The Influence of Tilia tomentosa Moench on Plant Species Diversity and Composition in Mesophilic Forests of Western Romania–A Potential Tree Species for Warming Forests in Central Europe?
Open Access
- 17 July 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by MDPI AG in Sustainability
- Vol. 13 (14), 7996
- https://doi.org/10.3390/su13147996
Abstract
Climate change challenges important native timber species in Central Europe. The introduction of non-native tree species originating from warmer climates is one option to make Central European forests compatible to global warming. This, however, requires an assessment of the species’ growth requirements, and of its impact on biodiversity in its native ranges. Silver lime (Tilia tomentosa), a moderately drought-tolerant, thermophilous tree species of South-eastern Europe is considered suitable for the future. Along three elevational transects in western Romania, we assessed the impact of changing climate and local site conditions on the abundance of this tree species and contrasted plant species diversity and composition of lime-dominated forests with mesophytic oak and beech forests. Local site conditions and disturbance histories shaped the distribution pattern of silver lime. When dominant, it reduced plant species diversity within stands due to its dense canopy. For shade-tolerant, mesophytic species, though, lime forests provided an additional habitat and extended their range into warmer environments. Thus, silver lime may have the potential as an admixed tree species forming a transitory meso-thermophilous habitat in the future. At the same time, silver lime may be limited under increasing drought frequency.Funding Information
- Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und nukleare Sicherheit (3517861300)
This publication has 47 references indexed in Scilit:
- Drought response of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.)—A reviewPerspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics, 2020
- Microclimatic Tipping Points at the Beech–Oak Ecotone in the Western Romanian CarpathiansForests, 2020
- Disturbance-based silviculture for habitat diversification: Effects on forest structure, dynamics, and carbon storageForest Ecology and Management, 2020
- A first assessment of the impact of the extreme 2018 summer drought on Central European forestsBasic and Applied Ecology, 2020
- Projecting Tree Species Composition Changes of European Forests for 2061–2090 Under RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5 ScenariosFrontiers in Plant Science, 2019
- Environmental Modelling of Forest Vegetation Zones as A Support Tool for Sustainable Management of Central European Spruce ForestsJournal of Landscape Ecology, 2018
- Diversity and forest productivity in a changing climateNew Phytologist, 2018
- Climate change mitigation through adaptation: the effectiveness of forest diversification by novel tree planting regimesEcosphere, 2017
- Tree species diversity mitigates disturbance impacts on the forest carbon cycleOecologia, 2014
- Potential risks for European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in a changing climateTrees, 2006