Global Change Biology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 31(3)
Published: March 1, 2025
Adopting a multiscale perspective that connects forest dynamics from tree stands to landscapes is crucial for understanding how ecosystems will evolve under global environmental change. This commentary highlights the significance of Perret et al.'s (2025) study in providing valuable insights into individual plasticity drives community reorganization and ultimately alters ecosystem resilience, via integrating species community-level analyses. Their has important implications modeling predicting as well informing sustainable management strategies response future climate change increasing disturbances. Forest are evolving influence changing environments episodic disturbances (e.g., extremes, wildfires, pests, insect outbreaks). As natural anthropogenic become increasingly frequent severe, significant progress been made after disturbances, such research on resilience varies over time (Forzieri al. 2022) carbon stocks recover following disturbance regimes (Heinrich 2023). However, studies focusing responses, example, ring measurements (Anderegg 2020), limited ability represent whole ecosystem, while satellite-based fail provide insight complex demographic processes mortality, growth, recruitment), remote sensing data primarily capture net changes canopy cover, productivity, or biomass 2022; Yang 2022). result, it remains highly uncertain responses alter structure composition communities, posing major challenge development trajectories large-scale degradation. The diverse can balance mortality sustain stability through different regeneration recruitment strategies, collectively shaping broad-scale dynamics. These influenced by diversity trait functions, life history, adaptive capacities, creating dynamic interplay responsive trees ecosystems. For instance, localized declines diebacks one be compensated enhanced growth another species, thereby buffering impacts at scale (Mahecha 2024). Shifts (i.e., number size trees) identity species) serve key indicators have profound terrestrial cycling rapid (McDowell 2020). Seidl Turner (2022) first proposed conceptual framework characterize reorganize along spectrum regime shift. due challenges monitoring structural compositional dynamics, this yet fully applied present In newly published Global Change Biology, offer novel practical roadmap applying (2022). Utilizing inventory plot data, work quantifies classifies four pathways communities—resilience, restructuring, reassembly, replacement—by analyzing two dominant (subalpine fir Engelmann spruce) across western United States. Drawing 60,000 trees, estimate species-specific including trends measured abundance basal area, which then combined assess structure. Following change, three models—mortality, regeneration, recruitment—are built jointly predict communities may vary with disturbance-induced rates. multi-scale linkages critical deepening our resilience. By analyses, provides guidance projecting pervasive shifts emergence transition. an example detecting when where moving toward scenarios, offering conservation risk management. context, refers all undergoing normal stand density. They map hotspots resilient withstand severe areas extremely vulnerable severely affected even slight further suggests reducing extent severity highlighting role fire preventive measures maintaining stability. findings underscore importance tailored species' characteristics regimes, maximizing forests' capacity cope conditions. also inspires efforts enhance capacities capturing processes, particularly linking land surface models. Current models simplify projections, overlooking intricate interactions variables. While warming raise risks, regrowth modulated interaction climate-related adaptation sensitivity CO2 fertilization effects) absence these mechanistic leads high uncertainties model projections Moreover, incorporating other types poses greater than study. Unlike acute fire, often exhibit more chronic extremes like drought. legacy effects lead increased during post-drought recovery phase rather droughts. summary, connecting site-level potential degradation assessing elevated episodes vegetation greening signals climate. Beyond estimating could rely high-resolution satellite-retrieved products datasets quantify trajectories, Nonetheless, comes estimation 2024), alongside influential factors terrain microclimates (Yan expected patterns reorganization. Xiangyi Li: funding acquisition, writing – original draft, review editing. Hui Yang: supported National Natural Science Foundation China (42401105). authors declare no conflicts interest. article Invited Commentary al., https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70052. nothing report.
Language: Английский