Academic literature on the topic 'Forest resilience – Climatic factors'
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Journal articles on the topic "Forest resilience – Climatic factors"
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Magruder, Matthew, Sophan Chhin, Brian Palik, and John B. Bradford. "Thinning increases climatic resilience of red pine." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 43, no. 9 (September 2013): 878–89. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2013-0088.
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Forest management techniques such as intermediate stand-tending practices (e.g., thinning) can promote climatic resiliency in forest stands by moderating tree competition. Residual trees gain increased access to environmental resources (i.e., soil moisture, light), which in turn has the potential to buffer trees from stressful climatic conditions. The influences of climate (temperature and precipitation) and forest management (thinning method and intensity) on the productivity of red pine (Pinus resinosa Ait.) in Michigan were examined to assess whether repeated thinning treatments were able to increase climatic resiliency (i.e., maintaining productivity and reduced sensitivity to climatic stress). The cumulative productivity of each thinning treatment was determined, and it was found that thinning from below to a residual basal area of 14 m2·ha−1 produced the largest average tree size but also the second lowest overall biomass per acre. On the other hand, the uncut control and the thinning from above to a residual basal area of 28 m2·ha−1 produced the smallest average tree size but also the greatest overall biomass per acre. Dendrochronological methods were used to quantify sensitivity of annual radial growth to monthly and seasonal climatic factors for each thinning treatment type. Climatic sensitivity was influenced by thinning method (i.e., thinning from below decreased sensitivity to climatic stress more than thinning from above) and by thinning intensity (i.e., more intense thinning led to a lower climatic sensitivity). Overall, thinning from below to a residual basal area of 21 m2·ha−1 represented a potentially beneficial compromise to maximize tree size, biomass per acre, and reduced sensitivity to climatic stress, and, thus, the highest level of climatic resilience.
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Galdina, Tat'yana, and Ekaterina Hazova. "INFLUENCE OF CLIMATIC AND GEOGRAPHIC FACTORS ON THE SCOTS PINE ADAPTABILITY." Forestry Engineering Journal 10, no. 3 (October 2, 2020): 35–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.34220/issn.2222-7962/2020.3/4.
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Scotch pine is a widespread species that can adapt to various growing conditions. It is important to trace the patterns of adaptability of the species to xeromorphic conditions, which makes it possible to reasonably expand the boundaries of this plant growing and create conditions for obtaining high-quality pine wood. Comparative anatomical studies of Pinus sylvestris L. needle in natural pine forests have been carried out: zone of broad-leaved forests (Bryansk region), southern forest steppe (Voronezh region), dry steppe (Volgograd region) and in provenances of Bryansk, Voronezh, Volgograd origin, growing in the same conditions of the central forest-steppe. As a result of our studies, anatomical variability of needle organs was revealed when moving to arid conditions, which indicates the adaptive response of the species. Studies of the provenances of Scots pine ecotypes from the zone of deciduous forests, southern forest-steppe and dry steppe, have made it possible to note that morphological and anatomical structure of needles changes to local ecotypes. However, it was noted that regularity of differences in morphological and anatomical structure of needles, observed in different forest conditions, is also traced in geographical cultures of different origins (Bryansk, Voronezh and Volgograd). Thus, structural adaptation of the species to the new growing conditions occurs, but genetic regularity of the subspecies remains, which reflects the duration and intensity of growth of all the plant organs. Genetic indicators (in general) determine the productivity and resilience of plantings.
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Plumpton, Heather J., Francis E. Mayle, and Bronwen S. Whitney. "Long-term impacts of mid-Holocene drier climatic conditions on Bolivian tropical dry forests." Quaternary Research 93 (October 28, 2019): 204–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/qua.2019.55.
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AbstractThe Bolivian Chiquitano dry forest is the largest block of intact seasonally dry tropical forest in South America and is a priority ecoregion for conservation due to its high threat status. However, the long-term impacts of drier climatic conditions on tropical dry forests are not well understood, despite climate models predicting increased droughts over Bolivia in the coming century. In this paper, we assess the impacts of drier climatic conditions during the mid-Holocene on the Bolivian Chiquitano tropical dry forest using fossilised pollen, phytoliths, macro-charcoal, and geochemical proxies from a sediment core from a large lake (Laguna Mandioré) on the Bolivia–Brazil border. Our results show that drier climatic conditions during the mid-Holocene caused a local-scale, ecotonal expansion of upland savannah at the expense of dry forest. Interaction between drier climatic conditions and fire regime likely exerted a stronger control over the position of the dry forest–savannah ecotone than edaphic factors. However, the majority of the dry forest within the lake catchment maintained a closed canopy throughout the drier conditions of the mid-Holocene, despite floristic turnover towards more drought-tolerant taxa. These findings imply overall resilience of the Chiquitano dry forest biome to future drought, albeit with floristic changes and upland savannah encroachment at ecotones.
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Adolf, C., C. Tovar, N. Kühn, H. Behling, J. C. Berrío, G. Dominguez-Vázquez, B. Figueroa-Rangel, et al. "Identifying drivers of forest resilience in long-term records from the Neotropics." Biology Letters 16, no. 4 (April 2020): 20200005. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2020.0005.
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Here, we use 30 long-term, high-resolution palaeoecological records from Mexico, Central and South America to address two hypotheses regarding possible drivers of resilience in tropical forests as measured in terms of recovery rates from previous disturbances. First, we hypothesize that faster recovery rates are associated with regions of higher biodiversity, as suggested by the insurance hypothesis. And second, that resilience is due to intrinsic abiotic factors that are location specific, thus regions presently displaying resilience in terms of persistence to current climatic disturbances should also show higher recovery rates in the past. To test these hypotheses, we applied a threshold approach to identify past disturbances to forests within each sequence. We then compared the recovery rates to these events with pollen richness before the event. We also compared recovery rates of each site with a measure of present resilience in the region as demonstrated by measuring global vegetation persistence to climatic perturbations using satellite imagery. Preliminary results indeed show a positive relationship between pre-disturbance taxonomic richness and faster recovery rates. However, there is less evidence to support the concept that resilience is intrinsic to a region; patterns of resilience apparent in ecosystems presently are not necessarily conservative through time.
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Luo, Xu, Hong He, Yu Liang, Jacob Fraser, and Jialin Li. "Mitigating the Effects of Climate Change through Harvesting and Planting in Boreal Forests of Northeastern China." Sustainability 10, no. 10 (October 1, 2018): 3531. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/su10103531.
