Academic Journal
Forest Densification and Pollution Rival Climate in Driving US Tree Demographic Change.
| Τίτλος: | Forest Densification and Pollution Rival Climate in Driving US Tree Demographic Change. |
|---|---|
| Συγγραφείς: | Kling MM; Department of Biology and Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA., Burnham PA; Department of Biology, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA., Dube MP; Department of Computer Information Systems, University of Maine at Augusta, Augusta, Maine, USA., McGill BJ; School of Biology and Ecology, Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA., McLaughlin BP; School of Biology and Ecology, Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA., Miller SN; School of Biology and Ecology, Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA., Waring TM; School of Economics, Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions, University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA., Gotelli NJ; Department of Biology and Gund Institute for Environment, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, USA. |
| Πηγή: | Global change biology [Glob Chang Biol] 2026 Oct; Vol. 32 (10), pp. e71124. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Blackwell Pub Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 9888746 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1365-2486 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 13541013 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Glob Chang Biol Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Publication: Original Publication: Oxford, UK : Blackwell Science, 1995- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Trees*/growth & development , Trees*/physiology , Forests* , Climate Change*, United States ; Biodiversity |
| Περίληψη: | Forests play critical roles in biodiversity, climate regulation, and human well-being, yet their responses to simultaneous environmental changes remain poorly understood. Across the United States, forest demographic rates are influenced by climate change, atmospheric pollution trends, and systematic changes in forest density. In spite of long-term interest in these facets of global change, their relative importance has not previously been quantified and compared. Here, we apply a framework that decomposes demographic trends into sensitivity (species' responsiveness to environmental variables) and exposure (magnitude of environmental change experienced). Using nationwide forest inventory data from 2002 to 2024, we analyzed how recruitment, growth, and mortality of 100 tree species responded to six environmental variables representing climate, pollution, and forest density. This analysis showed that, despite substantial research attention on climate impacts, changes in forest density and atmospheric pollutant deposition (particularly sulfur) showed stronger associations with all three demographic rates, driven by both higher exposure and greater sensitivity to these factors. We also found that, of the demographic processes, recruitment probability was the most sensitive to each of the six environmental drivers, emphasizing the importance of regeneration in shaping forest responses to global change. The results also document a general slowdown in forest dynamics over recent decades, with declining recruitment, growth, and mortality on average across the United States, albeit with substantial geographic and taxonomic variation. This comprehensive analysis provides a framework for understanding forest responses to complex environmental change, identifying the most influential drivers of demographic processes, and developing targeted conservation and management strategies in an era of rapid change. (© 2026 The Author(s). Global Change Biology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.) |
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| Grant Information: | 2019470 National Science Foundation |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: climate change; demography; density dependence; forest ecology; growth; mortality; pollution; recruitment |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20261001 Date Completed: 20261001 Latest Revision: 20261001 |
| Update Code: | 20261001 |
| DOI: | 10.1111/gcb.71124 |
| PMID: | 42817720 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
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