Spring and autumn phenology in sub-mesothermal beech stands from the southwestern extremity of the Carpathians

Authors

  • Radu POPESCU Transilvania University of Brașov, Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering, Șirul Beethoven 1, Brașov (RO)
  • Neculae ȘOFLETEA Transilvania University of Brașov, Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering, Șirul Beethoven 1, Brașov (RO)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15835/nbha48211897

Keywords:

beech; buds burst; flowering; leaves senescence; phenology

Abstract

The research carried out was aimed to assessing the phenological behavior of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in the southwestern area of the Carpathians, in submesothermal forest sites, differentiated from the majority mesothermal ones of this species. The data obtained may be used for predicting the phenological changes of the species, especially in the Carpathian area, under the future influence of expected climate change. Assessments for spring and autumn phenology (buds burst -BB and foliation, flowering and leaves senescence) were carried out on a transect with a difference in altitude of 1000 meters, in phenological research areas located at 200 m, 700 m and 1200 m. At each altitude level, 100 trees of I and II Kraft classes were phenologically characterized: 50 trees on the south-facing slope (sunny exposure) and 50 on the north-facing slope (shade exposure).The phenological data were interpreted in relation to climate data recorded in each area by a HOBO U23 Pro v2 sensor. The site conditions of submesothermal climate in the low altitude area led to DOY (day of the year) values below 100. The phenological differentiation of populations is evident in relation with the altitude, while at the same altitudinal level the influence of the exposure was much lower. The gradiental values by altitude sectors highlighted the nonlinearity of the development of foliation phenophase, the value being lower in the first 500 m, where the beech is under the impact of the submesothermal climate. It has been proven both the dependence of the foliation onset depending on the cumulation of temperatures in relation to the DOY moment and also on the values recorded throughout the vegetative rest. The altitudinal gradiental values resulting for flowering in the first and second altitudinal half of transect also differentiate the stands, but are lower than that resulting for BB. The leaves senescence has a delay of 1.8 up to 2.4 days per 100 meters altitude, and the length of the vegetation season is reduced more sharply in the upper half of the analyzed altitudinal transect. The sub-mesothermal climate could be involved in condensation of spring phenophases in the stands of the lower half of the researched area. Our data may be used for predicting the phenological changes, especially in the Carpathian area, under the expected climate change.

References

Barna M, Schieber B (2011). Climate response to forest management in beech stands. Folia Oecologica 38(1):8-16.

Bednáořvá E, Merklová L (2007). Results of monitoring the vegetative phenological phases of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in 1991-2006. Folia Oecologica 34(2):77-84.

Bednářová E, Kučera J, Merklová L (2014). The onset and duration of vegetative phenological stages in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) under changing conditions of the environment. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis 58(4):23-30.

Chmura DJ, Rozkowski R (2002). Variability of beech provenances in spring and autumn phenology. Silvae Genetica 51(2-3):123-127.

Čufar K, Prislan P, De Luis M, Gričar J (2008). Tree-ring variation, wood formation and phenology of beech (Fagus sylvatica) from a representative site in Slovenia, SE Central Europe. Trees 22(6):749-758. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-008-0235-6

Čufar K, De Luis M, Saz MA, Črepinšek Z, Kajfež-Bogataj L (2012). Temporal shifts in leaf phenology of beech (Fagus sylvatica) depend on elevation. Trees 26(4):1091-1100. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-012-0686-7

Dantec CF, Vitasse Y, Bonhomme M, Louvet JM, Kremer A, Delzon S (2014). Chilling and heat requirements for leaf unfolding in European beech and sessile oak populations at the southern limit of their distribution range. International Journal of Biometeorology 58(9):1853-1864. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-014-0787-7

Di Filippo A, Biondi F, Čufar K, De Luis M, Grabner M, Maugeri M, ... Piovesan G (2007). Bioclimatology of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in the Eastern Alps: spatial and altitudinal climatic signals identified through a tree‐ ring network. Journal of Biogeography 34(11):1873-1892. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2699.2007.01747.x

Dittmar C, Elling W (2006). Phenological phases of common beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) and their dependence on region and altitude in Southern Germany. European Journal of Forest Research 125(2):181-188. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-005-0099-x

Dittmar C, Elling W (2007). Dendroecological investigation of the vitality of common beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in mixed mountain forests of the Northern Alps (South Bavaria). Dendrochronologia 25(1):37-56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dendro.2007.01.003

Falusi M, Calamassi R (1996). Geographic variation and bud dormancy in beech seedlings (Fagus sylvatica L). Annales des Sciences Forestières 53(5):967-979.