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The ecological resilience of boreal forests is an important element of measuring forest ecosystem capacity recovered from a disturbance, and is sensitive to broad-scale factors (e.g., climate change, fire disturbance and human related impacts). Therefore, quantifying the effects of these factors is increasingly important for forest ecosystem management. In this study, we investigated the impacts of climate change, climate-induced fire regimes, and forest management schemes on forest ecological resilience using a forest landscape model in the boreal forests of the Great Xing’an Mountains, Northeastern China. First, we simulated the effects of the three studied variables on forest aboveground biomass, growing space occupied, age cohort structure, and the proportion of mid and late-seral species indicators by using the LANDIS PRO model. Second, we calculated ecological resilience based on these four selected indicators. We designed five simulated scenarios: Current fire only scenario, increased fire occurrence only scenario, climate change only scenario, climate-induced fire regime scenario, and climate-fire-management scenario. We analyzed ecological resilience over the five scenarios from 2000 to 2300. The results indicated that the initialized stand density and basal area information from the year 2000 adequately represented the real forest landscape of that year, and no significant difference was found between the simulated landscape of year 2010 and the forest inventory data of that year at the landscape scale. The simulated fire disturbance results were consistent with field inventory data in burned areas. Compared to the current fire regime scenario, forests where fire occurrence increased by 30% had an increase in ecological resilience of 12.4–43.2% at the landscape scale, whereas increasing fire occurrence by 200% would decrease the ecological resilience by 2.5–34.3% in all simulated periods. Under the low climate-induced fire regime scenario, the ecological resilience was 12.3–26.7% higher than that in the reference scenario across all simulated periods. Under the high climate-induced fire regime scenario, the ecological resilience decreased significantly by 30.3% and 53.1% in the short- and medium-terms at landscape scale, while increasing slightly by 3.8% in the long-term period compared to the reference scenario. Compared to no forest management scenario, ecological resilience was decreased by 5.8–32.4% under all harvesting and planting strategies for the low climate-induced fire regime scenario, and only the medium and high planting intensity scenarios visibly increased the ecological resilience (1.7–15.8%) under the high climate-induced fire regime scenario at the landscape scale. Results from our research provided insight into the future forest management and have implications for improving boreal forest sustainability.
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Yan, Haiming, Jinyan Zhan, Bing Liu, Wei Huang, and Zhihui Li. "Spatially Explicit Assessment of Ecosystem Resilience: An Approach to Adapt to Climate Changes." Advances in Meteorology 2014 (2014): 1–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/798428.
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The ecosystem resilience plays a key role in maintaining a steady flow of ecosystem services and enables quick and flexible responses to climate changes, and maintaining or restoring the ecosystem resilience of forests is a necessary societal adaptation to climate change; however, there is a great lack of spatially explicit ecosystem resilience assessments. Drawing on principles of the ecosystem resilience highlighted in the literature, we built on the theory of dissipative structures to develop a conceptual model of the ecosystem resilience of forests. A hierarchical indicator system was designed with the influencing factors of the forest ecosystem resilience, including the stand conditions and the ecological memory, which were further disaggregated into specific indicators. Furthermore, indicator weights were determined with the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and the coefficient of variation method. Based on the remote sensing data and forest inventory data and so forth, the resilience index of forests was calculated. The result suggests that there is significant spatial heterogeneity of the ecosystem resilience of forests, indicating it is feasible to generate large-scale ecosystem resilience maps with this assessment model, and the results can provide a scientific basis for the conservation of forests, which is of great significance to the climate change mitigation.
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Mensah, Caleb, Ladislav Šigut, Milan Fischer, Lenka Foltýnová, Georg Jocher, Otmar Urban, Cosmos Senyo Wemegah, et al. "Environmental Effects on Normalized Gross Primary Productivity in Beech and Norway Spruce Forests." Atmosphere 12, no. 9 (September 1, 2021): 1128. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/atmos12091128.
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The strong effects of climate change are expected to negatively impact the long-term resilience and function of forest ecosystems, which could lead to changes in forest carbon balance and productivity. However, these forest responses may vary with local conditions and forest types. Accordingly, this study was carried out to determine gross primary productivity (GPP) sensitivity to changes in environmental parameters. Central European beech (at Štítná) and spruce species (at Bílý Kr̆íz̆ and Rájec), growing under contrasting climatic conditions, were studied. The comparative analyses of GPP were based on a five-year-long dataset of eddy covariance fluxes during the main growing season (2012–2016). Results of forest GPP responses with changes in environmental factors from a traditional Stepwise multiple linear regression model (SMLR) were used and compared with Random forest (RF) analyses. To demonstrate how actual GPP trends compare to potential GPP (GPPpot) courses expected under near-optimal environmental conditions, we computed normalized GPP (GPPnorm) with values between 0 and 1 as the ratio of the estimated daily sum of GPP to GPPpot. The study confirmed the well-known effect of total intensity of the photosynthetically active radiation and its diffuse fraction on GPPnorm across all the forest types. However, the study also showed the secondary effects of other environmental variables on forest productivity depending on the species and local climatic conditions. The reduction in forest productivity at the beech forest in Štítná was presumed to be mainly induced by edaphic drought (anisohydric behaviour). In contrast, reduced forest productivity at the spruce forest sites was presumably induced by both meteorological and hydrological drought events, especially at the moderately dry climate in Rájec. Overall, our analyses call for more studies on forest productivity across different forest types and contrasting climatic conditions, as this productivity is strongly dependent on species type and site-specific environmental conditions.
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Gundale, Michael J., David A. Wardle, and Marie-Charlotte Nilsson. "The effect of altered macroclimate on N-fixation by boreal feather mosses." Biology Letters 8, no. 5 (June 13, 2012): 805–8. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2012.0429.
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Plant productivity is predicted to increase in boreal forests owing to climate change, but this may depend on whether N inputs from biological N-fixation also increases. We evaluated how alteration of climatic factors affects N input from a widespread boreal N-fixer, i.e. cyanobacteria associated with the feather moss Pleurozium schreberi . In each of 10 forest stands in northern Sweden, we established climate-change plots, including a control (ambient climate) plot and three plots experiencing a +2°C temperature increase, an approximately threefold reduction in precipitation frequency, and either 0.07, 0.29 or 1.16 times normal summer precipitation. We monitored N-fixation in these plots five times between 2007 and 2009, and three times in 2010 after climate treatments ended to assess their recovery. Warmer temperatures combined with less frequent precipitation reduced feather moss moisture content and N-fixation rates regardless of total precipitation. After climate treatments ended, recovery of N-fixation rates occurred on the scale of weeks to months, suggesting resilience of N-fixation to changes in climatic conditions. These results suggest that modelling of biological N-inputs in boreal forests should emphasize precipitation frequency and evaporative water loss in conjunction with elevated temperature rather than absolute changes in mean precipitation.
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Van Bogaert, Rik, Sylvie Gauthier, Frédéric Raulier, Jean-Pierre Saucier, Dominique Boucher, André Robitaille, and Yves Bergeron. "Exploring forest productivity at an early age after fire: a case study at the northern limit of commercial forests in Quebec." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 45, no. 5 (May 2015): 579–93. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/cjfr-2014-0273.
