Located in Brno, South Moravia
Head: Mgr. Radim Hédl, PhD.
People ׀ Projects ׀ Publications
Research topics
- Spatiotemporal patterns in plant communities
- Human influence on ecosystems in the past millennium
- Long-term dynamics of forest, wetland and grassland vegetation
- History of Eurasian vegetation types
- Conservation and restoration of temperate ecosystems
Selected recent results
2025
1/ Forest ecosystem responses to warming and drought under global climate change
Our research has deepened our understanding of the impacts of global climate change on forest ecosystems across groups of organisms and regions. We combine long-term observational data with ex-situ experiments, which allows for better insight into the mechanisms by which climate change affects biodiversity. An important finding is that the diversity of affinities to ambient temperature is declining, although the responses of different groups of organisms can vary significantly. In animal groups, species spectra are shifting toward more thermophilic ones, while forest understory plants show resistance. In this context, we have experimentally shown that morphological and physiological strategies determine the response of forest plants to drought; grasses cope better with water stress, while herbs rely on competitive strategies. Tree growth is also influenced by water availability and the local environment. Taken together, these studies reveal complex, multi-level processes of response to climate change, ranging from the physiological limits of individual species to the structural reorganization of communities. We emphasize the need to combine long-term data, experiments, and a variety of methods to understand the response of biodiversity to climate change.
- Mäkinen J., Ellis E. E., Antão L. H., Davrinche A., Laine A. et al. (incl. Hédl R.) 2025: Thermal homogenization of boreal communities in response to climate warming. Proceedings of The National Academy of Sciences of The United States of America 122, 1 – 9. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2415260122
- Petek‐Petrik, A., Petřík, P., Halmová, M., Plichta, R., … Hédl, R. (2025). Contrasting strategies in morphological and physiological response to drought stress among temperate forest understory forbs and graminoids. Plant Biology, Early view, 1–13.
Spring geophytes are an interesting model group of plants, sensitive to climate change. The picture shows Corydalis intermedia, emerging and flowering at the end of March in forest undergrowth.
2/ Forest change and ecosystem recovery: the role of environment, management, and disturbances
Response of temperate forest plant communities to environmental changes through a combination of many factors. All approaches aimed to understand mechanisms of biodiversity change and ecosystem recovery. Analysis of several thousand resurveyed vegetation plots across Europe showed that local changes in taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic diversity are generally small, mostly reflecting tree overstory cover and availability of soil nutrients rather than large-scale environmental trends. Similarly, a field experiment with canopy thinning revealed that increases in functional diversity resulted from the presence of species with corresponding functional traits. Vascular plants and spiders responded positively to increased light levels, whereas ant communities and predatory beetles did not. A complementary long-term comparison showed the restoration of soil, vegetation, and fauna after the cessation of pollution, but revitalization is a long process. These findings highlight the importance of combining long-term comparisons and experimental interventions to understand the mechanisms of change and restoration in forest community biodiversity.
- Wei L., De Lombaerde E., Vanneste t., Sanczuk P. et al. (incl. Hédl R., Chudomelová M., Petřík P., Vild O.) 2025: Small net local temporal changes in taxonomic, functional, and phylogenetic biodiversity across European temperate forests. New Phytologist 248, 2128 – 2142. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.70502
- Šipoš J., Košulič O., Chudomelová M., Dorňák O. & Hédl R. 2025: Ecological mechanisms of canopy thinning: Insights into biodiversity recovery in neglected coppice. Biological Conservation 303, 1 – 12. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111003
- Barna M., Chudomelová M., Alexa L., Cigánková H., Černý T. & Petřík P. 2025: Ecosystem recovery following post environmental change near an aluminium smelter in Žiar nad Hronom, Slovakia. Ecological Engineering 215, 1 – 8. doi:1016/j.ecoleng.2025.107585
The restoration of biodiversity in open forests is implemented by emulating traditional management methods. Light in the forest brings rapid results in the form of abundant plant growth.
