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On the Ecology of Mountainous Forests in a Changing Climate: A ...

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Behaviour <strong>of</strong> FORCLIM along a transect <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> European Alps 107<br />

An <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g effect is visible at <strong>the</strong> site Davos (Fig. 4.10): Due to its nitrogen tolerance,<br />

L. decidua has a competitive advantage over P. excelsa. Moreover, L. decidua does not<br />

have a dense crown, and self-shad<strong>in</strong>g is not as important as for o<strong>the</strong>r species; consequently,<br />

larch reaches a high biomass peak around <strong>the</strong> year 350 <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> FORCLIM-E/P/S<br />

model and is outcompeted only later by spruce. For <strong>the</strong> same reason larch does not disappear<br />

but is able to contribute 15-20% <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> total biomass <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> late successional stage.<br />

600<br />

Bever (south, E/P)<br />

500<br />

Biomass (t/ha)<br />

400<br />

300<br />

200<br />

P<strong>in</strong>us silvestris<br />

Larix decidua<br />

P<strong>in</strong>us cembra<br />

Picea excelsa<br />

100<br />

0<br />

0<br />

400<br />

Year<br />

800<br />

1200<br />

600<br />

Davos<br />

(E/P)<br />

500<br />

Biomass (t/ha)<br />

400<br />

300<br />

200<br />

Abies alba<br />

Populus nigra<br />

P<strong>in</strong>us silvestris<br />

Larix decidua<br />

P<strong>in</strong>us cembra<br />

Picea excelsa<br />

100<br />

0<br />

0<br />

400<br />

Year<br />

800<br />

1200<br />

Fig. 4.8: Average species composition from 200 forest patches simulated by <strong>the</strong> comb<strong>in</strong>ed FOR-<br />

CLIM-E/P model, assum<strong>in</strong>g a nutrient-rich soil at <strong>the</strong> sites Bever (sou<strong>the</strong>rn slope, top) and Davos<br />

(bottom).

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