Abstract
Regeneration potential of different Scots pine and Norway spruce provenances under variable drought Rising temperatures will lead to extended periods of summer drought, which may challenge the persistence of Scots pine and Norway spruce in dry alpine valleys where these species play an important role in the protection against natural hazards. We tested whether the natural regeneration of the two species in the Rhine valley near Chur, Switzerland, might be limited under future climatic conditions and we compared the performance of autochthonous provenances with that of seedlings originating from regions with already drier summer climate such as the Rhone valley, continental Eastern Europe or the Mediterranean basin. Seeds of Scots pine and Norway spruce were sown repeatedly in forest clearings at three south-exposed sites in the Rhine valley near Chur, Switzerland. Soil moisture was manipulated to a minor extent with throughfall reduction roofs. In both species, regeneration success was primarily driven by the weather conditions during the three months following seed sowing: the seedlings having emerged in the rainy spring of 2013 had a higher survival rate and accumulated up to five times more aboveground biomass than the seedlings emerging in the dry spring of 2011. In years with an average or even positive water balance, Scots pine seedlings were able to establish at all sites. In Norway spruce, by contrast, establishment rate exceeded 10% of viable seeds only at the site with the highest water retention capacity. In years with a positive water balance during spring, the seedlings from the Rhine and Rhone valleys outperformed those from most Mediterranean and Eastern European provenances, while no differences between provenances were found in the dry spring of 2011. We suggest that periodical regeneration of Scots pine will be likely in the Rhine valley even under future climatic conditions, whereas the establishment of Norway spruce may remain an exceptional event in dry, south-exposed clearings.
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Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
Scots pine seedlings emerging in the rainy spring of 2013 had a higher survival rate than those emerging in the dry spring of 2011.
- Taxon
- Scots pine
Pinus sylvestrise2 - Treatment
- emerged in the rainy spring of 2013e1
- Outcome
- survival ratee1
- Direction
- highere1
- Comparator
- seedlings emerging in the dry spring of 2011e1
- Setting
- Rhine valley near Chur, Switzerlande2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“Seeds of Scots pine and Norway spruce were sown repeatedly in forest clearings at three south-exposed sites in the Rhine valley near Chur, Switzerland”
e1“the seedlings having emerged in the rainy spring of 2013 had a higher survival rate and accumulated up to five times more aboveground biomass than the seedlings emerging in the dry spring of 2011”
Claim · model-written summary
Norway spruce seedlings emerging in the rainy spring of 2013 had a higher survival rate than those emerging in the dry spring of 2011.
- Taxon
- Norway spruce
Picea abiese2 - Treatment
- emerged in the rainy spring of 2013e1
- Outcome
- survival ratee1
- Direction
- highere1
- Comparator
- seedlings emerging in the dry spring of 2011e1
- Setting
- Rhine valley near Chur, Switzerlande2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“Seeds of Scots pine and Norway spruce were sown repeatedly in forest clearings at three south-exposed sites in the Rhine valley near Chur, Switzerland”
e1“the seedlings having emerged in the rainy spring of 2013 had a higher survival rate and accumulated up to five times more aboveground biomass than the seedlings emerging in the dry spring of 2011”
Claim · model-written summary
Scots pine seedlings from the rainy spring of 2013 accumulated up to five times more aboveground biomass than those from the dry spring of 2011.
- Taxon
- Scots pinePinus sylvestrise2
- Treatment
- emerged in the rainy spring of 2013e1
- Outcome
- aboveground biomasse1
- Direction
- accumulated up to five times moree1
- Value
- five timese1
- Comparator
- seedlings emerging in the dry spring of 2011e1
- Setting
- Rhine valley near Chur, Switzerlande2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“Seeds of Scots pine and Norway spruce were sown repeatedly in forest clearings at three south-exposed sites in the Rhine valley near Chur, Switzerland”
e1“the seedlings having emerged in the rainy spring of 2013 had a higher survival rate and accumulated up to five times more aboveground biomass than the seedlings emerging in the dry spring of 2011”
Claim · model-written summary
Norway spruce seedlings from the rainy spring of 2013 accumulated up to five times more aboveground biomass than those from the dry spring of 2011.
- Taxon
- Norway sprucePicea abiese2
- Treatment
- emerged in the rainy spring of 2013e1
- Outcome
- aboveground biomasse1
- Direction
- accumulated up to five times moree1
- Value
- five timese1
- Comparator
- seedlings emerging in the dry spring of 2011e1
- Setting
- Rhine valley near Chur, Switzerlande2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“Seeds of Scots pine and Norway spruce were sown repeatedly in forest clearings at three south-exposed sites in the Rhine valley near Chur, Switzerland”
e1“the seedlings having emerged in the rainy spring of 2013 had a higher survival rate and accumulated up to five times more aboveground biomass than the seedlings emerging in the dry spring of 2011”
Claim · model-written summary
Scots pine seedlings were able to establish at all sites in years with an average or even positive water balance.
