Towards a More Realistic Simulation of Plant Species with a Dynamic Vegetation Model Using Field-Measured Traits: The Atlas Cedar, a Case Study
Improving the model-based predictions of plant species under a projected climate is essential to better conserve our biodiversity. However, the mechanistic link between climatic variation and plant response at the species level remains relatively poorly understood and not accurately developed in Dyn...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-03-01
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| Series: | Forests |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/3/446 |
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| author | Alain Hambuckers Franck Trolliet Marie Dury Alexandra-Jane Henrot Kristof Porteman Yassine El Hasnaoui Jan Van den Bulcke Tom De Mil Cécile C. Remy Rachid Cheddadi Louis François |
| author_facet | Alain Hambuckers Franck Trolliet Marie Dury Alexandra-Jane Henrot Kristof Porteman Yassine El Hasnaoui Jan Van den Bulcke Tom De Mil Cécile C. Remy Rachid Cheddadi Louis François |
| author_sort | Alain Hambuckers |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Improving the model-based predictions of plant species under a projected climate is essential to better conserve our biodiversity. However, the mechanistic link between climatic variation and plant response at the species level remains relatively poorly understood and not accurately developed in Dynamic Vegetation Models (DVMs). We investigated the acclimation to climate of <i>Cedrus atlantica</i> (Atlas cedar), an endemic endangered species from northwestern African mountains, in order to improve the ability of a DVM to simulate tree growth under climatic gradients. Our results showed that the specific leaf area, leaf C:N and sapwood C:N vary across the range of the species in relation to climate. Using the model parameterized with the three traits varying with climate could improve the simulated local net primary productivity (NPP) when compared to the model parameterized with fixed traits. Quantifying the influence of climate on traits and including these variations in DVMs could help to better anticipate the consequences of climate change on species dynamics and distributions. Additionally, the simulation with computed traits showed dramatic drops in NPP over the course of the 21st century. This finding is in line with other studies suggesting the decline in the species in the Rif Mountains, owing to increasing water stress. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:50:19Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9836ecf059c24975a9b3ca0c56a110df |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T19:50:19Z |
| publishDate | 2022-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-9836ecf059c24975a9b3ca0c56a110df2023-11-24T01:13:20ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072022-03-0113344610.3390/f13030446Towards a More Realistic Simulation of Plant Species with a Dynamic Vegetation Model Using Field-Measured Traits: The Atlas Cedar, a Case StudyAlain Hambuckers0Franck Trolliet1Marie Dury2Alexandra-Jane Henrot3Kristof Porteman4Yassine El Hasnaoui5Jan Van den Bulcke6Tom De Mil7Cécile C. Remy8Rachid Cheddadi9Louis François10Behavioural Biology Unit, UR-SPHERES, University of Liège, 4020 Liège, BelgiumUnit for Modelling of Climate and Biogeochemical Cycles, UR-SPHERES, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, BelgiumUnit for Modelling of Climate and Biogeochemical Cycles, UR-SPHERES, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, BelgiumUnit for Modelling of Climate and Biogeochemical Cycles, UR-SPHERES, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, BelgiumBehavioural Biology Unit, UR-SPHERES, University of Liège, 4020 Liège, BelgiumGeophysics and Natural Hazards Laboratory, GEOPAC Research Center, Mohammed V University, Agdal, Rabat B.P. 703, MoroccoUGCT—UGent-Woodlab, Department of Environment, Ghent University, 9000 Gent, BelgiumTERRA Teaching and Research Center, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, 5030 Gembloux, BelgiumInstitute of Geography, Augsburg University, 86135 Augsburg, GermanyCNRS-UM-IRD, Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution, Université Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier, FranceUnit for Modelling of Climate and Biogeochemical Cycles, UR-SPHERES, University of Liège, 4000 Liège, BelgiumImproving the model-based predictions of plant species under a projected climate is essential to better conserve our biodiversity. However, the mechanistic link between climatic variation and plant response at the species level remains relatively poorly understood and not accurately developed in Dynamic Vegetation Models (DVMs). We investigated the acclimation to climate of <i>Cedrus atlantica</i> (Atlas cedar), an endemic endangered species from northwestern African mountains, in order to improve the ability of a DVM to simulate tree growth under climatic gradients. Our results showed that the specific leaf area, leaf C:N and sapwood C:N vary across the range of the species in relation to climate. Using the model parameterized with the three traits varying with climate could improve the simulated local net primary productivity (NPP) when compared to the model parameterized with fixed traits. Quantifying the influence of climate on traits and including these variations in DVMs could help to better anticipate the consequences of climate change on species dynamics and distributions. Additionally, the simulation with computed traits showed dramatic drops in NPP over the course of the 21st century. This finding is in line with other studies suggesting the decline in the species in the Rif Mountains, owing to increasing water stress.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/3/446dynamic vegetation modellingspecific leaf areasapwood nitrogenleaf nitrogenacclimationnet primary productivity |
| spellingShingle | Alain Hambuckers Franck Trolliet Marie Dury Alexandra-Jane Henrot Kristof Porteman Yassine El Hasnaoui Jan Van den Bulcke Tom De Mil Cécile C. Remy Rachid Cheddadi Louis François Towards a More Realistic Simulation of Plant Species with a Dynamic Vegetation Model Using Field-Measured Traits: The Atlas Cedar, a Case Study Forests dynamic vegetation modelling specific leaf area sapwood nitrogen leaf nitrogen acclimation net primary productivity |
| title | Towards a More Realistic Simulation of Plant Species with a Dynamic Vegetation Model Using Field-Measured Traits: The Atlas Cedar, a Case Study |
| title_full | Towards a More Realistic Simulation of Plant Species with a Dynamic Vegetation Model Using Field-Measured Traits: The Atlas Cedar, a Case Study |
| title_fullStr | Towards a More Realistic Simulation of Plant Species with a Dynamic Vegetation Model Using Field-Measured Traits: The Atlas Cedar, a Case Study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Towards a More Realistic Simulation of Plant Species with a Dynamic Vegetation Model Using Field-Measured Traits: The Atlas Cedar, a Case Study |
| title_short | Towards a More Realistic Simulation of Plant Species with a Dynamic Vegetation Model Using Field-Measured Traits: The Atlas Cedar, a Case Study |
| title_sort | towards a more realistic simulation of plant species with a dynamic vegetation model using field measured traits the atlas cedar a case study |
| topic | dynamic vegetation modelling specific leaf area sapwood nitrogen leaf nitrogen acclimation net primary productivity |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/13/3/446 |
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