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Regular research paper |
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Pine
ecosystem response
to warming
along north-south
climatic transect in Europe :
presentation of
research project |
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Alicja
Breymeyer |
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Institute
of Geography and Spatial Organization, Polish Academy of Sciences, 00-818
Warsaw, Twarda 51/55,e-mail: a.breym@twarda.pan.pl
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Abstract:
An attempt was made to evaluate the response of the ecosystem to changes of
climate in ten pine forest stands. It was assumed that the ecosystem response
to environmental change can be evaluated by examining differences in ecosystem
structures and would be measured through the change in the rates of ecosystem
processes. The changes of structures and rates are registered along the
longest, N-S transect available on the European Continent above 50o
N. This transect is within the belt crossing Northern Scandinavia (Norway and
Finland up to 70oN), the Baltic States (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania)
and Eastern Poland (from 50oN). The transect covers 20 degrees of
latitude and is more than 2000 km long. The difference in average annual
temperature (long-term measurements) between the two extreme sites exceeds 9o
C, and there is a regular southward increase of average site temperature.
Precipitation does not show any regular pattern of change along the transect.
Average site elevation is 86 m a.s.l., and the average forest age 110 years.
All sites are dominated by an overstory of Scots pine, and in the
Braun-Blanquet classification they all belong to Vaccinio-Piceetea class of
forests, which are common in Europe. During four years of study (1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000) four expeditions to the transect were organized. The following studies were conducted on each site: the origin and structure as well as physical and chemical features of soils; tree stand age, height, basal area, biomass and carbon content; vertical and horizontal structure of ground vegetation, its diversity, biomass and carbon content; litter fall, its decomposition and accumulation; and radial growth of trees. |
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Key words: pine
forest response to warming, transect studies, macroecology |