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Tree mortality in dynamic vegetation models - A key feature for accurately simulating forest properties
ETH, Dept Environm Syst Sci, Inst Terr Ecosyst, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
ETH, Dept Environm Syst Sci, Inst Terr Ecosyst, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
Swiss Fed Inst Forest Snow & Landscape Res, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland.
ETH, Dept Environm Syst Sci, Inst Terr Ecosyst, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-6692-9838
2012 (English)In: Ecological Modelling, ISSN 0304-3800, E-ISSN 1872-7026, Vol. 243, p. 101-111Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Dynamic vegetation models are important tools in ecological research, but not all processes of vegetation dynamics are captured adequately. Tree mortality is often modeled as a function of growth efficiency and maximum age. However, empirical studies have shown for different species that slow-growing trees may become older than fast-growing trees, implying a correlation of mortality with growth rate and size rather than age. We used the ecosystem model LPJ-GUESS to compare the standard age-dependent mortality with two size-dependent mortality approaches. We found that all mortality approaches, when calibrated, yield a realistic pattern of growing stock and Plant Functional Type (PFT) distribution at five study sites in Switzerland. However, only the size-dependent approaches match a third pattern, i.e. the observed negative relationship between growth rate and longevity. As a consequence, trees are simulated to get older at higher than at lower altitudes/latitudes. In contrast, maximum tree ages do not change along these climatic gradients when the standard age-dependent mortality is used. As tree age and size determine forest structure, our more realistic mortality assumptions improved forest biomass estimation, but indicate a potential decline of carbon storage under climate change. We conclude that tree mortality should be modeled as a function of size rather than age. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
1000 AE AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS, 2012. Vol. 243, p. 101-111
Keywords [en]
Vegetation modeling; Intrinsic mortality; LPJ-GUESS; Climatic gradients; Maximum tree age; Maximum diameters
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Climate Research
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-100193DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2012.06.008OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-100193DiVA, id: diva2:790462
Available from: 2015-02-24 Created: 2015-02-24 Last updated: 2020-01-29Bibliographically approved

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Wolf, A

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