The upward shift in altitude of pine mistletoe (Viscum album ssp austriacum) in Switzerland - the result of climate warming?
Matthias Dobbertin, Nadine Hilker, Martine Rebetez, Niklaus E Zimmermann, Thomas Wohlgemuth & Andreas Rigling
| Résumé |
Pine mistletoe (Viscum album ssp. austriacum) is common in natural
Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) forests in the alpine Rhone
Valley, Switzerland. This semi-parasite, which is regarded as an
indicator species for temperature, increases the drought stress on
trees and may contribute to the observed pine decline in the
region. We recorded mistletoes on representative plots of the Swiss
National Forest Inventory ranging from 450 to 1,550 m a.s.l. We
found mistletoe on 37% of the trees and on 56% of all plots. Trees
infested with mistletoe had a significantly higher mortality rate
than non-infested trees. We compared the current mistletoe
occurrence with records from a survey in 1910. The current upper
limit, 1,250 m, is roughly 200 m above the limit of 1,000-1,100 m
found in the earlier survey 100 years ago. Applying a spatial model
to meteorological data we obtained monthly mean temperatures for all
sites. In a logistic regression mean winter temperature, pine
proportion and geographic exposition significantly explained
mistletoe occurrence. Using mean monthly January and July
temperatures for 1961-1990, we calculated Skre's plant respiration
equivalent (RE) and regressed it against elevation to obtain the RE
value at the current mistletoe elevation limit. We used this RE
value and temperature from 1870-1899 in the regression and found
the past elevation limit to be at 1,060 m, agreeing with the 1910
survey. For the predicted temperature rise by 2030, the limit for
mistletoe would increase above 1,600 m altitude. |
| Mots-clés |
pine mistletoe, respiration equivalent, logistic regression, pine, decline, climate change, TREE MORTALITY, DWARF MISTLETOE, TEMPERATURE, GROWTH, STANDS, 20TH-CENTURY, COLORADO, RING |
| Citation | Dobbertin, M., Hilker, N., Rebetez, M., Zimmermann, N. E., Wohlgemuth, T., & Rigling, A. (2005). The upward shift in altitude of pine mistletoe (Viscum album ssp austriacum) in Switzerland - the result of climate warming?. International Journal of Biometeorology, 50(1), 40-47. |
| Type | Article de périodique (Français) |
| Date de publication | 2005 |
| Nom du périodique | International Journal of Biometeorology |
| Volume | 50 |
| Numéro | 1 |
| Pages | 40-47 |