Climate-human interactions contributed to historical forest recruitment dynamics in Mediterranean subalpine ecosystems.
Glob Chang Biol
; 26(9): 4988-4997, 2020 Sep.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-32574409
ABSTRACT
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.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Ecossistema
/
Pinus
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Limite:
Humans
País/Região como assunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Glob Chang Biol
Ano de publicação:
2020
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Espanha