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Interest in northern forests is increasing worldwide for both timber production and climate change mitigation. Studies exploring forest productivity at an early age after fire and its determining factors are greatly needed. We studied forest productivity, defined as the combined quality of stocking and growth, of 116 10- to 30-year-old postfire sites. The sites were spread over a 90 000 km2 area north of the Quebec commercial forestry limit and were dominated by Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P. and Pinus banksiana Lamb. Seventy-two percent of our sites were classified as unproductive, mainly because of poor growth. Because growth was mostly determined by climatic factors, afforestation alone may not be sufficient to increase stand productivity in our study area. In addition, our results suggest that P. banksiana on dry sites may be less resilient to fire than previously thought, presumably because of poor site quality and climate. Overall, this is one of the first studies to explore productivity issues at an early age in natural northern forests, and the analysis scheme that defines forest productivity as the result of growth and stocking could provide a useful tool to identify similar issues elsewhere.
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Rodríguez-Ramírez, Ernesto C., Leccinum J. García-Morales, Othón Alcántara-Ayala, J. Antonio Vázquez-García, and Isolda Luna-Vega. "Leaf Vein Morphological Variation in Four Endangered Neotropical Magnolia Species along an Elevation Gradient in the Mexican Tropical Montane Cloud Forests." Plants 10, no. 12 (November 26, 2021): 2595. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/plants10122595.
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Climatic variations influence the adaptive capacity of trees within tropical montane cloud forests species. Phenology studies have dominated current studies on tree species. Leaf vein morphology has been related to specific climatic oscillations and varies within species along altitudinal gradients. We tested that certain Neotropical broad leaf Magnolia species might be more vulnerable to leaf vein adaptation to moisture than others, as they would be more resilient to the hydric deficit. We assessed that leaf vein trait variations (vein density, primary vein size, vein length, and leaf base angle) among four Magnolia species (Magnolia nuevoleonensis, M. alejandrae, M. rzedowskiana, and Magnolia vovidesii) through the Mexican Tropical montane cloud forest with different elevation gradient and specific climatic factors. The temperature, precipitation, and potential evaporation differed significantly among Magnolia species. We detected that M. rzedowskiana and M. vovidesii with longer leaves at higher altitude sites are adapted to higher humidity conditions, and that M. nuevoleonensis and M. alejandrae inhabiting lower altitude sites are better adjusted to the hydric deficit. Our results advance efforts to identify the Magnolia species most vulnerable to climate change effects, which must focus priorities for conservation of this ecosystem, particularly in the Mexican tropical montane cloud forests.
Dissertations / Theses on the topic "Forest resilience – Climatic factors"
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Duveneck, Matthew Joshua. "Managing for Resistance and Resilience of Northern Great Lakes Forests to the Effects of Climate Change." PDXScholar, 2014. https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/open_access_etds/1551.
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Climate change is expected to drastically change the environmental conditions which forests depend. Lags in tree species movements will likely be outpaced by a more rapidly changing climate. This may result in species extirpation, a change in forest structure, and a decline in resistance and resilience (i.e., the ability to persist and recover from external perturbations, respectively). In the northern Great Lakes region of North America, an ecotone exists along the boreal-temperate transition zone where large changes in species composition exist across a climate gradient. Increasing temperatures are observed in the more southern landscapes. As climate change is expected to substantially affect mid-continental landscapes, this region is especially vulnerable to climate change. My research assessed the effects of climate change under business as usual (BAU) management as well as alternative management strategies. To do so, I simulated forest change in two landscapes (northeastern Minnesota and northern lower Michigan) under three climate change scenarios (current climate, low emissions, and high emissions), and four management scenarios (BAU, modified silviculture, expanded reserves, and climate suitable planting) with a spatially-explicit forest simulation model from year 2000 to year 2150. Specifically, I explored how climate change would affect relationships between tree species diversity and productivity; how expanded reserves and modified silviculture may affect aboveground biomass (AGB) and species diversity; how climate suitable planting may affect functional diversity, and AGB; and how alternative management may affect the resistance and resilience of forests to multiple disturbances interacting with climate change.
Under the BAU management scenario, I found that current and low emissions climate scenarios did not affect the relationship between species diversity and productivity; however, under a high emissions climate scenario, a decline in simulated productivity was coupled with a stronger positive relationship between diversity and productivity. Under the high emissions climate scenario, overall productivity declined in both landscapes with specific species declines projected for boreal species such as balsam fir (Abies balsamea) and black spruce (Picea mariana). Under alternative management scenarios, I simulated a limited ability to increase tree species and functional diversity, AGB, and net primary productivity under climate change. The limits of management were especially apparent under the high emissions climate scenario. In a novel approach to measuring resilience, I plotted the recovery of both initial species composition and AGB to stochastic fire events for each simulation. This approach assessed both a general response (i.e. AGB) with a more specific response (i.e. species composition). My results suggest that climate change will reduce the resilience of northern Great Lake forest AGB and species composition and that management effects will be largely outweighed by the declines expected due to climate change. My results highlight the necessity to consider even more innovative and creative solutions under climate change (e.g., planting species from even further south than I simulated).
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Nzante, Ekiyie. "Improving socio-ecological resilience strategies of climate change in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2011. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1018823.
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The Kyoto Protocol of UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) postulated that anthropogenic causes are the main drivers of global climate change. This Kyoto Protocol was ratified by South Africa, with South Africa accepting all the binding commitments. Since then South Africa has promulgated legislations which cater for the environment and the reduction of the greenhouse gases respectively, with the aim of promoting sustainable development. The South African constitution has recognised the environment in Section 24. This is the birth place of the “Environmental Clauses” which do not only speak to the national government but are also broken down to the provincial and local government. This study was grounded within the field of Development studies and undertook a case study of improving the socio-ecological resilience strategies of climate changes in Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole (NMBM). The study employed the use of semi-structure interviews whereby a questionnaire was used to guide the researcher in the interview process. A total of 23 officials were interviewed, ranging from governmental departments (municipality) through civil societies to private consultants, in order to avoid the generation of biases. The data obtained from respondents were presented, analysed, and discussed. From the data collected, it was possible to single out certain barriers to climate change resilience initiative in NMBM. Some of these barriers include the lack of awareness of climate change resilience issues, lack of political will, lack of funding, and the poor concern given to climate change issues since the municipality does not consider it a core issue. Based on the study findings, the main recommendation offered to NMBM was the creation of a Sustainable Development Framework, which will provide a perfect platform for development, acknowledge the threat posed by the negative effects of climate change, and enhance opportunities to execute climate change projects in NMBM.
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Hoppe-Speer, Sabine Clara-Lisa. "Response of mangroves in South Africa to anthropogenic and natural impacts." Thesis, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, 2012. http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1012123.
