Journal
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF FOREST RESEARCH
Volume 140, Issue 4, Pages 835-845Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s10342-021-01371-2
Keywords
Dispersal limitations; Environmental filtering; Forest dynamics; Large-scale disturbances; Natural regeneration; Seed source availability
Categories
Funding
- Polish National Science Foundation (NCN) [2018/31/B/NZ8/02786]
- Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Republic of Poland [SUB/040011-D019/2020]
- National Forest Funds
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The study conducted measurements on trees, seedlings and saplings in 600 plots in the Tatra Mountains, revealing that the role of environmental factors in shaping the abundance of young trees varies among species, with large-seeded trees being highly dependent on seed source availability.
The relative importance of environmental factors and species pool in natural regeneration processes is still intensively disputed. Is environmental filtering especially important for species with higher requirements for temperature and soil fertility? Is the seed source limitation especially pronounced among tree species with lower dispersal abilities? Trees, seedlings and saplings measurements were conducted in 600 plots of 0.05 ha distributed in a regular grid in the Tatra Mountains (elevation range 817-1797 m a.s.l.). Boosted regression trees were used to analyse the relationships between the numbers of young trees, factors acting as environmental filters and the potential seed source availability. The most important factor affecting the distribution of young trees of most species was elevation; bedrock type was the second most important factor for Acer pseudoplatanus, while potential solar radiation was important for Sorbus aucuparia. The relationship between the presence of mature trees and abundance of young ones was strong in Fagus sylvatica, moderately strong in A. pseudoplatanus, and weak in Picea abies, Abies alba and S. aucuparia. The role of environmental factors in shaping the abundance of young trees varies strongly among species, while the seed source availability is very important for large-seeded trees.
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