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

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22 Chapter 2<br />

500<br />

Bern<br />

Biomass (t/ha)<br />

400<br />

300<br />

200<br />

100<br />

0<br />

7500<br />

8000<br />

8500 9000<br />

Simulation year<br />

9500<br />

10000<br />

Tilia platyphyllos<br />

Ulmus scabra<br />

Frax<strong>in</strong>us excelsior<br />

Acer platanoides<br />

Acer pseudoplatanus<br />

Carp<strong>in</strong>us betulus<br />

Fagus silvatica<br />

Picea excelsa<br />

Abies alba<br />

Fig. 2.6: Excerpt from <strong>the</strong> time series <strong>of</strong> cumulative species-specific biomass <strong>of</strong> a s<strong>in</strong>gle<br />

forest patch at <strong>the</strong> site Bern.<br />

A plot show<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> cyclical behaviour <strong>of</strong> total tree numbers aga<strong>in</strong>st leaf area <strong>in</strong>dex at <strong>the</strong><br />

site Bern is given <strong>in</strong> Fig. 2.3. The cross-correlation function (Fig. 2.4) and <strong>the</strong> spectrum<br />

<strong>of</strong> tree numbers (Fig. 2.5) suggest that <strong>the</strong> typical cycle length <strong>in</strong> this forest is<br />

around 100-140 years, i.e. less than at Davos. This is due to <strong>the</strong> shorter average lifespan<br />

<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> dom<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g species at <strong>the</strong> site Bern, such as Fagus silvatica.<br />

How long does <strong>the</strong> memory <strong>of</strong> species-specific biomass values and tree numbers last? At<br />

both sites, <strong>the</strong> autocorrelation functions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se variables drop below significant thresholds<br />

at lags smaller than 300 years (cf. Fig. 2.7 for an example). For <strong>the</strong> dom<strong>in</strong>at<strong>in</strong>g<br />

species at <strong>the</strong> site Bern, <strong>the</strong> largest significant lag is 230 years, and for most species-spe-<br />

1.0 Fagus silvatica biomass<br />

ACF<br />

0.5<br />

0.0<br />

-0.5<br />

0<br />

100<br />

200<br />

Lag<br />

300<br />

(years)<br />

400<br />

500<br />

Fig. 2.7: Autocorrelation function (ACF) <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> biomass <strong>of</strong> Fagus silvatica at Bern. The<br />

dotted l<strong>in</strong>es <strong>in</strong>dicate <strong>the</strong> 95% confidence limits for ACF = 0.

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