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The total mangrove area cover in South Africa is 1631.7 ha, with the largest area cover in a few estuaries in the KwaZulu-Natal Province (1391.1 ha) and the remainder recorded in the Eastern Cape Province with 240.6 ha. This represents 0.05 percent of Africa‟s mangrove area cover and although small adds irreplaceable value to the biodiversity of South Africa. Mangroves are threatened by over-utilization through harvesting for firewood and building materials as well as excessive browsing and trampling by livestock. The objective of this study was to investigate the response of mangroves to different stressors from natural change as well as anthropogenic pressures. This was done by identifying pressures, measuring area cover, population structure and environmental parameters such as sediment characteristics. Mangroves in 17 estuaries along the east coast were investigated. Population structure and the area covered by mangroves in 2011/2012 were compared with data from the same area for 1999. Detailed studies were conducted in St. Lucia Estuary to investigate the response of mangroves to reduced tidal flooding; mangrove expansion at a latitudinal limit in a protected area at Nahoon Estuary was studied and the effect of cattle browsing on mangroves was measured at Nxaxo Estuary. The St. Lucia Estuary (28°S; 32°E) represented a unique study site as the mouth has been closed to the sea since 2002 and the mangrove habitats have been non-tidal. St. Lucia Estuary is both a Ramsar and World Heritage site and therefore understanding the response of mangroves to changes in the environment is important. In 2010 sediment characteristics and mangrove population structure were measured at four sites which were chosen to represent different salinity and water level conditions. The site fringing the main channel had the highest density of mangrove seedlings and saplings. The dry site had a lower density of mangroves with mostly only tall adult trees and few saplings. Mangrove tree height and density increased at sites with high sediment moisture and low surface sediment salinity. Few seedlings and saplings were found at sites with dry surface sediment and high salinity. Long term data are needed to assess the influence of mouth closure on recruitment and survival of the mangrove forest at St. Lucia Estuary; however this study has shown that sediment characteristics are unfavourable for mangrove growth at sites now characterized by a lack of tidal flooding. It is not known when exactly the mangroves were planted in Nahoon Estuary (32°S; 27° E), East London, but it is suspected that this was in the early 1970s. Avicennia marina (Forrsk.)Vierh. was planted first, followed a few years later by the planting of Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (L.) Lam. and Rhizophora mucronata (L.) among the larger A. marina trees. Surprisingly the mangrove population appears to be thriving and this study tested the hypothesis that mangroves have expanded and replaced salt marsh over a 33 year period. This study provides important information on mangroves growing at higher latitudes, where they were thought to not occur naturally due to lower annual average temperatures. It further provides insights on future scenarios of possible shifts in vegetation types due to climate change at one of the most southerly distribution sites worldwide. The expansion of mangroves was measured over a 33 year period (1978 - 2011) using past aerial photographs and Esri ArcGIS Desktop 10 software. In addition, field surveys were completed in 2011 to determine the population structure of the present mangrove forest and relate this to environmental conditions. The study showed that mangrove area cover increased linearly at a rate of 0.06 ha-1 expanding over a bare mudflat area, while the salt marsh area cover also increased (0.09 ha-1) but was found to be variable over time. The mangrove area is still small (< 2 ha) and at present no competition between mangroves and salt marsh can be deduced. Instead the area has the ability to maintain high biodiversity and biomass. Avicennia marina was the dominant mangrove species and had high recruitment (seedling density was 33 822 ± 16 364 ha-1) but only a few Bruguiera gymnorrhiza and Rhizophora mucronata individuals were found (< 10 adult trees). The site provides opportunities for studies on mangrove / salt marsh interactions in response to a changing climate at the most southern limit of mangrove distribution in Africa. This research has provided the baseline data, permanent quadrats and tagged trees to be used in future long-term monitoring of population growth and sediment characteristics. At Nxaxo Estuary (32°S; 28°E) the response of mangrove trees (Avicennia marina) to cattle browsing and trampling was investigated by using cattle exclusion plots. Exclusion plots were established by fencing in five 25 m2 quadrats and adjacent to each experimental quadrat a control quadrat (not fenced in, 25 m2) was set-up. Trees were tagged and measured annually from 2010 to 2012. Sediment salinity, pH, moisture, organic content, compaction as well as sediment particle size was also measured in each quadrat. Sediment characteristics did not vary between control and experimental plots but did show changes between the years. The mangrove trees in the cattle exclusion plots grew exponentially over a period of two years. There was a significant increase in mean plant height (5.41 ± 0.53 cm), crown volume (0.54 ± 0.01 m3) and crown diameter (7.09 ± 0.60 cm) from 2010 to 2012. Trees in the control plots had significantly lower growth (p < 0.05). There was a decrease in plant height (-0.07 ± 0.67cm1) and only small increases in crown volume (0.14 ± 0.1 m3) and crown diameter (2.03 ± 2.61 cm). The research showed that browsing on mangroves by cattle stunts growth and causes a shrubby appearance as a result of coppicing. The browsed trees were dwarfed with horizontal spreading of branches and intact foliage close to the ground while the plants in the cattle exclusion plots showed an increase in vertical growth and expansion. In the cattle exclusion plots there was a significantly higher percentage of flowering (67 percent) and fruiting (39 percent) trees in 2012 compared to the control sites where 34 percent of the plants were flowering and 5.4 percent of the plants carried immature propagules. Observations in the field also indicated that cattle had trampled a number of seedlings thus influencing mangrove survival. The study concluded that browsing changes the morphological structure of mangrove trees and reduces growth and seedling establishment. This is an additional stress that the mangroves are exposed to in rural areas where cattle are allowed to roam free. Seventeen permanently open estuaries provide habitat for mangrove forests along the former Transkei coast. This part of the Eastern Cape is mostly undeveloped and difficult to access. Mangrove area cover, species distribution, population structure and health of the mangrove habitat were compared with results from previous studies in 1982 and 1999. The mangrove Bruguiera gymnorrhiza had the densest stands and was widely distributed as it was present in 13 of the 17 estuaries. Avicennia marina was dominant in those estuaries which had the largest area cover of mangroves and was present in 10 estuaries, while Rhizophora mucronata was rare and only present in five estuaries. Anthropogenic and natural impacts were noted within the mangrove habitats in each of these estuaries. Harvesting of mangrove wood, livestock browsing and trampling and footpaths occurred in most of the estuaries (> 70 percent). It was observed that browsing on trees resulted in a clear browse-line and browsing on propagules mainly by goats resulted in reduced seedling establishment in most of the estuaries except those in protected areas. Mangroves had re-established in estuaries where they had been previously lost but mouth closure due to drought and sea storms resulted in the mass die back of mangroves in the Kobonqaba Estuary. There was a total loss of 31.5 ha in mangrove area cover in the last 30 years and this was a total reduction of 10.5 ha (11 percent) for every decade. This is high considering that the present total mangrove area cover is only 240.6 ha for all the Transkei estuaries. In this study it was concluded that the anthropogenic impacts such as livestock browsing and trampling as well as harvesting in these estuaries contributed most to the mangrove degradation as these are continuous pressures occurring over long periods and are expected to increase in future with increasing human population. Natural changes such as sea storms occur less frequently but could result in large scale destruction over shorter periods. Examples of these are mouth closure that result in mangrove mass mortality as well as strong floods which destroy forest by scouring of the banks.
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Staddon, William John. "Effects of selected forestry practices and climatic factors on forest soil microbial diversity and soil enzymatic activity." Thesis, National Library of Canada = Bibliothèque nationale du Canada, 1997. http://www.collectionscanada.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk3/ftp04/nq24425.pdf.
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Kalela-Brundin, Maarit. "Climate information from tree rings /." Umeå : Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences (Sveriges lantbruksuniv.), 1999. http://epsilon.slu.se/avh/1999/91-576-5641-X.pdf.