3/ Human impact on nature over the long term reveals the importance of local interactions in environmental stewardship
Long-term interactions between humans and nature have significantly shaped the landscape and biodiversity of Central Europe. These interactions occur in specific places and affect specific ecosystems. Analysis of historical and paleoecological sources has shown that traditional grazing and other management of subalpine treeless zone in the Jeseníky Mountains shaped biologically valuable communities over many centuries, which have been degrading since the traditional management was abandoned in the mid-20th century. Similarly, a study of the historical use of construction timber shows that resources were mostly local, transported from distances of up to several kilometers from the place of use. Another study emphasizes the role of local communities and their participation in nature conservation. Effective environmental management strategies require the integration of ecological data, historical knowledge, and social aspects. Traditional management and long-term cultural patterns are key to ecosystem stability and provide relevant input for current environmental adaptation strategies.
- Szabó P., Bobek P., Dudová L. & Hédl R. 2025: From oxen to tourists: The management history of subalpine grasslands in the Sudeten mountains and its significance for nature conservation. Anthropocene Review 12, 18–34. doi: 1177/20530196241266227
- Szabó P., Dobrovolný P., Kolář T., Rybníček M., Kyncl J. & Kyncl T. 2025: Local timber dominated pre-industrial construction: Insights from archival and dendrochronological data. Dendrochronologia 91, 1–11. doi:1016/j.dendro.2025.126337
- Subramanian S. M., Kelemen E., de Vos A., Krause T., Mayhew M., Mead A., Nuesiri E. O., Perritt J., Islar M., Amaruzaman S., Arroyo-Robles G., Nakangu B., Kosmus M., Porter-Bolland L., Yiu E. & Varga A. 2025: Inclusion in body and mind: ensuring full participation of Indigenous peoples and local communities in decisions related to nature. Ecology and Society 30, 1–14. doi: 5751/ES-16300-300313
From the 17th to the 19th century, ox grazing was an important part of farming on the treeless ridges of the Jeseníky Mountains. These “Polnische Ochsen” were purchased in Eastern Europe, fattened up during their journey westward in the summer, and then slaughtered at markets in Germany. Johann Adam Klein (1792-1875): Die beiden polnischen Ochsen am Wasser (Two Polish Oxen by the Water). Engraving, Nuremberg, 1818
2024
1/ Forest Ecosystem Transformation under Global Environmental Change
Global change significantly influences forest biodiversity and habitat dynamics. Long-term resampling of Central European forest vegetation revealed shifts from nutrient-poor, open habitats to nutrient-rich, shady forests. These changes indicate a successional trend driven by altered environmental conditions, with atmospheric nitrogen deposition and tree canopy closure playing key roles. Surprisingly, forest plant species’ ranges often shifted westward rather than northward, linked to nitrogen deposition rather than climate change. Additionally, biodiversity losses and gains across phylogenetic lineages suggest that global change reshapes evolutionary ecological strategies, with nitrogen-fixing plants experiencing notable declines due to nitrogen deposition. Together, these studies emphasize the complex interplay of global change factors in shaping forest ecosystems, highlighting the need for integrated, long-term approaches to biodiversity conservation.
- Vild O., Chudomelová M., Macek M., Kopecký M., Prach J., Petřík P., Halas P., Juříček M., Smyčková M., Šebesta J., Vojík M. & Hédl R. 2024: Long-term shift towards shady and nutrient-rich habitats in Central European temperate forests. New Phytologist 242, 1018 – 1028. doi.org/10.1111/nph.19587
The biodiversity of temperate forests is concentrated in the herbaceous understory. A charismatic, abundant representative is the common hepatica (Hepatica nobilis).
2/ Historical ecology and land use transformation
Historical ecology bridges the past and present, providing transformative insights into ecological and social dynamics that inform conservation and sustainable land use. As a discipline, historical ecology is characterized by interdisciplinarity and the synthesis of data from history, anthropology and ecology. It emphasizes the importance of co-producing knowledge with local communities, addressing pressing issues such as climate change, and integrating past practices into modern policy frameworks. The development of the field has and continues to focus on the dissemination of knowledge, the promotion of long-term studies and the transfer of results to conservation. These efforts highlight the enduring value of traditional approaches. One example is the detailed mapping of traditional approaches in the Moravian forests in the 19th century. The results show that litter raking, haymaking and forest grazing were widespread and determined by environmental conditions and agricultural needs.
