干扰在不同尺度上影响着我国大兴安岭地区森林动态,且在未来的影响可能继续加剧。为了提高森林生态功能和应对气候变暖,国家在分类经营基础上全面实施抚育采伐和补植造林,效果较好,但抚育采伐对森林主要树种的长期影响知之甚少,其在未来气候下的可持续性也有待进一步评估,同时,探讨造林措施对未来森林的影响也显得尤为重要。本文运用森林景观模型LANDIS PRO,模拟气候变化及火干扰、采伐和造林对大兴安岭地区主要树种的长期影响。结果表明:1)模型初始化、短期和长期模拟结果均得到了有效验证,模拟结果与森林调查数据之间无显著性差异(P0.05),基于火烧迹地数据的林火干扰验证亦能够反映当前火干扰的效果,模型模拟结果的可信度较高;2)与当前气候相比,气候变暖及火干扰明显改变了树种组成、年龄结构和地上生物量,B1气候下研究区森林基本上以针叶树种为主要树种,A2气候下优势树种向阔叶树转变;3)与无采伐预案相比,当前气候下,抚育采伐使落叶松的林分密度和地上生物量分别降低了(165±94.9)株/hm~2和(8.5±5.1) Mg/hm~2,增加了樟子松、白桦和云杉等树木株数和地上生物量(3.3—753.4株/hm~2和0.2—4.0 Mg/hm~2),而对山杨的影响较小;B1和A2气候下抚育采伐显著改变林分密度,降低景观尺度地上生物量,进而表现为不可持续;4)B1气候下,推荐实施中低强度造林预案(10%和20%强度),在A2气候下,各强度造林均可在模拟后期增加树种地上生物量。     

Interactions with successional stage and nutrient status determines the life‐form‐specific effects of increased soil temperature on boreal forest floor vegetation

The boreal forest is one of the largest terrestrial biomes and plays a key role for the global carbon balance and climate. The forest floor vegetation has a strong influence on the carbon and nitrogen cycles of the forests and is sensitive to changes in temperature conditions and nutrient availability. Additionally, the effects of climate warming on forest floor vegetation have been suggested to be moderated by the tree layer. Data on the effects of soil warming on forest floor vegetation from the boreal forest are, however, very scarce. We studied the effects on the forest floor vegetation in a long‐term (18 years) soil warming and fertilization experiment in a Norway spruce stand in northern Sweden. During the first 9 years, warming favored early successional species such as grasses and forbs at the expense of dwarf shrubs and bryophytes in unfertilized stands, while the effects were smaller after fertilization. Hence, warming led to significant changes in species composition and an increase in species richness in the open canopy nutrient limited forest. After another 9 years of warming and increasing tree canopy closure, most of the initial effects had ceased, indicating an interaction between forest succession and warming. The only remaining effect of warming was on the abundance of bryophytes, which contrary to the initial phase was strongly favored by warming. We propose that the suggested moderating effects of the tree layer are specific to plant life‐form and conclude that the successional phase of the forest may have a considerable impact on the effects of climate change on forest floor vegetation and its feedback effects on the carbon and nitrogen cycles, and thus on the climate.     

Differences in xylem and leaf hydraulic traits explain differences in drought tolerance among mature Amazon rainforest trees

Considerable uncertainty surrounds the impacts of anthropogenic climate change on the composition and structure of Amazon forests. Building upon results from two large‐scale ecosystem drought experiments in the eastern Brazilian Amazon that observed increases in mortality rates among some tree species but not others, in this study we investigate the physiological traits underpinning these differential demographic responses. Xylem pressure at 50% conductivity (xylem‐P₅₀), leaf turgor loss point (TLP), cellular osmotic potential (π_o), and cellular bulk modulus of elasticity (ε), all traits mechanistically linked to drought tolerance, were measured on upper canopy branches and leaves of mature trees from selected species growing at the two drought experiment sites. Each species was placed a priori into one of four plant functional type (PFT) categories: drought‐tolerant versus drought‐intolerant based on observed mortality rates, and subdivided into early‐ versus late‐successional based on wood density. We tested the hypotheses that the measured traits would be significantly different between the four PFTs and that they would be spatially conserved across the two experimental sites. Xylem‐P₅₀, TLP, and π_o, but not ε, occurred at significantly higher water potentials for the drought‐intolerant PFT compared to the drought‐tolerant PFT; however, there were no significant differences between the early‐ and late‐successional PFTs. These results suggest that these three traits are important for determining drought tolerance, and are largely independent of wood density—a trait commonly associated with successional status. Differences in these physiological traits that occurred between the drought‐tolerant and drought‐intolerant PFTs were conserved between the two research sites, even though they had different soil types and dry‐season lengths. This more detailed understanding of how xylem and leaf hydraulic traits vary between co‐occuring drought‐tolerant and drought‐intolerant tropical tree species promises to facilitate a much‐needed improvement in the representation of plant hydraulics within terrestrial ecosystem and biosphere models, which will enhance our ability to make robust predictions of how future changes in climate will affect tropical forests.     

