Showing papers by "Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research published in 2010"

A review of habitat thresholds for dead wood: a baseline for management recommendations in European forests.

Abstract: In contemporary forest management, also of commercial forests, threshold values are widely used for consideration of biodiversity conservation. Here, we present various aspects of dead-wood threshold values. We review published and unpublished dead-wood threshold data from European lowland beech–oak, mixed-montane, and boreo-alpine spruce–pine forests separately to provide managers of European forests with a baseline for management decisions for their specific forest type. Our review of dead-wood threshold data from European forests revealed 36 critical values with ranges of 10–80 m3 ha−1 for boreal and lowland forests and 10–150 m3 ha−1 for mixed-montane forests, with peak values at 20–30 m3 ha−1 for boreal coniferous forests, 30–40 m3 ha−1 for mixed-montane forests, and 30–50 m3 ha−1 for lowland oak–beech forests. We then expand the focus of dead-wood threshold analyses to community composition. We exemplify the two major statistical methods applied in ecological threshold analysis to stimulate forest researchers to analyze more of their own data with a focus on thresholds. Finally, we discuss further directions of dead-wood threshold analysis. We anticipate that further investigations of threshold values will provide a more comprehensive picture of critical ranges for dead wood, which is urgently needed for an ecological and sustainable forestry.

A review of snow manipulation experiments in Arctic and alpine tundra ecosystems

Abstract: Snow cover is one of the most important factors controlling microclimate and plant growing conditions for Arctic and alpine ecosystems. Climate change is altering snowfall regimes, which in turn influences snow cover and ultimately tundra plant communities. The interest in winter climate change and the number of experiments exploring the responses of alpine and Arctic ecosystems to changes in snow cover have been growing in recent years, but their outcomes are difficult to summarize because of the large variability in manipulation approaches, extents and measured response variables. In this review, we (1) compile the ecological publications on snow manipulation experiments, (2) classify the studies according to the climate scenarios they simulate and response variables they measure, (3) discuss the methods applied to manipulate snow cover, and (4) analyse and generalize the response in phenology, productivity and community composition by means of a meta-analysis. This meta-analysis shows that flowering phenology responded strongly to changes in the timing of snowmelt. The least responsive group of species were graminoids; however, they did show a decrease in productivity and abundance with experimentally increased snow covers. The species group with the greatest phenological response to snowmelt changes were the dwarf shrubs. Their abundance also increased in most long-term snow fence experiments, whereas species richness generally declined. We conclude that snow manipulation experiments can improve our understanding of recently observed ecosystem changes, and are an important component of climate change research.

Quantifying lateral root reinforcement in steep slopes – from a bundle of roots to tree stands

Abstract: A review of present modelling approaches for root reinforcement in vegetated steep hillslopes reveals critical gaps in consideration of plant–soil interactions at various scales of interest for shallow landslide prediction. A new framework is proposed for systematic quantification of root reinforcement at scales ranging from single root to tree root system, to a stand of trees. In addition to standard basal reinforcement considered in most approaches, the critical role of roots in stabilizing slopes through lateral reinforcement is highlighted. Primary geometrical and mechanical properties of root systems and their function in stabilizing the soil mass are reviewed. Stress–strain relationships are considered for a bundle of roots using the formalism of the fiber bundle model (FBM) that offers a natural means for upscaling mechanical behavior of root systems. An extension of the FBM is proposed, considering key root and soil parameters such as root diameter distribution, tortuosity, soil type, soil moisture and friction between soil and root surface. The spatial distribution of root mechanical reinforcement around a single tree is computed from root diameter and density distributions based on easy to measure properties. The distribution of root reinforcement for a stand of trees was obtained from spatial and mechanical superposition of individual tree values with regard to their positions on a hillslope. Potential applications of the proposed approach are illustrated in a numerical experiment of spatial strength distribution in a hypothetical slope with 1000 trees randomly distributed. The analyses result in spatial distribution of weak and strong zones within the soil where landslide triggering is expected in large and continuous zones with low reinforcement values. Mapping such zones would enhance the quality of landslide susceptibility maps and optimization of silvicultural measures in protection forests. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Linking Land Change with Driving Forces and Actors: Four Conceptual Models