- McClenachan L., Rick T., Thurstan R. H., Trant A., Alagona P. S., Alleway H. K., Armstrong C., Bliege Bird R., Rubio-Cisneros N. T., Clavero M., Colonese A. C., Cramer K., Davis A. O., Drew J., Early-Capistrán M. M., Gil-Romera G., Grace M., Hatch M. B. A., Higgs E., Hoffman K., Jackson J. B. C., Jerardino A., LeFebvre M. J., Lotze H. K., Mohammed R. S., Morueta-Holme N., Munteanu C., Mychajliw A. M., Newsom B., O’Dea A., Pauly D., Szabó P., Torres J., Waldman J., West C., Xu L., Yasuoka H., zu Ermgassen P. S. E. & Van Houtan K. S. 2024: Global research priorities for historical ecology to inform conservation. Endangered Species Research 54, 285 – 310. doi:10.3354/esr01338
- Szabó P., Souza Diniz É. & Houška J. 2024: Traditional agroforestry on forested land: a comprehensive analysis of its distribution pattern in the 19th century. Agroforestry Systems 98, 115 – 127. doi:10.1007/s10457-023-00894-4
- Santana-Cordero A. M., Szabó P., Bürgi M. & Armstrong C. G. 2024: The practice of historical ecology: What, when, where, how and what for. AMBio 53, 664 – 677. doi:10.1007/s13280-024-01981-1
Old trees are good indicators of historical land use. An old hawthorn in the vineyards at the Pálava foothills.
3/ Enhancing grassland biodiversity through ploughing management
The application of small-scale ploughing management has revealed the complex interplay between disturbance and biodiversity in grassland ecosystems. Ploughing is not a single solution, but a context-dependent intervention. In species-poor and dry grasslands, targeted ploughing can stimulate rare plant species emergence and support local biodiversity. Conversely, ploughing in mesic and nutrient-rich grasslands risks promoting ruderal and invasive vegetation. The soil seed bank plays a critical role in these ecological responses, with different ploughing frequencies influencing species composition. The research highlights the importance of targeted ecological management strategies that consider soil type, nutrient levels, and existing vegetation to effectively conserve and restore grassland biodiversity.
- Vymyslický T., Jiroušek M., Frei I., Smetanová S., Winkler J., Zdražílková M. & Fabšičová M. 2024: Will small‑scale ploughing increase the plant diversity of species‑poor grasslands? Folia Geobotanica 59, 1 – 16. doi:10.1007/s12224-024-09448-7
- Fabšičová M., Vymyslický T., Frei I., Zdražílková M., Smetanová S., Winkler J. & Jiroušek M. 2024: The importance of soil seed banks for biodiversity restoration of degraded grasslands. Folia Geobotanica 59, 17 – 37. doi:10.1007/s12224-024-09452-x
Targeted ploughing can enhance the biodiversity of grassland ecosystems. Extensive ploughing, carried out only once every few years, allows the existence of fallows with rare plant and animal species.
2023
1/ Forest management and biodiversity: from Europe-wide field experiments to local coppicing restoration
Network of field experiments at Europe-wide level reveals the importance of management diversity to protect biodiversity in forests. The efficacy of traditional management techniques in thermophilous forests, along with recommendations for standardized sampling, is highlighted in the context of addressing management–biodiversity relationships at the European level. This emphasizes the importance to combine information about multiple taxa and functional groups, including woody regeneration, herbs, fungi, beetles, bryophytes, birds, and lichens, in understanding management–biodiversity relationships at the European level. Identifying knowledge gaps in boreal forests and specific treatments, this research underscores the significance of coppicing management restoration, which positively influences e.g. spider biodiversity, promoting species richness and distinct assemblages across successional stages. Canopy thinning enhances trait diversity in light-demanding species.
