Elevation affects both the occurrence of ungulate browsing and its effect on tree seedling growth for four major tree species in European mountain forests

• Published in: Annals of Forest Science
• Main Authors: Bernard, Marianne, Barrere, Julien, Morin, Xavier, Saïd, Sonia, Boulanger, Vincent, Granda, Elena, Benavides, Raquel, Jactel, Hervé, Heurich, Marco, Rabasa, Sonia, G, Valladares, Fernando, Kunstler, Georges
• Other Authors: AgroParisTech, Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD France-Sud )-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Institut Agro Montpellier, Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement (Institut Agro)-Université de Montpellier (UM), Laboratoire des EcoSystèmes et des Sociétés en Montagne (UR LESSEM), Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE)-Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA), Office français de la biodiversité (OFB), Office national des forêts (ONF), Universidad de Alcalá - University of Alcalá (UAH), Universidad Complutense de Madrid = Complutense University of Madrid Madrid (UCM), Biodiversité, Gènes & Communautés (BioGeCo), Université de Bordeaux (UB)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), University of Freiburg Freiburg, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales Madrid (MNCN), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas España = Spanish National Research Council Spain (CSIC), BAC-CARA (FP7-226299, 7FP)the Spanish Ministry for Innovation and Sciencewith the grant Consolider Montes (CSD2008_00040). the French National Forest Office (ONF), French Office for Biodiversity(OFB) and National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) under partnershipagreement 2016/05/6171. XM received support from the project DISTIMACC (BGF, ECOFOR 2014–23). the REFORCE - EU FP7 ERA-NET Sumforest 201, ANR-20-CE32-0005,DECLIC,Réponse fonctionnelle et démographique des arbres aux stress climatiques et à la compétition pour évaluer la vulnérabilité des forêts aux changements climatiques(2020)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2024
• Subjects: Ungulate browsing; Climate change; Elevational gradient; Plant-herbivore interactions; Mountain forests; Attractant-decoy hypothesis; [SDV.EE]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Ecology; environment; [SDE]Environmental Sciences; [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]; Norway; Northern Sweden
• Online Access: https://ofb.hal.science/hal-04502233; https://ofb.hal.science/hal-04502233/document; https://ofb.hal.science/hal-04502233/file/Bernard%20et%20al.%202024.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1186/s13595-024-01226-x

International audience Key message In European mountain forests, the growth of silver fir ( Abies alba Mill.), sycamore maple ( Acer pseudoplatanus L.), European beech ( Fagus sylvatica L.) and Norway spruce ( Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.) seedlings is more strongly affected by ungulate browsing than by elevation. But, the constraint exerted by ungulates, in particular the probability for seedlings to be browsed, increases with elevation for most species. Context While concerns about mountain forest regeneration rise due to their high vulnerability to climate change, the increase in wild ungulate populations and the expansion of their range in the last decades exert an additional constraint on the survival and growth of young trees. Understanding how this constraint can vary with elevation is thus a key to assess the consequences of this population increase for the regeneration of mountain forests. Aims In this study, we investigate the effect of elevation on (i) the occurrence of browsing for seedlings and on (ii) the reduction in seedling growth induced by ungulate browsing. Methods We monitored height growth and browsing occurrence on silver fir, sycamore maple, European beech and Norway spruce seedlings across seven elevation gradients (from 400 to 2013 m) located from France to northern Sweden. Results Seedlings of the two most palatable species—fir and maple—were more likely to be browsed at high elevation while the opposite effect was observed for spruce. Browsing strongly reduced seedling growth for all species but Norway spruce, while elevation had no direct effect on seedling growth. This browsing-induced growth reduction was stronger at high elevation for fir seedlings. Conclusions Browsing is overall a stronger constraint on seedling growth than elevation for four dominant species of European mountain forests. Elevation can, however, affect both browsing probability and the effect of browsing on seedling growth. Our results highlight the importance of taking into account ungulate pressure and its ...