Abstract: Models in land change research are often chosen arbitrarily based on practical rather than theoretical considerations. More specifically, research on land change is often based on a research framework with three crucial elements - driving forces, actors, and land change - in an ad hoc and case- specific configuration. The lack of solid and widely applicable concepts about the conceptual link between these three elements can negatively affect individual research projects and hamper communication and generalizations beyond the individual project. We present four basic models for linking land change with driving forces and actors. These models are illustrated with examples from the research literature. Based on the main characteristics of the models and practical considerations, we propose guidelines for choosing among the four models for specific studies. More generally, we want to raise awareness that land change research is especially demanding with respect to conceptual backgrounds and that conceptual considerations will help improve the scientific quality of individual studies as well as their potential contribution towards generic theories of land change.

Response of arthropod species richness and functional groups to urban habitat structure and management

Abstract: Urban areas are a particular landscape matrix characterized by a fine-grained spatial arrangement of very diverse habitats (urban mosaic). We investigated arthropods to analyse biodiversity- habitat associations along five environmental gradients (age, impervious area, management, con- figuration, composition) in three Swiss cities (96 study sites). We considered total species richness and species richness within different functional groups (zoophagous, phytophagous, pollinator, low mobility, and high mobility species). Information theoretical model selection procedures were applied and predic- tions were calculated based on weighted models. Urban areas yielded on average 284 arthropod species (range: 169-361), with species richness correlating mostly with heterogeneity indices (configuration and composition). Species richness also increased with age of urban settlement, while enlarged proportions of impervious area and intensified habitat manage- ment was negatively correlated. Functional groups showed contrasted, specific responses to environmen- tal variables. Overall, we found surprisingly little variation in species richness along the gradients, which is possibly due to the fine-grained spatial interlinkage of good (heterogeneous) and bad (sealed) habitats. The highly fragmented nature of urban areas may not represent a major obstacle for the arthropods currently existing in cities because they have prob- ably been selected for tolerance to fragmentation and for high colonisation potential. Given that built areas are becoming denser, increasing spatial heterogeneity of the urban green offers potential for counteracting the detrimental effects of densification upon urban biodiversity. By quantifying the expected effects along environmental gradients, this study provides guidance for managers to set priorities when enhanc- ing urban arthropod species richness.

Estimating leaf area index in different types of mature forest stands in Switzerland: a comparison of methods

Abstract: Leaf area index (LAI) was estimated at 15 sites in the Swiss Long-Term Forest Ecosystem Research Programme (LWF) in 2004–2005 using two indirect techniques: the LAI-2000 plant canopy analyzer (Licor Inc.) and digital hemispherical photography, applying several exposure settings. Hemispherical photographs of the canopy were analysed using Hemisfer, a software package that offers several new features, which were tested here: (1) automatic thresholding taking the gamma value of the picture into account; (2) implementation of several equations to solve the gap-fraction inversion model from which LAI estimates are derived; (3) correction for ground slope effects, and (4) correction for clumped canopies. In seven broadleaved stands in our sample set, LAI was also estimated semi-directly from litterfall. The various equations used to solve the gap-fraction inversion model generated significantly different estimates for the LAI-2000 measurements. In contrast, the same equations applied in Hemisfer did not produce significantly different estimates. The best relationship between the LAI-2000 and the Hemisfer estimates was obtained when the hemispherical photographs were overexposed by one to two stops compared with the exposure setting derived from the reading of a spotmeter in a canopy gap. There was no clear general relationship between the litterfall and the LAI-2000 or the hemispherical photographs estimates. This was probably due to the heterogeneity of the canopy, or to biased litterfall collection at sites on steep slopes or sites subject to strong winds. This study introduces new arguments into the comparison of the advantages and drawbacks of the LAI-2000 and hemispherical photography in terms of applicability and accuracy.