- Hamřík T., Košulič O., Gallé R., Gallé-Szpisjak N. & Hédl R. 2023: Opening the canopy to restore spider biodiversity in protected oakwoods. Forest Ecology and Management 541, 1 – 14. doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2023.121064
- Tinya F., Doerfler I., de Groot M., Heilman-Clausen J., Kovács B., Mårell A., Nordén B., Aszalós R., Bässler C., Brazaitis G., Burrascano S., Camprodon J., Chudomelová M., Čížek L., D’Andrea E., Gossner M., Halme P., Hédl R., Korboulewsky N., Kouki J., Kozel P., Lõhmus A., López Rodríguez R. A., Máliš F., Martín J. A., Matteucci G., Mattioli W., Mundet R., Müller J., Nicolas M., Oldén A., Piqué M., Preikša Ž., Rovira Ciuró J., Remm L., Schall P., Šebek P., Seibold S., Simončič P., Ujházy K., Ujházyová M., Vild O., Vincenot L., Weisser W., Ódor P. 2023: A synthesis of multi-taxa management experiments to guide forest biodiversity conservation in Europe. Global Ecology and Conservation 46, 1 – 18. doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2023.e02553
Plant and ant are representatives of two distinct yet mutually dependent taxonomic groups of temperate forest biodiversity.
2/ Knowledge of biodiversity change is biased by systematic errors in historical data
Historical sampling error is a source of potential bias in long-term biodiversity assessments. Despite of the wide use of historical resources in biodiversity change assessments, historical sampling error has not been systematically addressed so far. We conclude that preferential historical sampling of the vegetation-environment continuum and species omission may have contributed to the differences in biodiversity and environmental change between the datasets. We show that historical sampling error can have a significant impact on assessments of long-term biodiversity trends. We recommend that historical reference datasets should be critically assessed for potential sources of error in assessments of environmental change and management objectives.
- Douda J., Doudová J., Holeštová A., Chudomelová M., Vild O., Boublík K., Černá M., Havrdová A., Petřík P., Pychová N., Smyčková M., Šebesta J., Vaníček J. & Hédl R. 2023: Historical sampling error: a neglected factor in long-term biodiversity change research. Biological Conservation 286, 1 – 7. doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110317
Invasive species, such as small balsam, are invading our nature and changing its biodiversity. Historical biodiversity data, which may be systematically biased, provide insights into this process.
2022
1/ Directional turnover towards larger-ranged plants over time and across habitats
We analyzed the trajectories of 1827 plant species over time intervals of up to 78 years at 141 sites across mountain summits, forests, and lowland grasslands in Europe. We found displacements of smaller- by larger- ranged species across habitats. Communities shifted in parallel towards more nutrient-demanding species, with species from nutrient- rich habitats having larger ranges. The ubiquitous component of turnover based on species range size we found here may partially reconcile findings of no net loss in local diversity with global species loss, and link community- scale turnover to macroecological processes such as biotic homogenization.
- Staude I. R., Pereira H. M., Daskalova G. N., Bernhardt-Römermann M., Diekmann M., Pauli H., Van Calster H., Vellend M., Bjorkman A. D., Brunet J., De Frenne P., Hédl R., Jandt U., Lenoir J., Myers-Smith I. H., Verheyen K., Wipf S., Wulf M., Andrews C., Barančok P., Barni E., Benito-Alonso J.-L., Bennie J., Berki I., Blüml V., Chudomelová M., Decocq G., Dick J., Dirnböck T., Durak T., Eriksson O., Erschbamer B., Graae B. J., Heinken T., Schei F. H., Jaroszewicz B., Kopecký M., Kudernatsch T., Macek M., Malicki M., Máliš F., Michelsen O., Naaf T., Nagel T. A., Newton A. C., Nicklas L., Oddi L., Ortmann-Ajkai A., Palaj A., Petraglia A., Petřík P., Pielech R., Porro F., Puşcaş M., Reczyńska K., Rixen C., Schmidt W., Standovár T., Steinbauer K., Świerkosz K., Teleki B., Theurillat J.-P., Turtureanu P. D., Ursu T.-M., Vanneste T., Vergeer P., Vild O., Villar L., Vittoz P., Winkler M. & Baeten L. 2022: Directional turnover towards larger-ranged plants over time and across habitats. Ecology Letters 25, 466 – 482. doi:10.1111/ele.13937
Long-term changes in the biodiversity of forest plant communities depend, among other things, on the range size of individual species, such as Carex pilosa.
