Higher tree diversity is linked to higher tree mortality

Searle, Eric B; Chen, Han Y H et Paquette, Alain (2022). « Higher tree diversity is linked to higher tree mortality ». Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119(19), e2013171119.

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Résumé

Examining the relationship between tree diversity and ecosystem functioning has been a recent focus of forest ecology. Particular emphasis has been given to the impact of tree diversity on productivity and to its potential to mitigate negative global change effects; however, little attention has been paid to tree mortality. This is critical because both tree mortality and productivity underpin forest ecosystem dynamics and therefore forest carbon sequestration. Neglecting tree mortality leaves a large part of the picture undocumented. Here we show that increasingly diverse forest stands have increasingly high mortality probabilities. We found that the most species-rich stands in temperate biomes had mortality probabilities more than seven-fold higher than mono-specific stands (approximately 0.6% year-1 in mono-specific to 4.0% year-1 in the most species-rich) while in boreal stands increases were less pronounced but still significant (approximately 1.1% year-1 in mono-specific to 1.8% year-1 in the most species-rich). Tree species richness was the third-most important predictor of mortality in our models in temperate forests and the fifth most important predictor in boreal forests. Our results highlight that while promotion of tree diversity undoubtedly has many positive effects on ecosystem functioning and the services they provide to humanity, it remains important to consider all aspects of forest dynamics in order to properly predict the implications of maintaining and promoting tree diversity.

Type:	Article de revue scientifique
Mots-clés ou Sujets:	biodiversity and ecosystem functioning; competition; diversity effects; tree mortality; tree survival; forest dynamics
Unité d'appartenance:	Centres institutionnels > Centre d'étude de la forêt (CEF) Faculté des sciences > Département des sciences biologiques
Déposé par:	Alain Paquette
Date de dépôt:	19 mai 2022 09:28
Dernière modification:	19 mai 2022 09:28
Adresse URL :	http://archipel.uqam.ca/id/eprint/15488

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