Generality of fractal 1/f scaling in catchment tracer time series, and its implications for catchment travel time distributions

Abstract: Catchment travel time distributions reflect how precipitation from different storms is stored and mixed as it is transported to the stream. Catchment travel time distributions can be described by the mean travel time and the shape of the distribution around the mean. Whereas mean travel times have been quantified in a range of catchment studies, only rarely has the shape of the distribution been estimated. The shape of the distribution affects both the short-term and long-term catchment response to a pulse input of a soluble contaminant. Travel time distributions are usually estimated from conservative tracer concentrations in precipitation and streamflow, which are analyzed using time-domain convolution or spectral methods. Of these two approaches,spectral methods are better suited to determining the shape of the distribution. Previous spectral analyses of both rainfall and streamflow tracer time series from several catchments in Wales showed that rainfall chemistry spectra resemble white noise, whereas the stream tracer spectra in these same catchments exhibit fractal 1/f scaling over three orders of magnitude. Here we test the generality of the observed fractal scaling of streamflow chemistry, using spectral analysis of long-term tracer time series from 22 catchments in North America and Europe. We demonstrate that 1/f fractal scaling of stream chemistry is a common feature of these catchments. These observations imply that catchments typically exhibit an approximate power-law distribution of travel times, and thus retain a long memory of past inputs. The observed fractal scaling places strong constraints on possible models of catchment behavior, because it is inconsistent with the exponential travel time distributions that are predicted by simple mixing models.

Root-soil mechanical interactions during pullout and failure of root bundles

Abstract: [1] Roots play a major role in reinforcing and stabilizing steep hillslopes. Most studies in slope stability implement root reinforcement as an apparent cohesion by upscaling the behavior of static individual roots. Recent studies, however, have shown that much better predictions of slope stability can be made if the progressive failure of bundles of roots are considered. The characteristics of progressive failure depend on interactions between soil deformation and root bundle geometric and mechanical properties. We present a detailed model for the quantitative description of the mechanical behavior of a bundle of roots under strain‐controlled mechanical forcing. The Root Bundle Model explicitly considers typical values of root‐size spatial distribution (number and dimension of roots), geometric factors (diameter‐length proportion, tortuosity, and branching characteristics), and mechanical characteristics (tensile strength and Young’s modulus) and interactions under various soil conditions (soil type, confining pressure, and soil moisture). We provide systematic analyses of the roles of these factors on the mechanical response of the bundle and explore the relative importance of various parameters to the macroscopic root‐soil mechanical response. We distinguish between increased strength imparted by small roots at small deformations and the resilience imparted by larger roots to the growth of large tensile cracks, showing that the maximal reinforcement of fine roots is reached within the first 5 cm of displacement whereas a root of 20 mm diameter may reach its maximal pullout force after 10 cm displacement. The model reproduces the gradual straining and ultimate residual failure behavior of root systems often observed in hillslopes, with progressive growth of tension cracks improving estimations of root reinforcement when considering the effects of root distribution and the variation of the pullout force as a function of displacement. These results enhance understanding of root reinforcement mechanisms and enable more realistic implementation of root reinforcement modeling for stability calculations of vegetated slopes and for guiding ongoing experimental efforts to gather critical root‐soil mechanical information.