Sensitivity of plant functional types to climate change: classification tree analysis of a simulation model

Question: The majority of studies investigating the impact of climate change on local plant communities ignores changes in regional processes, such as immigration from the regional seed pool. Here we explore: (i) the potential impact of climate change on composition of the regional seed pool, (ii) the influence of changes in climate and in the regional seed pool on local community structure, and (iii) the combinations of life history traits, i.e. plant functional types (PFTs), that are most affected by environmental changes. Location: Fire‐prone, Mediterranean‐type shrublands in southwestern Australia. Methods: Spatially explicit simulation experiments were conducted at the population level under different rainfall and fire regime scenarios to determine the effect of environmental change on the regional seed pool for 38 PFTs. The effects of environmental and seed immigration changes on local community dynamics were then derived from community‐level experiments. Classification tree analyses were used to investigate PFT‐specific vulnerabilities to climate change. Results: The classification tree analyses revealed that responses of PFTs to climate change are determined by specific trait characteristics. PFT‐specific seed production and community patterns responded in a complex manner to climate change. For example, an increase in annual rainfall caused an increase in numbers of dispersed seeds for some PFTs, but decreased PFT diversity in the community. Conversely, a simulated decrease in rainfall reduced the number of dispersed seeds and diversity of PFTs. Conclusions: PFT interactions and regional processes must be considered when assessing how local community structure will be affected by environmental change.     

Plant Functional Types of Woody Species Related to Fire Disturbance in Forest–Grassland Ecotones

The study of plant functional types (PFTs) has been widely emphasized when analysing plant community changes in relation to variations in climate and disturbance regime. In this study, we search for PFTs of woody species near forest–grassland boundaries in South Brazil where, due to climate, forests tend to expand over grassland but are being restricted by frequent fires. We aimed at answering the questions: (i) which plant functional types of forest woody species can establish in adjacent grassland subject to fire disturbance and (ii) which plant functional types of forest and grassland woody species are related to short-term community dynamics in frequently burned grassland. Traits were assessed in woody plants in 156 plots (6.75 m²) arranged in 12 transects across forest–grassland boundaries with different fire history in their grassland part. The analysis used a recursive algorithm to search for traits and PFTs maximally associated to spatial distance from forest limit in one analysis, and elapsed time since last fire in another. As a result, nine PFTs of forest woody species were identified that best described community patterns associated to distance from forest. Resprouting ability characterized forest plants able to colonize grasslands. PFT diversity was higher in border plots than inside forest or grassland. Four PFTs of forest and grassland woody species best described woody species community patterns in the grassland associated to elapsed time since fire. Taller individuals of single-stemmed shrubs predominated in late post-fire recovery (3–4 years), while shorter multi-stemmed shrubs in recently burned areas (3 months to 1 year). PFTs of forest trees occurred in border plots or, as established adults, in grassland, remaining unaffected by fire. We conclude that easily measurable structural plant traits, such as those used in our study, are sufficient to evaluate post-fire community dynamics. Forest PFTs in burned grassland are restricted to those with resprouting ability to survive recurrent fire events. Establishment success is highest on protected sites with lesser or low-intensity fire.     

Ecophysiological and bioclimatic foundations for a global plant functional classification

Question: What plant properties might define plant functional types (PFTs) for the analysis of global vegetation responses to climate change, and what aspects of the physical environment might be expected to predict the distributions of PFTs? Methods: We review principles to explain the distribution of key plant traits as a function of bioclimatic variables. We focus on those whole‐plant and leaf traits that are commonly used to define biomes and PFTs in global maps and models. Results: Raunkiær's plant life forms (underlying most later classifications) describe different adaptive strategies for surviving low temperature or drought, while satisfying requirements for reproduction and growth. Simple conceptual models and published observations are used to quantify the adaptive significance of leaf size for temperature regulation, leaf consistency for maintaining transpiration under drought, and phenology for the optimization of annual carbon balance. A new compilation of experimental data supports the functional definition of tropical, warm‐temperate, temperate and boreal phanerophytes based on mechanisms for withstanding low temperature extremes. Chilling requirements are less well quantified, but are a necessary adjunct to cold tolerance. Functional traits generally confer both advantages and restrictions; the existence of trade‐offs contributes to the diversity of plants along bioclimatic gradients. Conclusions: Quantitative analysis of plant trait distributions against bioclimatic variables is becoming possible; this opens up new opportunities for PFT classification. A PFT classification based on bioclimatic responses will need to be enhanced by information on traits related to competition, successional dynamics and disturbance.     