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Gressler, Eliana [UNESP]. "Floração e frutificação de Myrtaceae de floresta atlântica: limitações ecológicas e filogenéticas." Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/11449/87903.
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gressler_e_me_rcla.pdf: 654622 bytes, checksum: d62e798a66bddcb06fc95978a87cccd8 (MD5)São poucos os estudos que abordam a floração e frutificação em espécies filogeneticamente relacionadas. Myrtaceae é uma das famílias de plantas mais abundantes nas matas brasileiras, em especial na floresta pluvial atlântica. O presente estudo teve como objetivos principais: 1) analisar a fenologia reprodutiva de 38 espécies de Myrtaceae, verificando os padrões fenológicos, relação com os fatores climáticos e previsibilidade das fenofases; e 2) avaliar as teorias propostas para explicar a fenologia de espécies aparentadas e a relação entre a fenologia e o tamanho do fruto. O estudo foi desenvolvido em área de floresta atlântica no Parque Estadual Intervales, Base Saibadela (24°14'08S e 48°04'42W), município de Sete Barras, estado de São Paulo, Brasil. As fenofases botão, antese, fruto imaturo e maduro foram observadas mensalmente durante seis anos nãoconsecutivos (abril/1994 a março/1997 e abril/1999 a março/2002) em 285 indivíduos. As maiores porcentagens de indivíduos e espécies apresentando botões e flores abertas ocorreram sempre na estação mais quente e chuvosa (outubro a março), e produzindo frutos imaturos e maduros principalmente ao longo da estação menos quente e úmida (abril a setembro). As correlações de Spearman foram significativas entre a floração e o comprimento do dia e a temperatura, e correlações significativas foram raras entre a frutificação e o clima. A análise estatística circular mostrou que as datas de início e pico das fenofases reprodutivas em Myrtaceae foram sazonais para a maioria dos anos estudados. Todas as fenofases apresentaram valores altos de previsibilidade de ocorrência...
There are few studies approaching flower and fruit patterns among phylogenetically related species. Myrtaceae is one of the most abundant plant families in the Brazilian forests, especially in the Atlantic Rain Forest. The present study had the main objectives: 1) to analyze the reproductive phenology of 38 Myrtaceae species, checking the phenological patterns, the relationship with the climatic factors and the predictability of the phenophases; and 2) to evaluate the proposed theories to explain the phenology of related species and the relation between phenology and fruit size. The study was carried out in an Atlantic forest area at Parque Estadual Intervales, Base Saibadela (24°14'08S and 48°04'42W), municipality of Sete Barras, São Paulo State, Brazil. The phenophases bud flower, open flowers, unripe and ripe fruits were observed monthly for six nonconsecutive years (April/1994 to March/1997 and April/1999 to March/2002) in 285 individuals. The largest percentages of individuals and species presenting buds and open flowers always occurred during the wetter and hotter season (October to March), and unripe and ripe fruits were produced mainly over the less humid and colder season (April to September). The Spearman correlations were significant between flowering and the day length and the temperature, and significant correlations were rare between fruiting and climate. The circular statistical analysis showed that the first date and peak date of the reproductive phenophases in Myrtaceae were seasonal for most of the years. All the phenophases showed high predictability scores... (Complete abstract, click electronic adress below)
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Gressler, Eliana. "Floração e frutificação de Myrtaceae de floresta atlântica : limitações ecológicas e filogenéticas /." Rio Claro : [s.n.], 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/11449/87903.
Full textAbstract:
Orientador: Leonor Patrícia Cerdeira MorellatoBanca: Marco Antônio Portugal Luttembarck Batalha
Banca: Isabel Cristina Sobreiro Machado
Resumo: São poucos os estudos que abordam a floração e frutificação em espécies filogeneticamente relacionadas. Myrtaceae é uma das famílias de plantas mais abundantes nas matas brasileiras, em especial na floresta pluvial atlântica. O presente estudo teve como objetivos principais: 1) analisar a fenologia reprodutiva de 38 espécies de Myrtaceae, verificando os padrões fenológicos, relação com os fatores climáticos e previsibilidade das fenofases; e 2) avaliar as teorias propostas para explicar a fenologia de espécies aparentadas e a relação entre a fenologia e o tamanho do fruto. O estudo foi desenvolvido em área de floresta atlântica no Parque Estadual Intervales, Base Saibadela (24°14'08"S e 48°04'42"W), município de Sete Barras, estado de São Paulo, Brasil. As fenofases botão, antese, fruto imaturo e maduro foram observadas mensalmente durante seis anos nãoconsecutivos (abril/1994 a março/1997 e abril/1999 a março/2002) em 285 indivíduos. As maiores porcentagens de indivíduos e espécies apresentando botões e flores abertas ocorreram sempre na estação mais quente e chuvosa (outubro a março), e produzindo frutos imaturos e maduros principalmente ao longo da estação menos quente e úmida (abril a setembro). As correlações de Spearman foram significativas entre a floração e o comprimento do dia e a temperatura, e correlações significativas foram raras entre a frutificação e o clima. A análise estatística circular mostrou que as datas de início e pico das fenofases reprodutivas em Myrtaceae foram sazonais para a maioria dos anos estudados. Todas as fenofases apresentaram valores altos de previsibilidade de ocorrência... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo)
Abstract: There are few studies approaching flower and fruit patterns among phylogenetically related species. Myrtaceae is one of the most abundant plant families in the Brazilian forests, especially in the Atlantic Rain Forest. The present study had the main objectives: 1) to analyze the reproductive phenology of 38 Myrtaceae species, checking the phenological patterns, the relationship with the climatic factors and the predictability of the phenophases; and 2) to evaluate the proposed theories to explain the phenology of related species and the relation between phenology and fruit size. The study was carried out in an Atlantic forest area at Parque Estadual Intervales, Base Saibadela (24°14'08"S and 48°04'42"W), municipality of Sete Barras, São Paulo State, Brazil. The phenophases bud flower, open flowers, unripe and ripe fruits were observed monthly for six nonconsecutive years (April/1994 to March/1997 and April/1999 to March/2002) in 285 individuals. The largest percentages of individuals and species presenting buds and open flowers always occurred during the wetter and hotter season (October to March), and unripe and ripe fruits were produced mainly over the less humid and colder season (April to September). The Spearman correlations were significant between flowering and the day length and the temperature, and significant correlations were rare between fruiting and climate. The circular statistical analysis showed that the first date and peak date of the reproductive phenophases in Myrtaceae were seasonal for most of the years. All the phenophases showed high predictability scores... (Complete abstract, click electronic adress below)
Mestre
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Rolland, Christian. "Tree-Ring and Climate Relationships for Abies Alba in the Internal Alps." Tree-Ring Society, 1993. http://hdl.handle.net/10150/262377.