Comparing chloride and water isotopes as hydrological tracers in two Scottish catchments

Abstract: Time series of chloride concentrations and oxygen-18 isotopic ratios are widely used for tracing catchment storage and mixing processes and for inferring catchment travel-time distributions. However, neither chloride nor oxygen-18 is an ideal hydrologic tracer: chloride concentrations in streamwater can be affected by dry deposition, evapoconcentration and biogeochemical cycling, and water isotopes can be fractionated by evaporation. One way to test the reliability of these tracers is to determine whether, despite artifacts such as these, both tracers lead to similar inferences when measured in the same catchment. Here, we compare chloride and oxygen-18 time series in the Girnock and Allt' a Mharcaidh catchments in Scotland. Semivariograms and power spectra for both tracers exhibit similar patterns of fluctuation damping, implying that the travel-time distributions of the two tracers have similar shapes. Fluctuations of both tracers are strongly damped in streamflow compared to precipitation, implying that these catchments integrate tracer signatures over many different storm events. Streamflow fluctuations of both tracers are more strongly damped at the Allt' a Mharcaidh catchment, implying longer storage and greater mixing of waters of different ages, compared to the Girnock catchment. At both sites, streamflow fluctuations of oxygen-18 are more strongly damped, relative to precipitation, than those of chloride, leading to estimates of mean travel times that are longer, by a factor of 2–3, for oxygen-18 than for chloride. The greater variability of chloride compared to oxygen-18 may arise from spatially and temporally varying occult deposition and evapoconcentration. Nonetheless, the similarities in the behaviour of the two tracers imply that the strong tracer damping and long travel times that have been observed in many catchment studies are not artifacts, but instead reflect storage and mixing of waters over long time scales. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Reanalysis of multi-temporal aerial images of Storglaciären, Sweden (1959–99) – Part 1: Determination of length, area, and volume changes

Abstract: Storglaci¨ aren, located in the Kebnekaise massif in northern Sweden, has a long history of glaciological re- search. Early photo documentations date back to the late 19th century. Measurements of front position variations and distributed mass balance have been carried out since 1910 and 1945/46, respectively. In addition to these in-situ mea- surements, aerial photographs have been taken at decadal intervals since the beginning of the mass balance monitor- ing program and were used to produce topographic glacier maps. Inaccuracies in the maps were a challenge to early attempts to derive glacier volume changes and resulted in major differences when compared to the direct glaciological mass balances. In this study, we reanalyzed dia-positives of the original aerial photographs of 1959, -69, -80, -90 and -99 based on consistent photogrammetric processing. From the resulting digital elevation models and orthophotos, changes in length, area, and volume of Storglaci ¨ aren were computed

Variations of vessel diameter and δ13C in false rings of Arbutus unedo L. reflect different environmental conditions

Abstract: Woody species in Mediterranean ecosystems form intra-annual density fluctuations (IADFs) in tree rings in response to changes in environmental conditions, especially water availability. Dendrochronology, quantitative wood anatomy and high-resolution isotopic analysis (using a laser ablation technique) were used to characterize IADFs in Arbutus unedo shrubs grown on two sites with different water availability on the island of Elba (Italy). Our findings show that IADF characterization can provide information about the relationship between environmental factors and tree growth at the seasonal level. At the more xeric site, IADFs mainly located in the early and middle parts of the annual ring, showed a decrease in vessel size and an increase in δ(13) C as a result of drought deficit. Opposite trends were found at the more mesic site, with IADFs located at the end of the ring and associated with a lower δ(13) C. Moreover, at the first site, IADFs are induced by drought deficit, while at the second site IADFs are linked with the regrowth in the last part of the growing season triggered by favourable wet conditions. This combined approach is a promising way for dating problematic wood samples and interpreting the phenomena that trigger the formation of IADFs in the Mediterranean environment.

