Early performance of two tropical dry forest species after assisted migration to pine–oak forests at different altitudes: strategic response to climate change

• Published in: Journal of forestry research 2020-08, Vol.31 (4), p.1215-1223
• Main Authors: Gómez-Ruiz, Pilar Angélica, Sáenz-Romero, Cuauhtémoc, Lindig-Cisneros, Roberto
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptive management; Altitude; Assisted migration; Biological diversity conservation; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Ceiba aesculifolia; Climate change; Climate effects; Climatic conditions; Cold weather; Coniferous forests; Deciduous forests; Deforestation; Dry forests; Ecosystems; Environmental aspects; Environmental changes; Extinction (Biology); Forest ecosystems; Forest management; Forestry; Forests; Geographical distribution; Germination; Global temperature changes; Land use; Life Sciences; Local extinction; Migratory species; Original Paper; Population decline; Seed germination; Seedlings; Species; Survival; Trees; Tropical forests; Weather
• ISSN: 1007-662X; 1993-0607
• DOI: 10.1007/s11676-019-00973-2

Assisted migration has been proposed as a strategy for adaptive management of forest species in response to expected effects of climate change, but it is controversial for several reasons. Tropical dry forests are among the most threatened ecosystems in the world. In Mexico, historically, land-use change and deforestation have been decreasing forest cover, and climate change is shifting the potential distribution of different forest types, exacerbating the risk of local extinctions. Assisted altitudinal migration could be a feasible strategy for reducing local extinctions in response to climate change and lack of landscape connectivity. Our objective was to evaluate survival and growth of Albizia plurijuga and Ceiba aesculifolia , two tropical deciduous forests species in Mexico. We transplanted 4-month-old seedlings to experimental raised beds at three altitudes (2100, 2400 and 2700 m a.s.l.), exceeding their upper regional limit of distribution (2000 m a.s.l.). We also tested seed germination at each altitude. We monitored the experiment for 10 months. For both species, as altitude increased and cold weather was more prevalent, plant performance declined. Within species, differences in individual growth were significant among altitudes. Overall survival was 18.5% for A. plurijuga and 24.5% for C. aesculifolia . Both species had higher survival and better growth at lower altitude, and no seedling emergence at any altitude. We conclude that assisted migration can be implemented for each species by an upward attitudinal shift within, and not exceeding, 400 m beyond their present upper altitudinal limit of distribution. Our results indicate that for many species that show altitudinal gradients at regional scales, unless current climate conditions change, the potential to establish outside their range is minimal.