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The relationships between the tree-rings of the white fir (Abies alba Mill.) and climate in the French internal Alps are indicated by correlation functions. This fir shows an accurate response to climate as well as long term persistence for at least six years (MS =0.18, R1 =0.65, and R6= 0.27). Its growth is strongly influenced by the previous year's climate, especially by prior August rainfall, which enhances ring size, or by high temperatures, which show the opposite effect. The most critical period extends from prior July to prior September. This species responds positively to warm temperature from current January to April, followed by rainfall in May and June, which leads to a longer growth period. A favorable water balance seems to be decisive. Abies alba can be affected by frost and seems to prefer a low thermal amplitude as demonstrated by the analysis of the extreme temperature data. Moreover, even a few days of excessive heat can reduce its growth.
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Stattin, Eva. "Root freezing tolerance and storability of Scots pine and Norway spruce seedlings /." Uppsala : Swedish Univ. of Agricultural Sciences (Sveriges lantbruksuniv.), 1999. http://epsilon.slu.se/avh/1999/91-576-5639-8.pdf.
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Xu, Shiyong, and University of Lethbridge Faculty of Arts and Science. "Sensitivity analysis of a carbon simulation model and its application in a montane forest environment." Thesis, Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Faculty of Arts and Science, 2006, 2006. http://hdl.handle.net/10133/366.
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Accurate estimation of Net Primary Productivity (NPP), which is a key
component of the terrestrial carbon cycle, is very important in studies of global climate.
Ecosystem models have been used for NPP estimates. Determining how much each
source of uncertainty contributes to modeled NPP is veiy important before ecosystem
models can be used with confidence over larger areas and time periods. This research has
systematically evaluated the boreal ecosystem productivity simulator (BEPS) carbon
model in mountainous terrain, Kananaskis, Alberta. After parameterization of the model,
sensitivity analysis was conducted as a controlled series of experiments involving
sensitivity simulations with BEPS by changing a model input value in separate model
runs. The results showed that NPP was sensitive to most model inputs measured in the
study area, but that the most important input variables for BEPS were LAI and forest
species. In addition, the NPP uncertainty resulting from topographic influence was
approximately 3.5 %, which is equivalent to 140 kg C ha"1 yr"1. This suggested that
topographic correction for the model inputs was also important for accurate NPP
estimation.
Using the topographically corrected data, the carbon dynamics were simulated, and average annual NPP production by forests in Kananaskis was estimated at 4.01 T ha"1
in 2003.xix, 117 leaves : col. ill. ; 29 cm.
Books on the topic "Forest resilience – Climatic factors"
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Pacific Northwest Research Station (Portland, Or.), ed. Responding to climate change in national forests: A guidebook for developing adaptation options. Portland, OR: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, 2011.
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Gaines, William L. Adaptations to climate change: Colville and Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forests. Portland, OR ]: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, 2012.
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Luce, Charles. Climate change, forests, fire, water, and fish: Building resilient landscapes, streams, and managers. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 2012.
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Flenley, John, Mark B. Bush, and William D. Gosling. Tropical rainforest responses to climatic change. 2nd ed. Chichester, UK: Springer, 2011.
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B, Bush Mark, and Flenley John, eds. Tropical rainforest responses to climatic change. Berlin: Springer, 2007.
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Heng duan shan qu de chui zhi qi hou ji qi dui sen lin fen bu de ying xiang. Beijing Shi: Qi xiang chu ban she, 2010.
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Station, Pacific Southwest Research, ed. A risk assessment of climate change and the impact of forest diseases on forest ecosystems in the western United States and Canada. Albany, CA]: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, 2011.
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Shugart, H. H. Forests & global climate change: Potential impacts on U.S. forest resources. Arlington, VA: Pew Center on Global Climate Change, 2003.
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Devine, Warren D. Climate change and forest trees in the Pacific Northwest: A vulnerability assessment and recommended actions for national forests. Olympia, WA: United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Region, 2012.
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Patel-Weynand, Toral, David L. Peterson, and James M. Vose. Effects of climatic variability and change on forest ecosystems: A comprehensive science synthesis for the U.S. forest sector. Portland, OR: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station, 2012.
Find full textBook chapters on the topic "Forest resilience – Climatic factors"
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Chitale, Vishwas Sudhir, Sunil Thapa, Mir A. Matin, Kamala Gurung, Shankar Adhikari, and Rabindra Maharjan. "Climate-Resilient Forest Management in Nepal." In Earth Observation Science and Applications for Risk Reduction and Enhanced Resilience in Hindu Kush Himalaya Region, 127–45. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-73569-2_7.
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AbstractForests play a vital role in combating climate change and mitigating its effects. In the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH), they are an important source of livelihood for the region’s growing population. With forest degradation and deforestation increasing, it has become all the more necessary to have a reliable climate resilient forest management system. At present, lack of precise information on forest degradation and the impacts of climate change on forest ecosystems hinder the conservation, planning and management of forest ecosystems in Nepal. We attempt to tackle this issue in collaboration with Department of Forests and Soil Conservation (DoFSC), Nepal, by providing scientific and reliable data on vulnerability of forests to anthropogenic factors and climate change using geospatial tools and techniques. We introduced a two-way multitier approach in Nepal to support the identification and implementation of adaptation and management strategies with special focus on forest ecosystems. It aims to reduce the vulnerability of forests to climate change and the degradation of forest ecosystems due to anthropogenic drivers. We used multispectral satellite datasets, data on climate trends and projections, and published data on extraction of forest resources in the study area. We then used data mining to quantify the influence of temperature and precipitation on functioning of forests by using MODIS data of net primary productivity, leaf area index, evapotranspiration and climatic trends and projections data. Finally, we overlayed the forest degradation map on forest climate sensitivity map to identify the hotspots of degradation and sensitivity needing immediate attention. These hotspots are defined as “adaptation footprints”, which help decision makers to prioritize their activities within their district. Most of the forest ecosystems in mid-western and far-western Nepal are highly sensitive to observed and predicted impacts of climate change, which need immediate prioritization and management. The products of this study are accessible through a web-based decision support tool, which will help decision makers at district and province level to prioritize the activities of forest management.
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Nwosu, Nkem J., and Paul B. Okon. "Impacts of Some Climatic Factors on Soil Quality of Tropical Acid-Sand Soils." In Handbook of Climate Change Resilience, 1–23. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71025-9_72-1.
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Nwosu, Nkem J., and Paul B. Okon. "Impacts of Some Climatic Factors on Soil Quality of Tropical Acid-Sand Soils." In Handbook of Climate Change Resilience, 295–317. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-93336-8_72.
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Ndesanjo, Ronald Boniphace, Ida Theilade, and Martin Reinhardt Nielsen. "Pathways to Enhance Climate Change Resilience among Pastoral Households in Northern Tanzania." In African Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation, 2591–609. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45106-6_128.
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AbstractThe objective of this study was to evaluate the pathways to enhance resilience to increased climate variability and directional change among pastoral households in Simanjiro District in Northern Tanzania. The study used household survey and rainfall and temperature data. Results indicate increasing temperature and decreasing precipitation trends over the past four decades. Also, extreme climatic events, particularly drought, have become more frequent. Food and water insecurity are key factors causing an increased household vulnerability. Increased climate change-induced malaria prevalence poses additional health risks. Household adaptive strategies include livelihood diversification and migration. Local institutions are instrumental in enhancing climate change resilience at the local level. We conclude that livelihood diversification and migration are key pathways to enhancing households’ climate change resilience.
