Climate-human interactions contributed to historical forest recruitment dynamics in Mediterranean subalpine ecosystems

Abstract

AbstractLong‐term tree recruitment dynamics of subalpine forests mainly depend on temperature changes, but little is known about the feedbacks between historical land use and climate. Here, we analyze a southern European, millennium‐long dataset of tree recruitment from three high‐elevation pine forests located in Mediterranean mountains (Pyrenees, northeastern Spain; Pollino, southern Italy; and Mt. Smolikas, northern Greece). We identify synchronized recruitment peaks in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, following prolonged periods of societal and climate instability. Major European population crises in the 14th and 15th centuries associated with recurrent famines, the Black Death pandemic, and political turmoil are likely to have reduced the deforestation of subalpine environments and caused widespread rewilding. We suggest that a distinct cold phase in the Little Ice Age around 1450 ce could also have accelerated the cessation of grazing pressure, particularly in the Pyrenees, where the demographic crisis was less severe. Most pronounced in the Pyrenees, the enhanced pine recruitment from around 1500–1550 ce coincides with temporarily warmer temperatures associated with a positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation. We diagnose that a mixture of human and climate factors has influenced past forest recruitment dynamics in Mediterranean subalpine ecosystems. Our results highlight how complex human–climate interactions shaped forest dynamics during pre‐industrial times and provide historical analogies to recent rewilding.

Autoren

Gabriel Sangüesa‐Barreda
Jan Esper
Ulf Büntgen
J Julio Camarero
Alfredo Di Filippo
Michele Baliva
Gianluca Piovesan

DOI

10.1111/gcb.15246

eISSN

1365-2486

ISSN

1354-1013

Ausgabe der Veröffentlichung

9

Zeitschrift

Global Change Biology

Sprache

en

Online publication date

2020

Paginierung

4988 - 4997

Datum der Veröffentlichung

2020

Status

Published

Herausgeber

Wiley

Herausgeber URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15246

Datum der Datenerfassung

2023

Titel

Climate–human interactions contributed to historical forest recruitment dynamics in Mediterranean subalpine ecosystems

Ausgabe der Zeitschrift

26

Datenquelle: Crossref

Abstract

Long-term tree recruitment dynamics of subalpine forests mainly depend on temperature changes, but little is known about the feedbacks between historical land use and climate. Here, we analyze a southern European, millennium-long dataset of tree recruitment from three high-elevation pine forests located in Mediterranean mountains (Pyrenees, northeastern Spain; Pollino, southern Italy; and Mt. Smolikas, northern Greece). We identify synchronized recruitment peaks in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, following prolonged periods of societal and climate instability. Major European population crises in the 14th and 15th centuries associated with recurrent famines, the Black Death pandemic, and political turmoil are likely to have reduced the deforestation of subalpine environments and caused widespread rewilding. We suggest that a distinct cold phase in the Little Ice Age around 1450 ce could also have accelerated the cessation of grazing pressure, particularly in the Pyrenees, where the demographic crisis was less severe. Most pronounced in the Pyrenees, the enhanced pine recruitment from around 1500-1550 ce coincides with temporarily warmer temperatures associated with a positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation. We diagnose that a mixture of human and climate factors has influenced past forest recruitment dynamics in Mediterranean subalpine ecosystems. Our results highlight how complex human-climate interactions shaped forest dynamics during pre-industrial times and provide historical analogies to recent rewilding.

Addresses

EiFAB-iuFOR, University of Valladolid, Soria, Spain.

Autoren

Gabriel Sangüesa-Barreda
Jan Esper
Ulf Büntgen
J Julio Camarero
Alfredo Di Filippo
Michele Baliva
Gianluca Piovesan

DOI

10.1111/gcb.15246

eISSN

1365-2486

Externe Identifier

PubMed Identifier: 32574409

Funding acknowledgements

Czech Republic Grant Agency: 17-22102S
Spanish Ministry of Science: RTI2018-096884-B-C31
Czech Republic Grant Agency: 18-11004S
Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness: 2016-30121
Pollino National Park:
FISR-MIUR Italian Mountain Lab: CIPE 71/2016
SustES project: CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000797

Open access

false

ISSN

1354-1013

Ausgabe der Veröffentlichung

9

Zeitschrift

Global change biology

Schlüsselwörter

Humans
Pinus
Trees
Ecosystem
Climate
Italy
Spain
Climate Change
Forests

Sprache

eng

Medium

Print-Electronic

Online publication date

2020

Paginierung

4988 - 4997

Datum der Veröffentlichung

2020

Status

Published

Datum der Datenerfassung

2020

Titel

Climate-human interactions contributed to historical forest recruitment dynamics in Mediterranean subalpine ecosystems.

Sub types

Journal Article

Ausgabe der Zeitschrift

26

Datenquelle: Europe PubMed Central

Abstract

Long-term tree recruitment dynamics of subalpine forests mainly depend on temperature changes, but little is known about the feedbacks between historical land use and climate. Here, we analyze a southern European, millennium-long dataset of tree recruitment from three high-elevation pine forests located in Mediterranean mountains (Pyrenees, northeastern Spain; Pollino, southern Italy; and Mt. Smolikas, northern Greece). We identify synchronized recruitment peaks in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, following prolonged periods of societal and climate instability. Major European population crises in the 14th and 15th centuries associated with recurrent famines, the Black Death pandemic, and political turmoil are likely to have reduced the deforestation of subalpine environments and caused widespread rewilding. We suggest that a distinct cold phase in the Little Ice Age around 1450 ce could also have accelerated the cessation of grazing pressure, particularly in the Pyrenees, where the demographic crisis was less severe. Most pronounced in the Pyrenees, the enhanced pine recruitment from around 1500-1550 ce coincides with temporarily warmer temperatures associated with a positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation. We diagnose that a mixture of human and climate factors has influenced past forest recruitment dynamics in Mediterranean subalpine ecosystems. Our results highlight how complex human-climate interactions shaped forest dynamics during pre-industrial times and provide historical analogies to recent rewilding.

Date of acceptance

2020

Autoren

Gabriel Sangüesa-Barreda
Jan Esper
Ulf Büntgen
J Julio Camarero
Alfredo Di Filippo
Michele Baliva
Gianluca Piovesan

Autoren-URL

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32574409

DOI

10.1111/gcb.15246

eISSN

1365-2486

Funding acknowledgements

Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitiveness: 2016-30121
Pollino National Park:
FISR-MIUR Italian Mountain Lab: CIPE 71/2016
Czech Republic Grant Agency: 17-22102S
Czech Republic Grant Agency: 18-11004S
SustES project: CZ.02.1.01/0.0/0.0/16_019/0000797
Spanish Ministry of Science: RTI2018-096884-B-C31

Ausgabe der Veröffentlichung

9

Zeitschrift

Glob Chang Biol

Schlüsselwörter

Pinus heldreichii
Pinus uncinata
dendroecology
ecological history
recruitment
rewilding
subalpine forests
tree-rings
Climate
Climate Change
Ecosystem
Forests
Humans
Italy
Pinus
Spain
Trees

Sprache

eng

Country

England

Paginierung

4988 - 4997

Datum der Veröffentlichung

2020

Status

Published

Datum, an dem der Datensatz öffentlich gemacht wurde

2021

Titel

Climate-human interactions contributed to historical forest recruitment dynamics in Mediterranean subalpine ecosystems.

Sub types

Journal Article

Ausgabe der Zeitschrift

26

Datenquelle: PubMed

Climate-human interactions contributed to historical forest recruitment dynamics in Mediterranean subalpine ecosystems

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