Transfer functions for solid‐solution partitioning of cadmium, copper, nickel, lead and zinc in soils: derivation of relationships for free metal ion activities and validation with independent data

Abstract: Models to predict the solid-solution partitioning of trace metals are important tools in risk assessment, providing information on the biological availability of metals and their leaching. Empirically based models, or transfer functions, published to date differ with respect to the mathematical model used, the optimization method, the methods used to determine metal concentrations in the solid and solution phases and the soil properties accounted for. Here we review these methodological aspects before deriving our own transfer functions that relate free metal ion activities to reactive metal contents in the solid phase. One single function was able to predict free-metal ion activities estimated by a variety of soil solution extraction methods. Evaluation of the mathematical formulation showed that transfer functions derived to optimize the Freundlich adsorption constant (Kf), in contrast to functions derived to optimize either the solid or solution concentration, were most suitable for predicting concentrations in solution from solid phase concentrations and vice versa. The model was shown to be generally applicable on the basis of a large number of independent data, for which predicted free metal activities were within one order of magnitude of the observations. The model only over-estimated free-metal ion activities at alkaline pH (>7). The use of the reactive metal content measured by 0.43 m HNO3 rather than the total metal content resulted in a close correlation with measured data, particularly for nickel and zinc

Testate Amoebae and Nutrient Cycling with Particular Reference to Soils

Abstract: We asked the following question: Is the lack of attention given to testate amoebae, and other protists, in studies of nutrient cycling justified by their relative unimportance or are we ignoring key players in nutrient cycling and other ecological processes? We review various aspects of the ecology of testates relevant to their role in nutrient cycling. These include their food sources, their population sizes and production ecology, the rate of test breakdown (and hence recycling of material from testates to other organisms) and non-feeding interactions with other organisms (e.g., mychorrhizae). Much of the relevant published literature dates from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, presumably due to the interest in production ecology and other aspects of ecosystem ecology at this time. There was a reduction in relevant research during the 1980s and 1990s, but there has recently been signs of renewed interest in this area. In addition to reviewing the past literature we suggest new speculations about the r...

Short-term responses of ecosystem carbon fluxes to experimental soil warming at the Swiss alpine treeline

Abstract: Climatic warming will probably have particularly large impacts on carbon fluxes in high altitude and latitude ecosystems due to their great stocks of labile soil C and high temperature sensitivity. At the alpine treeline, we experimentally warmed undisturbed soils by 4 K for one growing season with heating cables at the soil surface and measured the response of net C uptake by plants, of soil respiration, and of leaching of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Soil warming increased soil CO2 effluxes instantaneously and throughout the whole vegetation period (+45%; +120 g C m y−1). In contrast, DOC leaching showed a negligible response of a 5% increase (NS). Annual C uptake of new shoots was not significantly affected by elevated soil temperatures, with a 17, 12, and 14% increase for larch, pine, and dwarf shrubs, respectively, resulting in an overall increase in net C uptake by plants of 20–40 g C m−2y−1. The Q 10 of 3.0 measured for soil respiration did not change compared to a 3-year period before the warming treatment started, suggesting little impact of warming-induced lower soil moisture (−15% relative decrease) or increased soil C losses. The fraction of recent plant-derived C in soil respired CO2 from warmed soils was smaller than that from control soils (25 vs. 40% of total C respired), which implies that the warming-induced increase in soil CO2 efflux resulted mainly from mineralization of older SOM rather than from stimulated root respiration. In summary, one season of 4 K soil warming, representative of hot years, led to C losses from the studied alpine treeline ecosystem by increasing SOM decomposition more than C gains through plant growth.

Catchments as simple dynamical systems: Experience from a Swiss prealpine catchment

