Elevation affects both the occurrence of ungulate browsing and its effect on tree seedling growth for four major tree species in European mountain forests - Office français de la biodiversité Accéder directement au contenu
Article Dans Une Revue Annals of Forest Science Année : 2024

Elevation affects both the occurrence of ungulate browsing and its effect on tree seedling growth for four major tree species in European mountain forests

Sonia Saïd
Vincent Boulanger
Hervé Jactel
Marco Heurich

Résumé

Key message In European mountain forests, the growth of silver fir ( Abies alba Mill.), sycamore maple ( Acer pseudoplatanus L.), European beech ( Fagus sylvatica L.) and Norway spruce ( Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) seedlings is more strongly affected by ungulate browsing than by elevation. But, the constraint exerted by ungulates, in particular the probability for seedlings to be browsed, increases with elevation for most species. Context While concerns about mountain forest regeneration rise due to their high vulnerability to climate change, the increase in wild ungulate populations and the expansion of their range in the last decades exert an additional constraint on the survival and growth of young trees. Understanding how this constraint can vary with elevation is thus a key to assess the consequences of this population increase for the regeneration of mountain forests. Aims In this study, we investigate the effect of elevation on (i) the occurrence of browsing for seedlings and on (ii) the reduction in seedling growth induced by ungulate browsing. Methods We monitored height growth and browsing occurrence on silver fir, sycamore maple, European beech and Norway spruce seedlings across seven elevation gradients (from 400 to 2013 m) located from France to northern Sweden. Results Seedlings of the two most palatable species—fir and maple—were more likely to be browsed at high elevation while the opposite effect was observed for spruce. Browsing strongly reduced seedling growth for all species but Norway spruce, while elevation had no direct effect on seedling growth. This browsing-induced growth reduction was stronger at high elevation for fir seedlings. Conclusions Browsing is overall a stronger constraint on seedling growth than elevation for four dominant species of European mountain forests. Elevation can, however, affect both browsing probability and the effect of browsing on seedling growth. Our results highlight the importance of taking into account ungulate pressure and its interactive effect with elevation when forecasting the regeneration of mountain forests under a changing climate.
Fichier principal
Vignette du fichier
Bernard et al. 2024.pdf (3.07 Mo) Télécharger le fichier
Origine : Fichiers éditeurs autorisés sur une archive ouverte
Licence : CC BY - Paternité

Dates et versions

hal-04502233 , version 1 (13-03-2024)

Licence

Paternité

Identifiants

Citer

Marianne Bernard, Julien Barrere, Xavier Morin, Sonia Saïd, Vincent Boulanger, et al.. Elevation affects both the occurrence of ungulate browsing and its effect on tree seedling growth for four major tree species in European mountain forests. Annals of Forest Science, 2024, 81 (1), pp.1-16. ⟨10.1186/s13595-024-01226-x⟩. ⟨hal-04502233⟩
11 Consultations
7 Téléchargements

Altmetric

Partager

Gmail Facebook X LinkedIn More