Impactes del canvi global sobre els boscos de la Península Ibèrica: estocs, creixement i regeneració

Abstract

This Ph D Thesis analyzes the recent impact of global change on forests of Peninsular Spain using the information of the two last national forest inventories (IFN2 and IFN3). It takes into account at the same time the complementary effects of climate, forest structure and other local factors. A study of such characteristics –at a regional scale, with an important climatic gradient, in a Mediterranean climate (where water is one of the main limiting factors) and where, according to the predictions of climatic models, climatic change may be especially important in the future– makes that this approach is especially relevant for the implications that these changes may have on ecosystem services offered by forests. By means of appropriate statistical models I have analyzed the effects of these impacts on stocks and carbon (C) balance, demographic changes and geographical changes in the distribution of tree species. The main results are: 1) The structural richness is the main predictor of stand tree C stock with larger C stocks in structurally richer stands. Climate variables have mainly an indirect effect through structural richness but a smaller direct predictive ability when all predictors are considered.; 2) Undisturbed forests in Peninsular Spain are accumulating C at a rate of 1.4 Mg C ha-1 yr-1. The forest structural variables are the main determinants of forest growth and C stock change. Water availability was positively related to growth and C accumulation. Recent warming has reduced growth rate and C accumulation, especially in wet areas; 3) The higher values of regeneration rate of broadleaves can be explained because of their ability to maintain a higher sapling bank due to their higher shadetolerance. Sapling abundance and regeneration rate were mainly determined by stand structure, both in conifers and broadleaves, whereas the direct effects of disturbances and climate were relative small and there was no detectable effect of recent warming and; 4) The geographic distribution of most tree species in peninsular Spain has moved upwards towards cooler environments. We also show that most of the observed patterns, including some counterintuitive geographic shifts, are explained by forest structure. The main conclusions are: 1) To achieve a greater standing C stock, our results suggest the need for promoting high structural richness by managing for uneven-aged stands and favoring broadleaf over conifer species; 2) Interestingly, the negative effect of warming on forest C accumulation disappears if only managed stands are considered, emphasizing the potential of forest management to mitigate the effects of climate change; 3) The differential response of conifers and broadleaves to canopy closure suggests a likely increment of broadleaves at the expense of conifers. This transition could occur earlier in stands with faster canopy closure dynamics and; 4) Changes in forest management practices (i.e., forest abandonment) and disturbances (e.g., fires) during the last decades have leaded to the expansion of broadleaves over conifers, due to their greater ability to cope with biotic factors such as competition. It is unclear whether this trend will continue under the greater aridness projected by climate models, considering the greater ability of conifers to cope with extreme drought events.

Date of Award	25 Sept 2012
Original language	Catalan
Supervisor	Javier Retana Alumbreros (Director) & Marc Gracia Moya (Director)