Abstract: [1] Heterogeneity in small-scale subsurface flow processes does not necessarily lead to complex system behavior at larger scales. Here we use the simple dynamical systems approach recently proposed by Kirchner (WRR, 2009) to analyze, characterize, and simulate streamflow dynamics in the Swiss Rietholzbach catchment. The Rietholzbach data set used here provides 32 years of continuous and high-quality observations, which include a soil moisture profile and unique observations of storage changes and evapotranspiration measured by a weighing lysimeter. Streamflow recession at the daily time scale shows a marked seasonal cycle and is fastest in summer due to the higher evapotranspiration losses. The discharge sensitivity function linking storage and discharge is nonlinear and slightly downward-curving in double-logarithmic space. Small diurnal discharge fluctuations prevent application of the approach at the hourly resolution for low-discharge conditions. The vast majority of runoff peaks can be explained by storage variations, except peaks that follow events with extreme precipitation intensity (30–40 mm h−1). Storage change dynamics inferred from streamflow variations compare well to observations from the lysimeter and simulations with a land surface model but become very uncertain under dry conditions. Good results can be obtained when the discharge sensitivity function is calibrated on a monthly time scale to avoid the effect of the diurnal discharge fluctuations. Our analysis highlights the importance of evapotranspiration for catchment hydrology, as it is the main driver of changes in streamflow at Rietholzbach for 21% of the time.

Insights into rock-ice avalanche dynamics by combined analysis of seismic recordings and a numerical avalanche model

Abstract: [1] Rock-ice avalanches larger than 1 × 106 m3 are high-magnitude, low-frequency events that may occur in all ice-covered, high mountain areas around the world and can cause extensive damage if they reach populated regions. The temporal and spatial evolution of the seismic signature from two events was analyzed, and recordings at selected stations were compared to numerical model results of avalanche propagation. The first event is a rock-ice avalanche from Iliamna volcano in Alaska which serves as a “natural laboratory” with simple geometric conditions. The second one originated on Aoraki/Mt. Cook, New Zealand Southern Alps, and is characterized by a much more complex topography. A dynamic numerical model was used to calculate total avalanche momentum, total kinetic energy, and total frictional work rate, among other parameters. These three parameters correlate with characteristics of the seismic signature such as duration and signal envelopes, while other parameters such as flow depths, flow path and deposition geometry are well in agreement with observations. The total frictional work rate shows the best correlation with the absolute seismic amplitude, suggesting that it may be used as an independent model evaluation criterion and in certain cases as model calibration parameter. The good fit is likely because the total frictional work rate represents the avalanche's energy loss rate, part of which is captured by the seismometer. Deviations between corresponding calculated and measured parameters result from site and path effects which affect the recorded seismic signal or indicate deficiencies of the numerical model. The seismic recordings contain additional information about when an avalanche reaches changes in topography along the runout path and enable more accurate velocity calculations. The new concept of direct comparison of seismic and avalanche modeling data helps to constrain the numerical model input parameters and to improve the understanding of (rock-ice) avalanche dynamics.

A 350 year drought reconstruction from Alpine tree ring stable isotopes

Abstract: [1] Climate reconstructions based on stable isotopes in tree rings rely on the assumption that fractionation-controlling processes are strongly linked to meteorological variables. In this context, we investigated the climate sensitivity of 350 years of carbon and oxygen isotope ratios of tree ring cellulose from European larch obtained at a high-elevation site in the Swiss Alps (∼2100 m above sea level). Unlike tree ring width and maximum latewood density, which contain only summer temperature information at this site, we found that our stable isotope series reveal additionally to temperature a striking sensitivity to precipitation (mainly for carbon) and sunshine duration (mainly for oxygen) during July and August. A drought index reflecting the combined temperature and precipitation influence provided the most stable correlations over time for the carbon isotope series. All of these climate-isotope relationships are preserved in the isotope series obtained from younger trees at the same site, while strong intertree correlations further emphasize the high climate sensitivity. We thus present the first carbon-isotope-based summer drought reconstruction for the Swiss Alps, which provides new evidence for interannual to long-term changes in summer regional moisture variability from 1650 to 2004 in Europe, revealing extreme drought summers in the second half of the 18th century and throughout the 20th century.

Determination of organic and inorganic carbon, δ13C, and nitrogen in soils containing carbonates after acid fumigation with HCl.

