Search the repository

A+ | A- | | SLO | ENG

Abstract: Silver fir is a long-living ecologically valuable and indigenous conifer species. In temperate forests it is considered as a ˝stabilization tree species˝. Currently, knowledge of silver fir ectomycorrhiza community is manly based on morphological-anatomical description of ectomycorrhizal fungi and their fruiting bodies. Only recently few studies were published in which authors identified ectomycorrhizal symbionts of silver fir with an aid of molecular (DNA-based) markers. We analysed the silver fir ectomycorrhiza diversity and species richness from different geographic areas and stand types. From all together nine original studies we calculated average species richness as well as a Bray-Curtis similarity index. The highest species diversity was observed in studies where a combination of morphological-anatomical and molecular approaches were used for identification. Bray-Curtis similarity index indicated highest dissimilarity of the southern sites comparing to other areas. We correlated the observed outcome to differences in soil conditions, climate, and only basic identification approach.
Keywords: silver fir, ectomycorrhiza, literature review, community composition, site conditions, species diversity, species richness
Published in DiRROS: 28.01.2026; Views: 205; Downloads: 100
Full text (312,78 KB)
This document has many files! More...

Abstract: Understanding competition between trees is essential for sustainable forest management as interactions between trees in uneven-aged mixed forests play a key role in growth dynamics. This study investigated nine competition indices (CIs) for their suitability to model the effects of neighboring trees on silver fir (Abies alba) growth in Dinaric silver fir-European beech (Fagus sylvatica) forests. Although numerous competition indices have been developed, there is still limited consensus on their applicability in different forest types, especially in mature, structurally complex forest stands. The indices were evaluated using the adjusted coefficient of determination in a linear model wherein the volume growth of the last five years for 60 dominant silver fir trees was modeled as a function of tree volume and competition index. The results demonstrated that distance-dependent indices (e.g., the Hegyi height-distance competition and Rouvinen-Kuuluvainen diameter-distance competition indices), which consider the distance to competitors and their size, perform better than distance-independent indices. Using the optimization procedure in calculating the competition indices, only neighboring trees at a distance of up to 26-fold the diameter at breast height (DBH) of the selected tree (optimal search radius) and with a DBH of at least 20% of that of the target tree (optimal DBH) were considered competitors. Therefore, competition significantly influences the growth of dominant silver firs even in older age classes. The model based solely on tree volume explained 32.5% of the variability in volume growth, while the model that accounted for competition explained 64%. Optimizing the optimal search radius had a greater impact on model performance than optimizing the DBH threshold. This emphasizes the importance of balancing stand density and competition in silvicultural practice.
Keywords: sustainable forest management, Dinaric silver fir-European beech forests, Competition indices, CIs, optimal search distance, optimal diameter at breast height, DBH
Published in DiRROS: 05.06.2025; Views: 657; Downloads: 393
Full text (8,69 MB)
This document has many files! More...

Abstract: The ectomycorrhizal symbionts of silver fir have rarely been analyzed and identified, so little is known about their diversity and distribution. The aim of this study was (1) to analyze the diversity of ectomycorrhizal fungal species in three geographically distinct forest stands of Abies alba and (2) to demonstrate the high temporal variability of the ectomycorrhizal community over two consecutive growing seasons using repeated monthly sampling. Root samples were taken every month during two growing seasons in three silver fir-dominated forest stands. The ectomycorrhizal root tips were first assigned to a morphotype based on morphological characteristics and then identified by sequencing the internal transcribed spacer region. Alpha and beta diversity differed significantly between all three study sites, with the most diverse and even ectomycorrhizal community described in plot Jelovški boršt. The diversity indices over the growing season were different at two of the three study sites, supporting the idea of a fluctuation of ectomycorrhizal taxa during the growing seasons of the two consecutive years. While significant temporal variability was only confirmed for certain ectomycorrhizal taxa, there were no significant changes in the ectomycorrhizal community in general. Thus, we confirmed the high spatial but low temporal variability of the ectomycorrhizal community associated with silver fir.
Keywords: ectomycorrhizal community, spatiotemporal variation, silver fir, fungal diversity, forest, root-associated fungi
Published in DiRROS: 31.01.2025; Views: 641; Downloads: 453
Full text (1,39 MB)
This document has many files! More...

Keywords: climate-growth limitation, VS model, Carpathians, climate change, silver fir, European beech
Published in DiRROS: 03.09.2024; Views: 1072; Downloads: 651
Full text (1,13 MB)

Abstract: Predicting global change mitigations based on environmental variables, like temperature and water availability, although yielding insightful hypothesis still lacks the integration of environmental responses. Physiological limits should be assessed to obtain a complete representation of a species’ fundamental niche. Detailed ecophysiological studies on the response of trees along the latitudinal gradient are rare. They could shed light on the behaviour under different light intensities and other studied traits. The forests of the Dinaric Mountains and the Carpathians represent the largest contiguous forest complexes in south-eastern Europe. In uneven-aged Carpathian (8 plots) and Dinaric Mountain (11 plots) forests, net assimilation (Amax) and maximum quantum yield (Φ) were measured for beech and fir in three predefined light intensity categories according to the indirect site factor (ISF%) obtained by the analysis of hemispherical photographs in managed and old growth forests, all located above 800 m a.s.l. The measurements were carried out under fixed environmental conditions in each light category per plot for three consecutive years. Data from the last 50-year average period from the CRU TS 4.01 dataset were used for the comparison between Amax, Φ, and climate. The highest Φ for beech were observed in the central part of the Dinaric Mountains and in the south westernmost and northwesternmost part of the Carpathians for both beech and fir, while they were highest for fir in the Dinaric Mountains in the northwesternmost part of the study area. The Φ-value of beech decreased in both complexes with increasing mean annual temperature and was highest in the open landscape. For fir in the Carpathians, Φ decreased with increasing mean annual temperature, while in the Dinaric Mountains it increased with higher temperature and showed a more scattered response compared to the Carpathians. Short-term ecophysiological responses of beech and fir were consistent to long-term radial growth observations observed on same locations. The results may provide a basis and an indication of the future response of two tree species in their biogeographical range to climate change in terms of competitiveness, existence and consequently forest management decisions.
Keywords: silver fir, beech, light response, Carpathian Mountains, Dinaric Mountains, temperature, precipitation
Published in DiRROS: 08.05.2024; Views: 1326; Downloads: 1060
Full text (1,56 MB)
This document has many files! More...