Climate-human interactions contributed to historical forest recruitment dynamics in Mediterranean subalpine ecosystems
© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
| Veröffentlicht in: | Global change biology. - 1999. - 26(2020), 9 vom: 01. Sept., Seite 4988-4997 |
|---|---|
| 1. Verfasser: | |
| Weitere Verfasser: | , , , , , |
| Format: | Online-Aufsatz |
| Sprache: | English |
| Veröffentlicht: |
2020
|
| Zugriff auf das übergeordnete Werk: | Global change biology |
| Schlagworte: | Journal Article Pinus heldreichii Pinus uncinata dendroecology ecological history recruitment rewilding subalpine forests tree-rings |
| Zusammenfassung: | © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd. Long-term tree recruitment dynamics of subalpine forests mainly depend on temperature changes, but little is known about the feedbacks between historical land use and climate. Here, we analyze a southern European, millennium-long dataset of tree recruitment from three high-elevation pine forests located in Mediterranean mountains (Pyrenees, northeastern Spain; Pollino, southern Italy; and Mt. Smolikas, northern Greece). We identify synchronized recruitment peaks in the late 15th and early 16th centuries, following prolonged periods of societal and climate instability. Major European population crises in the 14th and 15th centuries associated with recurrent famines, the Black Death pandemic, and political turmoil are likely to have reduced the deforestation of subalpine environments and caused widespread rewilding. We suggest that a distinct cold phase in the Little Ice Age around 1450 ce could also have accelerated the cessation of grazing pressure, particularly in the Pyrenees, where the demographic crisis was less severe. Most pronounced in the Pyrenees, the enhanced pine recruitment from around 1500-1550 ce coincides with temporarily warmer temperatures associated with a positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation. We diagnose that a mixture of human and climate factors has influenced past forest recruitment dynamics in Mediterranean subalpine ecosystems. Our results highlight how complex human-climate interactions shaped forest dynamics during pre-industrial times and provide historical analogies to recent rewilding |
|---|---|
| Beschreibung: | Date Completed 29.01.2021 Date Revised 29.01.2021 published: Print-Electronic Citation Status MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1365-2486 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/gcb.15246 |