2/ Meteorological and climatological triggers of notable past and present bark beetle outbreaks in the Czech Republic
Based on documentary evidence, a chronology of bark beetle outbreaks in the Czech Republic from 1781 to 1963 CE was created, continuing from 1964 through 2021 by bark beetle salvage felling data. While meteorological triggers of the largest outbreaks of the 19th century were attributed especially to the slow processing of disastrous volumes of damaged wood after large windstorm events, recent warming with relatively stable precipitation from the 1980s moves the main triggers to more frequent warm and dry meteorological patterns, acting in interaction with severe windstorms. The last bark beetle outbreak from 2015 was evaluated as the most disastrous disturbance to spruce forest over the territory of the Czech Republic in documented history.
- Brázdil R., Zahradník P., Szabó P., Chromá K., Dobrovolný P., Dolák L., Trnka M., Řehoř J. & Suchánková S. 2022: Meteorological and climatological triggers of notable past and present bark beetle outbreaks in the Czech Republic. Climate of the Past 18, 2155 – 2180. doi:10.5194/cp-18-2155-2022
Large clearings after bark beetle outbreaks are increasingly caused by climatic extremes.
3/ Divergent roles of herbivory in eutrophying forests
Wild ungulate populations are increasing across Europe with important implications for forest plant communities. Concurrently, atmospheric nitrogen deposition continues to eutrophicate forests, threatening many rare, often more nutrient-efficient, plant species. We combined vegetation resurveys from 52 sites across 13 European countries to test how changes in ungulate herbivory and eutrophication drive long-term changes in forest understory communities. Increases in herbivory were associated with elevated temporal species turnover, however, identities of winner and loser species depended on N levels. Under low levels of N-deposition, herbivory favored threatened and small-ranged species while reducing the proportion of non-native and nutrient-demanding species. Yet all these trends were reversed under high levels of N-deposition.
- Segar J., Pereira H., Baeten L., Bernhardt-Römermann M., De Frenne P., Fernández N., Gilliam F., Lenoir J., Ortmann-Ajkai A., Verheyen K., Waller D., Teleki B., Berki I., Brunet J., Chudomelová M., Decocq G., Dirnböck T., Hédl R., Heinken T., Jaroszewicz B., Kopecký M., Macek M., Máliš F., Naaf T., Orczewska A., Reczyńska K., Schmidt W., Šebesta J., Stachurska-Swakoń A., Standovár T., Świerkosz K., Vild O., Wulf M. & Staude I. (2022): Divergent roles of herbivory in eutrophying forests. Nature Communications 13(7837): 1–10. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-35282-6
Forest herbs change over time depending on a combination of factors including herbivory and atmospheric nitrogen depositions.
2021
1/ Historical management is a significant factor in explaining patterns in current forest ecosystems
In regions where humans have been continuously present for millennia, the past management of forests is a significant factor in explaining the current state of these ecosystems. It is usually the abandonment of traditional forest management that brings about the loss of biodiversity. For example, in the Slovak Karst, the end of coppicing caused the increase of beech, mesophication, local extinction of light-demanding species taxonomic homogenisation. The reintroduction of such management, however, has the potential to revert negative changes, as observed for ground-dwelling spiders in southern Moravia. At the same time, anthropogenic effects can be hard to set apart from natural patterns, as our research testing the assumed dominance of oak standards in coppice forests demonstrated. In special conditions, such as low pH and stable light in the Peak District National Park (UK), lack of management (grazing) can result in changes that are less pronounced than previously predicted. Overall, our results (some of which were published as part of a special issue in the Journal of Vegetation Science on “Historical Vegetation Ecology” that we co-edited) suggest that greater diversity of nature conservation techniques (including, but not limited to, traditional management) leads to the best results in halting biodiversity loss.