Tree‐ring analysis and modeling approaches yield contrary response of circumboreal forest productivity to climate change

Circumboreal forest ecosystems are exposed to a larger magnitude of warming in comparison with the global average, as a result of warming‐induced environmental changes. However, it is not clear how tree growth in these ecosystems responds to these changes. In this study, we investigated the sensitivity of forest productivity to climate change using ring width indices (RWI) from a tree‐ring width dataset accessed from the International Tree‐Ring Data Bank and gridded climate datasets from the Climate Research Unit. A negative relationship of RWI with summer temperature and recent reductions in RWI were typically observed in continental dry regions, such as inner Alaska and Canada, southern Europe, and the southern part of eastern Siberia. We then developed a multiple regression model with regional meteorological parameters to predict RWI, and then applied to these models to predict how tree growth will respond to twenty‐first‐century climate change (RCP8.5 scenario). The projections showed a spatial variation and future continuous reduction in tree growth in those continental dry regions. The spatial variation, however, could not be reproduced by a dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM). The DGVM projected a generally positive trend in future tree growth all over the circumboreal region. These results indicate that DGVMs may overestimate future wood net primary productivity (NPP) in continental dry regions such as these; this seems to be common feature of current DGVMs. DGVMs should be able to express the negative effect of warming on tree growth, so that they simulate the observed recent reduction in tree growth in continental dry regions.     

Effects of Warming, Summer Drought, and CO2 Enrichment on Aboveground Biomass Production, Flowering Phenology, and Community Structure in an Upland Grassland Ecosystem

Future climate scenarios predict simultaneous changes in environmental conditions, but the impacts of multiple climate change drivers on ecosystem structure and function remain unclear. We used a novel experimental approach to examine the responses of an upland grassland ecosystem to the 2080 climate scenario predicted for the study area (3.5°C temperature increase, 20% reduction in summer precipitation, atmospheric CO₂ levels of 600 ppm) over three growing seasons. We also assessed whether patterns of grassland response to a combination of climate change treatments could be forecast by ecosystem responses to single climate change drivers. Effects of climate change on aboveground production showed considerable seasonal and interannual variation; April biomass increased in response to both warming and the simultaneous application of warming, summer drought, and CO₂ enrichment, whereas October biomass responses were either non-significant or negative depending on the year. Negative impacts of summer drought on production were only observed in combination with a below-average rainfall regime, and showed lagged effects on spring biomass. Elevated CO₂ had no significant effect on aboveground biomass during this study. Both warming and the 2080 climate change scenario were associated with a significant advance in flowering time for the dominant grass species studied. However, flowering phenology showed no significant response to either summer drought or elevated CO₂. Species diversity and equitability showed no response to climate change treatments throughout this study. Overall, our data suggest that single-factor warming experiments may provide valuable information for projections of future ecosystem changes in cool temperate grasslands.     

Endemic species and ecosystem sensitivity to climate change in Namibia

We present a first assessment of the potential impacts of anthropogenic climate change on the endemic flora of Namibia, and on its vegetation structure and function, for a projected climate in ～2050 and ～2080. We used both niche‐based models (NBM) to evaluate the sensitivity of 159 endemic species to climate change (of an original 1020 plant species modeled) and a dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM) to assess the impacts of climate change on vegetation structure and ecosystem functioning. Endemic species modeled by NBM are moderately sensitive to projected climate change. Fewer than 5% are predicted to experience complete range loss by 2080, although more than 47% of the species are expected to be vulnerable (range reduction >30%) by 2080 if they are assumed unable to migrate. Disaggregation of results by life‐form showed distinct patterns. Endemic species of perennial herb, geophyte and tree life‐formsare predicted to be negatively impacted in Namibia, whereas annual herb and succulent endemic species remain relatively stable by 2050 and 2080. Endemic annual herb species are even predicted to extend their range north‐eastward into the tree and shrub savanna with migration, and tolerance of novel substrates. The current protected area network is predicted to meet its mandate by protecting most of the current endemicity in Namibia into the future. Vegetation simulated by DGVM is projected to experience a reduction in cover, net primary productivity and leaf area index throughout much of the country by 2050, with important implications for the faunal component of Namibia's ecosystems, and the agricultural sector. The plant functional type (PFT) composition of the major biomes may be substantially affected by climate change and rising atmospheric CO₂– currently widespread deciduous broad leaved trees and C₄ PFTs decline, with the C₄ PFT particularly negatively affected by rising atmospheric CO₂ impacts by ～2080 and deciduous broad leaved trees more likely directly impacted by drying and warming. The C₃ PFT may increase in prominence in the northwestern quadrant of the country by ～2080 as CO₂ concentrations increase. These results suggest that substantial changes in species diversity, vegetation structure and ecosystem functioning can be expected in Namibia with anticipated climate change, although endemic plant richness may persist in the topographically diverse central escarpment region.