Geßler A, Keitel C, Kreuzwieser J, Matyssek R, Seiler W, Rennenberg H (2007). Potential risks for European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in a changing climate. Trees 21(1):1-11. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-006-0107-x

Gömöry D, Paule L (2011). Trade-off between height growth and spring flushing in common beech (Fagus sylvatica L.). Annals of Forest Science 68(5):975-984. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-011-0103-1

Gressler E, Jochner S, Capdevielle-Vargas RM, Morellato LPC, Menzel A (2015). Vertical variation in autumn leaf phenology of Fagus sylvatica L. In southern Germany. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 201:176-186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2014.10.013

Hamrick JL (2004). Response of forest trees to global environmental changes. Forest Ecology and Management 197(1-3):323-335. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2004.05.023

Jump AS, Hunt JM, Penuelas J (2007). Climate relationships of growth and establishment across the altitudinal range of Fagus sylvatica in the Montseny Mountains, northeast Spain. Ecoscience 14(4):507-518. https://10.2980/1195-6860(2007)14[507:CROGAE]2.0.CO;2

Keenan RJ (2015). Climate change impacts and adaptation in forest management: a review. Annals of Forest Science 72(2):145-167. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-014-0446-5

Kramer K, Ducousso A, Gömöry D, Hansen J K, Ionita L, Liesebach M, ... Von Wühlisch G (2017). Chilling and forcing requirements for foliage bud burst of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) differ between provenances and are phenotypically plastic. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 234:172-181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2016.12.002

Michelot A, Simard S, Rathgeber C, Dufręne E, Damesin C (2012). Comparing the intra-annual wood formation of three European species (Fagus sylvatica, Quercus petraea and Pinus sylvestris) as related to leaf phenology and non-structural carbohydrate dynamics. Tree Physiology 32(8):1033-1045. https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tps052

Petrițan AM, Biriș IA, Merce O, Turcu DO, Petrițan IC (2012). Structure and diversity of a natural temperate sessile oak (Quercus petraea L.) European Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forest. Forest Ecology and Management 280:140-149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2012.06.007

Piovesan G, Biondi F, Bernabei M, Di Filippo A, Schirone B (2005). Spatial and altitudinal bioclimatic zones of the Italian peninsula identified from a beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) tree-ring network. Acta Oecologica 27(3):197-210. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actao.2005.01.001

Pop G (2006). Carpaţii şi Subcarpaţii României [Carpathians and sub-Carpathians of Romania]. Cluj University Press, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

Robson TM, Rasztovits E, Aphalo PJ, Alia R, Aranda I (2013). Flushing phenology and fitness of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) provenances from a trial in La Rioja, Spain, segregate according to their climate of origin. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 180:76-85. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2013.05.008

Rötzer T, Grote R, Pretzsch H (2004). The timing of bud burst and its effect on tree growth. International Journal of Biometeorology 48(3):109-118. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-003-0191-1

Schieber B (2006). Spring phenology of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in a submountain beech stand with different stocking in 1995-2004. Journal of Forest Science 52(5):208-216.

Schieber B, Janík R, Snopková Z (2013). Phenology of common beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) along the altitudinal gradient in Slovakia (Inner Western Carpathians). Journal of Forest Science 59(4):176-184. https://doi.org/10.17221/82/2012-JFS

Schueler S, Liesebach M (2015). Latitudinal population transfer reduces temperature sum requirements for bud burst of European beech. Plant Ecology 216(1):111-122. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-014-0420-1

Schuster C, Kirchner M, Jakobi G, Menzel A (2014). Frequency of inversions affects senescence phenology of Acer pseudoplatanus and Fagus sylvatica. International Journal of Biometeorology 58(4):485-498. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-013-0709-0

Schweingruber FH (1996). Tree rings and environment. Dendroecology. Paul Haupt, Bern, Swiss

Slovíková K, Bednářová E (2014). Monitoring of vegetative phenological stages in European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) growing in a mixed stand. Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis 62(5):1109- 1115. https://doi.org/10.11118/actaun201462051109

Stănescu V, Șofletea N, Popescu O (1997). Flora forestieră lemnoasă a României [Woody Flora of Romania]. Ed. Ceres, Romania.

Șofletea N, Curtu AL (2007). Dendrology. Transilvania University Press, Brasov, Romania.

Teodosiu M (2015). Determinismul climatic al producerii fenofazelor la specii forestiere cu serii maximale din România [Climatic determinism of the production of phenophases in forest species with maximum series in Romania] Bucovina Forestieră 15(1):31-44.

Thompson I, Mackey B, McNulty S, Mosseler A (2009). Forest resilience, biodiversity, and climate change. In Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Montreal. Technical Series 43:1-67.

von Wuehlisch G (2008). EUFORGEN Technical Guidelines for genetic conservation and use for European beech (Fagus sylvatica). Biodiversity International, Rome, Italy pp 6.

Vitasse Y, Bresson CC, Kremer A, Michalet R, Delzon S (2010). Quantifying phenological plasticity to temperature in two temperate tree species. Functional Ecology 24(6):1211-1218. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2435.2010.01748.x

Walthers GR, Post E, Convey P, Menzel A, Parmesan C, Beebee TJ, ... Bairlein F (2002). Ecological responses to recent climate change. Nature 416:389-395.

Downloads

Published

2020-06-30

How to Cite

POPESCU, R., & ȘOFLETEA, N. (2020). Spring and autumn phenology in sub-mesothermal beech stands from the southwestern extremity of the Carpathians. Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca, 48(2), 1057–1069. https://doi.org/10.15835/nbha48211897

Issue

Section

Research Articles
CITATION
DOI: 10.15835/nbha48211897

Most read articles by the same author(s)