Abstract: In carbonate-containing soils a reliable determination of organic C requires a method that effectively separates organic and inorganic C without altering the organic matter. This study was conducted to determine whether HCl vapor completely removes carbonates even in dolomite-rich soils and to what extent a widely used acid-fumigation method has to be modified for humus-rich soils. Furthermore, it was tested whether HCl fumigation alters organic-C content. Since C and N parameters are often analyzed simultaneously we also tested the influence of acid-vapor treatment on N content and on δ 13 C of soil organic matter. We applied fumigation with 37% HCl for 8 and 32 h using 9 carbonate-containing soil samples. Inorganic C ranged from 7 to 124 and organic C from 9 to 267 g kg -1 . The maximum contents of dolomite and calcite were 940 and 640 g kg -1 , respectively. A time of 8 h was enough to completely remove all carbonates. Neither the content nor the δ 13 C of organic C were significantly affected by fumigation. In contrast, N contents were altered by acid treatment. Based on these results and on our experience in analyzing more than 1000 soil samples, a recommended procedure for acid fumigation of carbonate-containing soils with a wide range of organic- and inorganic-C contents was derived. Samples pretreated in this way can be analyzed reliably for their organic-C content and δ 13 C. Furthermore, N and inorganic-C contents can be determined with a quality sufficient for many purposes.

Dynamics of alpine plant litter decomposition in a changing climate

Abstract: Climatic changes resulting from anthropogenic activities over the passed century are repeatedly reported to alter the functioning of pristine ecosystems worldwide, and especially those in cold biomes. Available literature on the process of plant leaf litter decomposition in the temperate Alpine zone is reviewed here, with emphasis on both direct and indirect effects of climate change phenomena on rates of litter decay. Weighing the impact of biotic and abiotic processes governing litter mass loss, it appears that an immediate intensification of decomposition rates due to temperature rise can be retarded by decreased soil moisture, insufficient snow cover insulation, and shrub expansion in the Alpine zone. This tentative conclusion, remains speculative unless empirically tested, but it has profound implications for understanding the biogeochemical cycling in the Alpine vegetation belt, and its potential role as a buffering mechanism to climate change.

Mistletoe-induced crown degradation in Scots pine in a xeric environment

Abstract: Summary Increasing Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) mortality has been recently observed in the dry inner valleys of the European Alps. Besides drought, infection with pine mistletoe (Viscum album ssp. austriacum) seems to play an important role in the mortality dynamics of Scots pines, but how mistletoes promote pine decline remains unclear. To verify whether pine mistletoe infection weakens the host via crown degradation, as observed for dwarf mistletoes, we studied the negative effects of pine mistletoe infestation on the photosynthetic tissues and branch growth of pairs of infested and noninfested branches. Pine mistletoe infection leads to crown degradation in its host by reducing the length, the radial increment, the ramification, the needle length and the number of needle years of the infested branches. This massive loss in photosynthetic tissue results in a reduction in primary production and a subsequent decrease in carbohydrate availability. The significant reduction in needle length due to mistletoe infection is an indication for a lower water and nutrient availability in infested branches. Thus, mistletoe infection might lead to a decrease in the availability of water and carbohydrates, the two most important growth factors, which are already shortened due to the chronic drought situation in the area. Therefore, pine mistletoe increases the risk of drought-induced mortality of its host when growing in a xeric environment.

Potential shift in tree species composition after interaction of fire and drought in the Central Alps.

Abstract: The future trajectory of forest ecosystems under climate change is heavily debated. Previous studies on the impacts of climate change on forest ecosystems have focused mainly on direct effects of altered climatic conditions, whereas interactions with disturbance events have been largely neglected. The aim of this study is to explore interactions of drought with fire disturbance and to assess their effects on tree species shifts in the European Central Alps. Tree recruitment after a stand replacing wildfire in the Rhone valley, Switzerland, was measured along an altitudinal temperature moisture gradient. Recruitment was more successful in pioneer species (Betula pendula, Populus tremula and Salix appendiculata) than in pre-fire stand forming (PFSF) species (Larix decidua, Picea abies and Pinus sylvestris). Seedling and sapling density was not related to fire intensity, but it correlated with the distance to the forest edge in PFSF species. The window of opportunity for seedling establishment was short (1–2 years), and moisture deficit was the main limiting factor for tree recruitment at lower altitudes. We suggest that prolonged drought periods, as projected under continued global warming, will further aggravate tree recruitment success after fire disturbance at low altitudes of the Central Alps and may eventually lead to a shift from PFSF species to either more drought-tolerant species or to forest-free vegetation.