- Taxon
- Scots pinePinus sylvestrise3
- Outcome
- establish at all sitese3
- Qualifier
- an average or even positive water balancee3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e3“In years with an average or even positive water balance, Scots pine seedlings were able to establish at all sites”
Claim · model-written summary
Norway spruce establishment rate exceeded 10% of viable seeds only at the site with the highest water retention capacity.
- Taxon
- Norway sprucePicea abiese4
- Outcome
- establishment ratee4
- Value
- 10%e4
- Setting
- the site with the highest water retention capacitye4
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e4“In Norway spruce, by contrast, establishment rate exceeded 10% of viable seeds only at the site with the highest water retention capacity”
Claim · model-written summary
In years with a positive spring water balance, Scots pine seedlings from the Rhine and Rhone valleys outperformed those from most Mediterranean and Eastern European provenances.
- Taxon
- Scots pinePinus sylvestrise2
- Treatment
- from the Rhine and Rhone valleyse5
- Outcome
- outperformede5
- Direction
- outperformede5
- Comparator
- those from most Mediterranean and Eastern European provenancese5
- Setting
- Rhine valley near Chur, Switzerlande2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“Seeds of Scots pine and Norway spruce were sown repeatedly in forest clearings at three south-exposed sites in the Rhine valley near Chur, Switzerland”
e5“In years with a positive water balance during spring, the seedlings from the Rhine and Rhone valleys outperformed those from most Mediterranean and Eastern European provenances”
Claim · model-written summary
In years with a positive spring water balance, Norway spruce seedlings from the Rhine and Rhone valleys outperformed those from most Mediterranean and Eastern European provenances.
- Taxon
- Norway sprucePicea abiese2
- Treatment
- from the Rhine and Rhone valleyse5
- Outcome
- outperformede5
- Direction
- outperformede5
- Comparator
- those from most Mediterranean and Eastern European provenancese5
- Setting
- Rhine valley near Chur, Switzerlande2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“Seeds of Scots pine and Norway spruce were sown repeatedly in forest clearings at three south-exposed sites in the Rhine valley near Chur, Switzerland”
e5“In years with a positive water balance during spring, the seedlings from the Rhine and Rhone valleys outperformed those from most Mediterranean and Eastern European provenances”
Claim · model-written summary
No differences between Scots pine provenances were found in the dry spring of 2011.
- Taxon
- Scots pinePinus sylvestrise2
- Outcome
- differences between provenancese6
- Qualifier
- dry spring of 2011e6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“Seeds of Scots pine and Norway spruce were sown repeatedly in forest clearings at three south-exposed sites in the Rhine valley near Chur, Switzerland”
e6“while no differences between provenances were found in the dry spring of 2011”
Claim · model-written summary
No differences between Norway spruce provenances were found in the dry spring of 2011.
- Taxon
- Norway sprucePicea abiese2
- Outcome
- differences between provenancese6
- Qualifier
- dry spring of 2011e6
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e2“Seeds of Scots pine and Norway spruce were sown repeatedly in forest clearings at three south-exposed sites in the Rhine valley near Chur, Switzerland”
e6“while no differences between provenances were found in the dry spring of 2011”
Claim · model-written summary
Periodical regeneration of Scots pine will likely occur in the Rhine valley even under future climatic conditions.
- Taxon
- Scots pinePinus sylvestrise7
- Outcome
- periodical regeneratione7
- Qualifier
- even under future climatic conditionse7
- Setting
- the Rhine valleye7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e7“periodical regeneration of Scots pine will be likely in the Rhine valley even under future climatic conditions”
Claim · model-written summary
Establishment of Norway spruce may remain an exceptional event in dry, south-exposed clearings.
- Taxon
- Norway sprucePicea abiese1
- Outcome
- establishmente1
- Qualifier
- an exceptional evente1
- Setting
- dry, south-exposed clearingse1
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“the establishment of Norway spruce may remain an exceptional event in dry, south-exposed clearings”
The same questions in other papers
rainfall · growth · Pinus sylvestris (Scots pine)Positive and negative results
2 papers in the same direction as this paper · 2 in the opposite direction
- negative
- negative
- positive
1 paper more in this group
See all 5 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.