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dc.contributor.authorPopa, Ionel
dc.contributor.authorNechita, Constantin
dc.contributor.authorHofgaard, Annika
dc.date.accessioned2018-03-08T11:45:07Z
dc.date.available2018-03-08T11:45:07Z
dc.date.created2017-05-04T12:19:53Z
dc.date.issued2017
dc.identifier.citationScience of the Total Environment. 2017, 598 1050-1057.nb_NO
dc.identifier.issn0048-9697
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11250/2489483
dc.description.abstractNatural subalpine forests are considered to be sensitive to climate change, and forest characteristics are assumed to reflect the prevalent disturbance regime. We hypothesize that stand history determines different stand structures. Based on large full inventory datasets (including tree biometric data, spatial coordinates, tree age, and basal area increment) we assessed the size structure, tree recruitment dynamics and radial growth patterns in three permanent plots along an altitudinal gradient in a mixed coniferous forest (Picea abies and Pinus cembra) in the Eastern Carpathians. Both discrete disturbances (large scale or small scale) and chronic disturbances (climate change) were identified as drivers of stand structure development in the studied plots. A stand replacing wind disturbance generated a unimodal bell-shaped size and age distribution for both species characterized by a sharp increase in post-disturbance recruitment. By contrast, small-scale wind-caused gaps led to a negative exponential diameter distribution for spruce and a left-asymmetric unimodal for pine. Climate-driven infilling processes in the upper subalpine forest were reflected as J-shaped size and age distributions for both species, but with pine predating spruce. The growth patterns for both species demonstrated an increased basal area increment since the early 1900s, with an emphasis in the last few decades, irrespective of stand history. Pine demonstrated a competitive advantage compared to spruce due to the higher growth rate and size at the same age. Recognition of combined discrete and chronic disturbances as drivers of the tree layer characteristics in a subalpine coniferous forest is essential in both stand history analyses and growth predictions. © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. High altitude forest Age structure Disturbance Swiss stone pine Norway sprucenb_NO
dc.language.isoengnb_NO
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internasjonal*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.no*
dc.titleStand structure, recruitment and growth dynamics in mixed subalpine spruce and Swiss stone pine forests in the Eastern Carpathiansnb_NO
dc.typeJournal articlenb_NO
dc.typePeer reviewednb_NO
dc.description.versionacceptedVersionnb_NO
dc.subject.nsiVDP::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480nb_NO
dc.subject.nsiVDP::Zoology and botany: 480nb_NO
dc.source.pagenumber1050-1057nb_NO
dc.source.volume598nb_NO
dc.source.journalScience of the Total Environmentnb_NO
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.04.169
dc.identifier.cristin1468136
dc.relation.projectNorges forskningsråd: 160022nb_NO
dc.relation.projectNorges forskningsråd: 244557nb_NO
cristin.unitcode7511,2,0,0
cristin.unitnameAvdeling for terrestrisk økologi
cristin.ispublishedtrue
cristin.fulltextpostprint
cristin.qualitycode2


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Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internasjonal
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internasjonal