- Hédl R., Cousins S. A. O., Decocq G., Szabó P. & Wulf M. 2021: The importance of history for understanding contemporary ecosystems: insights from vegetation science. Journal of Vegetation Science 32, e13048. doi:10.1111/jvs.13048
- Máliš F., Bobek P., Hédl R., Chudomelová M., Petřík, P., Ujházy K., Ujházyová M. & Kopecký M. 2021: Historical charcoal burning and coppicing suppressed beech and increased forest vegetation heterogeneity. Journal of Vegetation Science 32, 1 – 14. doi:10.1111/jvs.12923
- Szabó P., Hédl R. & Šipoš J. 2021: Standard trees versus underwood: historical patterns of tree taxon occurrence in coppice forests. Journal of Vegetation Science 32, 1 – 11. doi:10.1111/jvs.12963
- Vild O. & Rotherham I. D. 2021: Long-term exclosure of sheep-grazing from an ancient wood: Vegetation change after a sixty-year experiment. Applied Vegetation Science 24, 1 – 10. doi: 10.1111/avsc.12543
- Vymazalová P., Košulič O., Hamřík T., Šipoš J. & Hédl R. 2021: Positive impact of traditional coppicing restoration on biodiversity of ground-dwelling spiders in a protected lowland forest. Forest Ecology and Management 490, 1 – 10. doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2021.119084
Trees are important witnesses of past landscape management. The large crown of the oak in this picture points out at once relatively open vegetation (Podyjí National Park, April 2021).
2/ Biodiversity in temperate forests reacts to climatic change
Forest ecosystems host a major part of biodiversity in the temperate climatic zone. This biodiversity is rapidly changing under the influence of climatic change. To understand the driving mechanisms of biodiversity change, we studied the structural characteristics of forest stands and the subsequent reaction of herb species to light availability across European broadleaved forests. However, easily measurable structural variables proved to be inadequate – it is necessary to take further environmental factors into account. Individual forest species significantly differ in their niches, which is partly reflected in their geographical distribution. It is then possible to infer temperature optima, which we did for 968 plant species of European forests. The resulting ClimPlant database is freely available for all researchers. We also compared macroclimatic conditions with the microclimate inside forest stands. In our analysis of long-term changes (through 37 years) in more than 2000 plots, we focused on the differences between adult trees and seedlings. For 25 common tree species, adults and seedlings showed increasing differences in their climatic niches. This can have a significant effect on the future composition of forests. Climatic niches should therefore be considered not only for adult trees but also for their seedlings.
- Carón M. M., Zellweger F., Verheyen K., Baeten L., Hédl R., Bernhardt-Römermann M., Berki I., Brunet J., Decocq G., Díaz S., Dirnböck T., Durak T., Heinken T., Jaroszewicz B., Kopecký M., Lenoir J., Macek M., Malicki M., Máliš F., Nagel T. A., Perring M. P., Petřík P., Reczyńska K., Pielech R., Schmidt W., Świerkosz K., Teleki B., Wulf M., De Frenne P. (2021): Thermal differences between juveniles and adults increased over time in European forest trees. Journal of Ecology 109, 3944–3957. doi:10.1111/1365-2745.13773
- Depauw L., Perring M. P., Landuyt D., Maes S. L., Blondeel H., De Lombaerde E., Brūmelis G., Brunet J., Closset‐Kopp D., Decocq G., Den Ouden J., Härdtle W., Hédl R., Heinken T., Heinrichs S., Jaroszewicz B., Kopecký M., Liepiņa I., Macek M., Máliš F., Schmidt W., Smart S. M., Ujházy K., Wulf M. & Verheyen K. (2021): Evaluating structural and compositional canopy characteristics to predict the light-demand signature of the forest understorey in mixed, semi-natural temperate forests. Applied Vegetation Science 24, 1 – 13. doi:10.1111/avsc.12532
- Vangansbeke P., Máliš F., Hédl R., Chudomelová M., Vild O., Wulf M., Jahn U., Welk E., Rodríguez-Sánchez F. & De Frenne P. 2021: ClimPlant: Realized climatic niches of vascular plants in European forest understoreys. Global Ecology and Biogeography 30, 1183 – 1190. doi:10.1111/geb.13303
Centroids of the distribution range in Europe of the 968 temperate forest species contained in the ClimPlant database, with the 1970–2000 mean annual temperature (MAT; in degrees Celsius) as background raster.