Species‐specific tree growth responses to 9 years of CO2 enrichment at the alpine treeline

Abstract: 1. Using experimental atmospheric CO(2) enrichment, we tested for tree growth stimulation at the high-elevation treeline, where there is overwhelming evidence that low temperature inhibits growth despite an adequate carbon supply. We exposed Larix decidua (European larch) and Pin us mugo ssp. uncinata (mountain pine) to 9 years of free-air CO(2) enrichment (FACE) in an in situ experiment at treeline in the Swiss Alps (2180 m a.s.l.). 2. Accounting for pre-treatment vigour of individual trees, tree ring increments throughout the experimental period were larger in Larix growing under elevated CO(2) but not in Pinus. The magnitude of the CO(2) response in Larix ring width varied over time, with a significant stimulation occurring in treatment years 3-7 (marginal in year 6). 3. After 9 years of treatment, leaf canopy cover, stem basal area and total new shoot production were overall greater in Larix trees growing under elevated CO(2), whereas Pinus showed no such cumulative growth response. The Larix ring width response in years 3-7 could have caused the cumulative CO(2) effect on tree size even if no further stimulation occurred, so it remains unclear if responsiveness was sustained over the longer term. 4. Larix ring width was stimulated more by elevated CO(2) in years with relatively high spring temperatures and an early snowmelt date, suggesting that temperatures were less limiting in these years and greater benefit was gained from extra carbon assimilated under elevated CO(2). The magnitude of CO(2) stimulation was also larger after relatively high temperatures and high solar radiation in the preceding growing season, perhaps reflecting gains due to larger carbon reserves. 5. Synthesis. Contrasting above-ground growth responses of two treeline tree species to elevated CO(2) concentrations suggest that Larix will have a competitive advantage over less responsive species, such as co-occurring Pinus, under future CO(2) concentrations. Stimulation of Larix growt might be especially pronounced in a future warmer climate.

Reanalysis of multi-temporal aerial images of Storglaciären, Sweden (1959–99) – Part 2: Comparison of glaciological and volumetric mass balances

Abstract: Seasonal glaciological mass balances have been measured on Storglaciwithout interruption since 1945/46. In addition, aerial surveys have been carried out on a decadal basis since the beginning of the observation pro- gram. Early studies had used the resulting aerial photographs to produce topographic glacier maps with which the in-situ observations could be verified. However, these maps as well as the derived volume changes are subject to errors which resulted in major differences between the derived volumet- ric and the glaciological mass balance. As a consequence, the original photographs were re-processed using uniform photogrammetric methods, which resulted in new volumetric mass balances for 1959-69, 1969-80, 1980-90, and 1990- 99. We compared these new volumetric mass balances with mass balances obtained by standard glaciological methods including an uncertainty assessment considering all related previous studies. The absolute differences between volumet- ric and the glaciological mass balances are 0.8 m w.e. for the period of 1959-69 and 0.3 m w.e. or less for the other survey periods. These deviations are slightly reduced when consid- ering corrections for systematic uncertainties due to differ- ences in survey dates, reference areas, and internal ablation, whereas internal accumulation systematically increases the mismatch. However, the mean annual differences between glaciological and volumetric mass balance are less than the uncertainty of the in-situ stake reading and stochastic error bars of both data series overlap. Hence, no adjustment of the glaciological data series to the volumetric one is required.