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Popova, Lena, Svetlana Avelova, Alena Gerasimova, Julia Lutz, Svein Disch Mathiesen, Anisiia Moiakunova, Alexandra Petrova, et al. "Trends and Effects of Climate Change on Reindeer Husbandry in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia)." In Reindeer Husbandry, 149–85. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17625-8_7.
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AbstractThe Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), like other Arctic regions, faces severe climatic and environmental changes and hazards such as temperature increase, permafrost thaw, intense forest fires, earlier melting, and flooding. Significant climate and environmental changes over the past decades pose risks to the preservation of the traditional way of life of Indigenous peoples, including reindeer husbandry. Understanding trends and effects of climate change in the Republic of Sakha is needed to project and manage the future of reindeer husbandry, the resilience of Indigenous communities, and plan their economic adaptation. In this article, we analyze meteorological data from four weather stations located in different reindeer herding areas of Yakutia focusing on snow cover formation, permafrost conditions, and forest fires; provide the results of in-depth interviews with local people on the impact of climate change on reindeer herding. The financing of resilience development in the Republic is discussed. In conclusion, suggest necessary measures that can be taken for adaptation and overcoming emerging threats and challenges for further development of reindeer husbandry which is the central basis of the identity of the Indigenous peoples of the North.
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Górriz-Mifsud, Elena, Aitor Ameztegui, Jose Ramón González, and Antoni Trasobares. "Climate-Smart Forestry Case Study: Spain." In Forest Bioeconomy and Climate Change, 211–28. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-99206-4_13.
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AbstractIn Spain, 55% of land area is covered by forests and other woodlands. Broadleaves occupy a predominant position (56%), followed by conifers (37%) and mixed stands (7%). Forest are distributed among the Atlantic (north-western Iberian rim), Mediterranean (rest of the peninsula including the Balearic Islands) and Macaronesian (Canary Islands) climate zones. Spanish woodlands provide a multiplicity of provisioning ecosystem services, such as, wood, cork, pine nuts, mushrooms and truffles. In terms of habitat services, biodiversity is highly relevant. Cultural services are mainly recreational and tourism, the latter being a crucial economic sector in Spain (including rural and ecotourism). Regulatory services, such as erosion control, water availability, flood and wildfire risk reduction, are of such great importance that related forest zoning and consequent legislation were established already in the eighteenth century. Climate change in Southern Europe is forecast to involve an increase in temperature, reduction in precipitation and increase in aridity. As a result, the risks for natural disturbances are expected to increase. Of these, forest fires usually have the greatest impact on ecosystems in Spain. In 2010–2019, the average annual forest surface area affected by fire was 95,065 ha. The combination of extreme climatic conditions (drought, wind) and the large proportion of unmanaged forests presents a big challenge for the future. Erosion is another relevant risk. In the case of fire, mitigation strategies should combine modification of the land use at the landscape level, in order to generate mosaics that will create barriers to the spread of large fires, along with stand-level prevention measures to either slow the spread of surface fires or, more importantly, impede the possibility of fire crowning or disrupt its spread. Similarly, forest management can play a major role in mitigating the impact of drought on a forest. According to the land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) accounting, Spanish forests absorbed 11% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in 2019. Investments in climate-smart forestry provide opportunities for using all the different parts of the Spanish forest-based sector for climate mitigation––forest sinks, the substitution of wood raw materials and products for fossil materials, and the storage of carbon in wood products. Moreover, this approach simultaneously helps to advance the adaptation of the forest to changing climate and to build forest resilience.
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Virajh Dias, A. A., H. M. J. M. K. Herath, and L. K. N. S. Kulathilake. "Landform Geometry for Restoration of Mountain Roads and Landslide Hazard Resilience." In Progress in Landslide Research and Technology, Volume 1 Issue 1, 2022, 327–39. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2023. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-16898-7_25.
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AbstractTraveling on a mountainous road is attractive but questionable under aggressive climatic conditions such as extreme rainstorms. Roads are often designed in different geological complexity overlaying upper and lower terrains. The complexity of slope geometries, potential deformities, ground discontinuities, soil-rock composite nature, factors incorporated in structural integrity, the complexity associated with infrastructure developments, and unstable landform have long been causes of the increasing cost of road constructions in hills. In many instances, landform geometries and the natures of slope observed in-situ allow us to understand many salient features that we need to know in the design to mitigate landslide threats. The extent to which we make the collective effort to gather many features of landforms and their static representations concludes its validity. Findings are more forced to be based on geometrical evidence of slopes and cross-checked with an appropriate design criterion. A provision should describe a design or construction method that is deemed to comply with the site-specific conditions. Such an approach will save the enormous cost of investigations, design, and simplification for numerical evaluations, and also contribute to an indirect approach to road restoration and improve an appropriate approach for resilience to landslide hazards.
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Ife-Adediran, Oluwatobi Ololade, and Oluyemi Bright Aboyewa. "Climate Change Resistant Energy Sources for Global Adaptation." In African Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation, 1955–66. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45106-6_106.
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AbstractA holistic response and adaptation to climatic vicissitudes and extreme conditions as well as their associated risks to human and ecological sustainability must adequately cater for energy needs and optimization. An interventional approach should, among other measures, seek to improve the resilience of existing and prospective energy systems to climate change. The structured and policy-driven nature of adaptation measures require a bottom-up proactive approach that envisages the performance and efficiency of these systems, especially in terms of their sensitivity and vulnerability to changing climate conditions. Therefore, this chapter seeks to scrutinize various sources of energy concerning their resistance capabilities to climate change in the face of increasing global energy demands and consumption. Renewable and conventional energy sources are co-examined and compared vis-à-vis the current trends and predictions on climatic factors that are bearing on their principles of production, supply, and distribution. Findings from this chapter will serve as assessment tools for decision makers and corroborate other ongoing discourse on climate actions towards socioeconomic development and a sustainable environment.
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Mutambisi, Tafadzwa, Nelson Chanza, Abraham R. Matamanda, Roseline Ncube, and Innocent Chirisa. "Climate Change Adaptation in Southern Africa: Universalistic Science or Indigenous Knowledge or Hybrid." In African Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation, 1751–66. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45106-6_8.
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AbstractThe aims of this chapter are to seek answer, through a document review, case studies, and thematic content analysis, to which direction Southern Africa should take in the face of climate change and to suggest a framework for adaptations by communities experiencing climatic events. Acknowledging that the fundamental set of ideas provided by indigenous knowledge (IK) works best at a small scale, the chapter argues for the need to seriously value IK-based response practices in the knowledge hybridization agenda. The worsening vulnerability potentiated by the increasing magnitude and severity of climate change impacts is a reminder that local-based indigenous response practices in Africa need to be complemented. Adaptation to climate change calls for real and surreal measures all being applied in combination. Across Africa, these measures have, at times, included the preservation of forest resources which increased carbon sinking and enhanced community resilience against climate change. Universalistic and orthodox sciences have punctuated and amplified these efforts by speaking of such initiatives as mitigation and adaptation through programs, e.g., Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) and ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA). The merits of the two approaches have resulted in increasing call among scholars for the merging of these programs with IK. However, it remains to be fully understood how such a hybrid approach could be operationalized without treating the latter as an inferior element in climate science discourses.
