Disentangling the climatic and biotic factors driving changes in the dynamics of Quercus suber populations across the species’ latitudinal range
Metadatos
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Wiley
Materia
Aridity Defoliation Demography Latitude Mortality Phytophthora cinnamomi Quercus suber Recruitment Reproduction
Fecha
2018-12-11Referencia bibliográfica
Matías L, Abdelaziz M, Godoy O, Gómez‐Aparicio L. Disentangling the climatic and biotic factors driving changes in the dynamics of Quercus suber populations across the species' latitudinal range. Divers Distrib. 2019;25:524–535. [https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.12873]
Patrocinador
This research was funded by the Large Research Grant (6007210) awarded from the British Ecological Society to L.M. L.G.A. acknowledges support from the MICINN project INTERCAPA (CGL‐2014‐56739‐R) and European FEDER FundsResumen
Aim: Impacts of different global change drivers are altering the performance of plant
species worldwide. However, these pressures usually differ across the species’ distri‐
bution range. To properly assess the combined effect of global change at species
level, we need to evaluate its consequences across their complete distribution. We
focused on recent decline in Cork oak (Quercus suber L.) populations given its high
ecological and economic relevance.
Location: We selected 10 different sites (and two populations per site) separated
about one degree in latitude across the core distribution of Q. suber, following a
transcontinental aridity gradient.
Methods: To evaluate the current trends in population dynamics across the species’
distribution and the factors implied on population decline, we evaluated the effect of
latitude, aridity, pathogens (Phytophthora cinnamomi), stand density and tree size on
seed and crop size, demographic structure, dominance of recruitment bank, defolia‐
tion and mortality.
Results: We found an increase in seed weight as latitude decreased, with a homogene‐
ous low crop size across the complete distribution. Demographic structure was deter‐
mined by latitude, precipitation and pathogen abundance. We detected a trend towards
reduced sapling densities towards the southern edge of the distribution, with a demo‐
graphic structure dominated by old trees. The low sapling density at the southern edge
translates into a loss of dominance with respect to other woody species, suggesting an
alteration of community structure in the mid‐term future. Tree density, precipitation
and pathogen abundance determined tree mortality across the species distribution,
with a higher abundance of pathogens in central‐latitude populations.
Main conclusions: Our results allow the early detection of declining trends and the
evaluation of the main risks for species’ conservation, suggesting potential for range
displacement of the species driven by the recruitment failure at the southern edge of
the distribution and a likely range expansion at northern populations.