2020
1/ Treetops protect forest biodiversity from global warming
The cooling leaf canopy protects forest organisms from extreme temperatures and has a significant influence on their adaptation to global warming. In an international research team, we studied the effect of climate warming under the forest canopy, thus also showing how warming in the forest differs from warming in open spaces. We measured the temperature in the forest interior at 100 sites and combined these measurements in a computer model with up to 80 years of data on the density of the forest canopy. This latter series comprised data taken from almost 3,000 repeated vegetation plots in European forests. If the tree canopy is denser, it buffers climate warming for the organisms living beneath it. If it becomes sparser, the plants living beneath it experience additional warming. Their previously cool, shady and generally more humid habitat is suddenly exposed to warmer and also drier conditions. Many species cannot adapt quickly enough, are displaced by warm-affinity species and may die out locally. Forest managers should therefore take account of the effects of forestry work on the climatic conditions in the forest interior and its potential impact on biodiversity.
- Zellweger F., De Frenne P., Lenoir J., Vangansbeke P., Verheyen K., Bernhardt-Römermann M., Baeten L., Hédl R., Berki I., Brunet J., Van Calster H., Chudomelová M., Decocq G., Dirnböck T., Durak T., Heinken T., Jaroszewicz B., Kopecký M., Máliš F., Macek M., Malicki M., Naaf T., Nagel T. A., Ortmann-Ajkai A., Petřík P., Pielech R., Reczyńska K., Schmidt W., Standovár T., Świerkosz K., Teleki B., Vild O., Wulf M. & Coomes D. (2020): Forest microclimate dynamics drive plant responses to warming. Science 369(6492): 772–775. doi: 10.1126/science.aba6880
Plant diversity in European forests can be protected from climate warming by tree canopy.
2/ Rare plant species are increasingly missing in forests. It is due to nitrogen increase
In Europe’s deciduous forests, rare plant species are being displaced by more abundant ones. This development may be due to increased nitrogen deposition and, rather surprisingly, to the species occurrence range. In our international study based on an analysis of large database of repeated records in permanent plots in 68 sites with deciduous forests across Europe, we examined how the occurrences of a total of 1,162 plant species in European forests have changed in the past decades. Species with a small range, or area where they occur naturally, tend to decrease in time. These species are often adapted to relatively small amounts of nutrients in the soil. Our analysis pointed to a link between nitrogen emissions, produced mainly by the combustion of fossil fuels, and an increased risk of extinction of these species. On the contrary, plant species, which prefer nutrient-rich soils and occupy large range at the same time, have increased on a long term. Thus, while competitively weak and rare species are disappearing from forests, common species are increasingly frequent throughout Europe. Even more disturbing is the fact that many of the study sites are in protected areas, which tends to improve the general picture. The observed trend may be even more pronounced in commercially managed forests.
