The Response of Beech (<i>Fagus sylvatica</i> L.) Populations to Climate in the Easternmost Sites of Its European Distribution
In the context of forecasted climate change scenarios, the growth of forest tree species at their distribution margin is crucial to adapt current forest management strategies. Analyses of beech (<i>Fagus sylvatica</i> L.) growth have shown high plasticity, but easternmost beech populatio...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Plants |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/23/3310 |
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| author | Cătălin-Constantin Roibu Ciprian Palaghianu Viorica Nagavciuc Monica Ionita Victor Sfecla Andrei Mursa Alan Crivellaro Marian-Ionut Stirbu Mihai-Gabriel Cotos Andrei Popa Irina Sfecla Ionel Popa |
| author_facet | Cătălin-Constantin Roibu Ciprian Palaghianu Viorica Nagavciuc Monica Ionita Victor Sfecla Andrei Mursa Alan Crivellaro Marian-Ionut Stirbu Mihai-Gabriel Cotos Andrei Popa Irina Sfecla Ionel Popa |
| author_sort | Cătălin-Constantin Roibu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the context of forecasted climate change scenarios, the growth of forest tree species at their distribution margin is crucial to adapt current forest management strategies. Analyses of beech (<i>Fagus sylvatica</i> L.) growth have shown high plasticity, but easternmost beech populations have been rarely studied. To describe the response of the marginal beech population to the climate in the far east sites of its distribution, we first compiled new tree ring width chronologies. Then we analyzed climate–growth relationships for three marginal beech populations in the Republic of Moldova. We observed a relatively high growth rate in the marginal populations compared to core distribution sites. Our analyses further revealed a distinct and significant response of beech growth to all climatic variables, assessing for the first time the relationship between growth and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) which described how plant growth responds to drought. These results highlight that accumulated water deficit is an essential limiting factor of beech growth in this region. In conclusion, beech growth in the easternmost marginal population is drought-limited, and the sensitivity to VPD will need to be considered in future studies to update the forest management of other economic and ecologically important species. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:35:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f5b4ad6d958e4c939aa99c87bcd83fa7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:35:21Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj.art-f5b4ad6d958e4c939aa99c87bcd83fa72023-11-24T11:55:47ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472022-11-011123331010.3390/plants11233310The Response of Beech (<i>Fagus sylvatica</i> L.) Populations to Climate in the Easternmost Sites of Its European DistributionCătălin-Constantin Roibu0Ciprian Palaghianu1Viorica Nagavciuc2Monica Ionita3Victor Sfecla4Andrei Mursa5Alan Crivellaro6Marian-Ionut Stirbu7Mihai-Gabriel Cotos8Andrei Popa9Irina Sfecla10Ionel Popa11Forest Biometrics Laboratory, Faculty of Forestry, “Ștefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, Universității Street, No. 13, 720229 Suceava, RomaniaForest Biometrics Laboratory, Faculty of Forestry, “Ștefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, Universității Street, No. 13, 720229 Suceava, RomaniaForest Biometrics Laboratory, Faculty of Forestry, “Ștefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, Universității Street, No. 13, 720229 Suceava, RomaniaForest Biometrics Laboratory, Faculty of Forestry, “Ștefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, Universității Street, No. 13, 720229 Suceava, RomaniaForest Biometrics Laboratory, Faculty of Forestry, “Ștefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, Universității Street, No. 13, 720229 Suceava, RomaniaForest Biometrics Laboratory, Faculty of Forestry, “Ștefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, Universității Street, No. 13, 720229 Suceava, RomaniaForest Biometrics Laboratory, Faculty of Forestry, “Ștefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, Universității Street, No. 13, 720229 Suceava, RomaniaForest Biometrics Laboratory, Faculty of Forestry, “Ștefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, Universității Street, No. 13, 720229 Suceava, RomaniaForest Biometrics Laboratory, Faculty of Forestry, “Ștefan cel Mare” University of Suceava, Universității Street, No. 13, 720229 Suceava, RomaniaNational Research and Development Institute for Silviculture “Marin Drăcea”, Calea Bucovinei No. 76bis, 725100 Câmpulung Moldovenesc, RomaniaForestry and Plants Protection Department, Technical University of Moldova, Block 1, Stefan cel Mare si Sfant Boulevard 168, MD-2004 Chișinău, MoldovaNational Research and Development Institute for Silviculture “Marin Drăcea”, Calea Bucovinei No. 76bis, 725100 Câmpulung Moldovenesc, RomaniaIn the context of forecasted climate change scenarios, the growth of forest tree species at their distribution margin is crucial to adapt current forest management strategies. Analyses of beech (<i>Fagus sylvatica</i> L.) growth have shown high plasticity, but easternmost beech populations have been rarely studied. To describe the response of the marginal beech population to the climate in the far east sites of its distribution, we first compiled new tree ring width chronologies. Then we analyzed climate–growth relationships for three marginal beech populations in the Republic of Moldova. We observed a relatively high growth rate in the marginal populations compared to core distribution sites. Our analyses further revealed a distinct and significant response of beech growth to all climatic variables, assessing for the first time the relationship between growth and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) which described how plant growth responds to drought. These results highlight that accumulated water deficit is an essential limiting factor of beech growth in this region. In conclusion, beech growth in the easternmost marginal population is drought-limited, and the sensitivity to VPD will need to be considered in future studies to update the forest management of other economic and ecologically important species.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/23/3310marginal beech populationvapor pressure deficitdendrochronologytree ringgrowth |
| spellingShingle | Cătălin-Constantin Roibu Ciprian Palaghianu Viorica Nagavciuc Monica Ionita Victor Sfecla Andrei Mursa Alan Crivellaro Marian-Ionut Stirbu Mihai-Gabriel Cotos Andrei Popa Irina Sfecla Ionel Popa The Response of Beech (<i>Fagus sylvatica</i> L.) Populations to Climate in the Easternmost Sites of Its European Distribution Plants marginal beech population vapor pressure deficit dendrochronology tree ring growth |
| title | The Response of Beech (<i>Fagus sylvatica</i> L.) Populations to Climate in the Easternmost Sites of Its European Distribution |
| title_full | The Response of Beech (<i>Fagus sylvatica</i> L.) Populations to Climate in the Easternmost Sites of Its European Distribution |
| title_fullStr | The Response of Beech (<i>Fagus sylvatica</i> L.) Populations to Climate in the Easternmost Sites of Its European Distribution |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Response of Beech (<i>Fagus sylvatica</i> L.) Populations to Climate in the Easternmost Sites of Its European Distribution |
| title_short | The Response of Beech (<i>Fagus sylvatica</i> L.) Populations to Climate in the Easternmost Sites of Its European Distribution |
| title_sort | response of beech i fagus sylvatica i l populations to climate in the easternmost sites of its european distribution |
| topic | marginal beech population vapor pressure deficit dendrochronology tree ring growth |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/11/23/3310 |
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