- Staude I. R., Waller D. M., Bernhardt-Römermann M., Bjorkman A. D., Brunet J., De Frenne P., Hédl R., Jandt U., Lenoir J., Máliš F., Verheyen K., Wulf M., Pereira H. M., Vangansbeke P., Ortmann-Ajkai A., Pielech R., Berki I., Chudomelová M., Decocq G., Dirnböck T., Durak T., Schmidt W., Heinken T., Schei F. H., Jaroszewicz B., Kopecký M., Macek M., Malicki M., Naaf T., Nagel T. A., Petřík P., Reczyńska K., Standovár T., Świerkosz K., Teleki B., Van Calster H., Vild O., Baeten L. (2020): Replacements of small- by large-ranged species scale up to diversity loss in Europe’s temperate forest biome. Nature Ecology and Evolution 4: 802–808. doi: 10.1038/s41559-020-1176-8
Isopyrum thalictroides, a rare species of deciduous forests.
3/ Tropical forests can handle the heat, up to a point
Tropical forests can resist increasing temperatures without significantly losing their capacity to absorb excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Forests release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere when the amount of carbon gained by tree growth is less than that lost through tree mortality and decay. Yet this positive finding is only possible if forests have time to adapt, they remain intact, and if global heating is strictly limited to avoid pushing global temperatures into conditions beyond the critical threshold. If we limit global average temperatures to a 2°C increase above pre-industrial levels this pushes nearly three-quarters of tropical forests above the heat threshold we identified. The study is the first to analyse long-term climate sensitivity based on direct observation of whole forests across the topics. The research suggests that over the long-term temperature has the greatest effect on forest carbon stocks by reducing growth, with drought killing trees the second key factor. To calculate changes in carbon storage required repeated measurements of tree stem diameter and height. This was connected with identifying nearly 10,000 tree species and over two million measurements of tree diameter, in 813 forests across 24 tropical countries.
- Sullivan M. J. P., Lewis S. L. et al. (Incl. Hédl R.) (2020): Long-term thermal sensitivity of Earth’s tropical forests. Science 368 (6493): 869–874. doi: 10.1126/science.aaw7578
Tropical forests not only harbour high biodiversity, but also play key role in mitigating the climatic crisis.
2019
1/ Interactive effect of environmental factors on tree growth in European forests
Our findings highlight how tree growth can be interactively determined by global-change drivers, and how these growth responses might be modulated by past forest management. By showing future growth changes for scenarios of environmental change, we stress the importance of considering multiple drivers, including past management, and their interactions, when predicting tree growth.
Maes S. L., Perring M. P., Vanhellemont M., Depauw L., van den Bulcke J., Brūmelis G., Brunet J., Decocq G., den Ouden J., Härdtle W., Hédl R., Heinken T., Heinrichs S., Jaroszewicz B., Kopecký M., Máliš F., Wulf M. & Verheyen K. (2019): Environmental drivers interactively affect individual tree growth across temperate European forests. Global Change Biology 25: 201–217. doi: 10.1111/gcb.14493
2/ Qualitative and quantitative methods in historical ecology
We analyzed methods employed to date in historical ecology when working with qualitative and graphic materials. In addition, we explored the links between these methods and those used in general in qualitative research. Historical ecology requires source criticism methods and time line–based methods for landscape change. Some of the techniques used in historical ecology, but not originate from it, are presented.
- Santana-Cordero, A. M., & Szabó, P. (2019). Exploring qualitative methods of historical ecology and their links with qualitative research. International Journal of Qualitative Methods Volume 18: 1–11. doi: 10.1177/1609406919872112
3/ Ecology and threats to Carex buekii in Central Europe
We found out that the ecological demands of Carex buekii are rather uniform across Central Europe. C. buekii exhibits fairly broad ecological range, it grows on open sunny places as well as in open alluvial forests. Within its broad optimum it forms dense, species-poor stands or monocoenoses. This sedge is due to its high competitive ability tolerable only for a limited number of accessoric species. Major threats of C. buekii are in habitat destruction, the quality of its stands is further affected by ruderalisation.
- Więcław, H., Šumberová, K., Bosiacka, B., Hrivnák, R., Dajdok, Z., Mesterházy, A., Minuzzo C., Martinetto E. & Koopman, J. (2019). Ecology, threats and conservation status of Carex buekii (Cyperaceae) in Central Europe. Scientific Reports 9: 1-12. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-47563-0