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Mutambisi, Tafadzwa, Nelson Chanza, Abraham R. Matamanda, Roseline Ncube, and Innocent Chirisa. "Climate Change Adaptation in Southern Africa: Universalistic Science or Indigenous Knowledge or Hybrid." In African Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation, 1–16. Cham: Springer International Publishing, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42091-8_8-1.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractThe aims of this chapter are to seek answer, through a document review, case studies, and thematic content analysis, to which direction Southern Africa should take in the face of climate change and to suggest a framework for adaptations by communities experiencing climatic events. Acknowledging that the fundamental set of ideas provided by indigenous knowledge (IK) works best at a small scale, the chapter argues for the need to seriously value IK-based response practices in the knowledge hybridization agenda. The worsening vulnerability potentiated by the increasing magnitude and severity of climate change impacts is a reminder that local-based indigenous response practices in Africa need to be complemented. Adaptation to climate change calls for real and surreal measures all being applied in combination. Across Africa, these measures have, at times, included the preservation of forest resources which increased carbon sinking and enhanced community resilience against climate change. Universalistic and orthodox sciences have punctuated and amplified these efforts by speaking of such initiatives as mitigation and adaptation through programs, e.g., Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) and ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA). The merits of the two approaches have resulted in increasing call among scholars for the merging of these programs with IK. However, it remains to be fully understood how such a hybrid approach could be operationalized without treating the latter as an inferior element in climate science discourses.
Conference papers on the topic "Forest resilience – Climatic factors"
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Labykin, A. A., and I. N. Kruchinin. "IMPACT OF NATURAL AND CLIMATIC FACTORS OF THE NORTHERN URALS ON FOREST ROADS." In Разработка энергоресурсосберегающих и экологически безопасных технологий лесопромышленного комплекса. Воронеж: Воронежский государственный лесотехнический университет им. Г.Ф. Морозова, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.58168/deseftti2022_57-60.
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Vizitiu, Diana Elena, Lucian Dinca, Viorica Enache, Alina Donici, Lucretia Popa, Danut Cociorva, and Gabriel Murariu. "IDENTIFYING AND DESCRIBING THE MAIN CLIMATIC AND STRESS FACTORS THAT ARE AFFECTING FOREST AND VITICULTURAL ECOSYSTEMS." In International Symposium "The Environment and the Industry". National Research and Development Institute for Industrial Ecology, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.21698/simi.2018.fp28.
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Yaro, Loveline Yaro. "Resilience for Academic Excellence through Distance Education Life Learning Strategies in Victims of the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon." In Tenth Pan-Commonwealth Forum on Open Learning. Commonwealth of Learning, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.56059/pcf10.2103.
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During the past few years, there has been a noticeable and heightened concern on the plight of students living in the restive North-west and South-west regions of Cameroon that have been hit hard by the ongoing Anglophone crisis. The education crisis which was already a feature in many regions in the world has been exacerbated by Anglophone Crisis. The English-speaking Regions of Cameroon consisting of the Northwest and Southwest formal British Colonies have been restive since 2016. This is caused by a sociopolitical Crisis which has deteriorated overtime and led to violent clashes between armed forces and separate fighters, loss of life and property, internal displacements of inhabitants, human right abuse, climate of fear and uncertainty. Reports holds that, since the beginning of the crisis over 790, 000 people have been forcibly displaced and over 4,000 tortured and killed The crisis has specifically affected the Distance Education Program of the University of Buea whose student population consist of about ¾ of students living in these restive regions. These students have reported challenges in carrying out their academic work especially during periods of lockdown. Despite the complaints, the Program continues to run with classes going on and examination conducted even in the heart of the crisis. Notwithstanding the exposure to significant threats or severe adversity they face due to the socio-political crisis, the students remain resilient. Research has identified self-efficiency, work ethics, and internal locus of control as factors that can build resilience for academic excellence in at risk students facing such challenges. Using the convenient sampling procedure, the study adopted the survey questionnaire method aimed at highlighting supportive social actions that can contribute in building resilience for academic excellence in at-risk students studying in the Distance education program in the University of Buea. These activities will be geared towards using problem solving models of Social connections, Supportive relationships and Social agency to produce desired academic outcomes for at risk students from the restive anglophone regions enrolled in the Distance education program.
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Ouma, Yashon O., Ditiro Moalahi, George Anderson, Boipuso Nkwae, Phillimon Odirile, Bhagabat Parida, Nako Sebusang, Tallman Nkgau, and Jiaguo Qi. "Predicting the variability of dam water levels with land-use and climatic factors using random forest and vector autoregression models." In Remote Sensing for Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Hydrology XXIV, edited by Christopher M. Neale and Antonino Maltese. SPIE, 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.2635933.
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Liashenko, Olena, Dmytro Kyryichuk, Serhii Yatsiuk, Viktor Prachyk, and Viktoriia Palona. "MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT OF THE STATE OF FOREST ECOSYSTEMS TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE NATURAL AND CLIMATIC FACTORS BASED ON GIS-TECHNOLOGIES." In 20th SGEM International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference Proceedings 2020. STEF92 Technology, 2020. http://dx.doi.org/10.5593/sgem2020v/1.3/s03.40.
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PIVORAS, Ainis, Marius MIKALAJŪNAS, Diana JUONYTĖ, and Gintaras PIVORAS. "INTEGRATED EFFECT OF CLIMATE AND AIR POLLUTANTS ON DIURNAL TREE RING FORMATION OF SCOTS PINE, NORWAY SPRUCE AND SILVER AND DOWNY BIRCH TREES STEM CIRCUMFERENCE." In RURAL DEVELOPMENT. Aleksandras Stulginskis University, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.15544/rd.2017.099.
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The integrated effect of climatic and other abiotic stress factors including surface ozone on diurnal tree ring width formation of the prevailing in Lithuania tree species as the main response parameter of tree capacity to adapt to and mitigate the recent global changes was investigated. The obtained data revealed that Norway spruce is better adapted to recent climatic conditions in temperate forest than birch trees. Even during the drought episode spruce stem increment exceeded increment of the rest of considered tree species. Silver and Downy birch tree reactions revealed the lowest sensitivity of these tree species not only to unfavorable environmental factors but also to favorable factors which should stimulate tree growth intensity. This is why the growth intensity of this tree species recently has been gradually decreasing. The hypothesis that the coniferous species are more adaptive to recent climate changes was confirmed. The study is based on the results obtained conducting national project supported by Lithuanian Council of Research “FOREstRESS” (SIT- 3/2015).
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AMIROV, Marat, Igor SERZHANOV, Farid SHAYKHUTDINOV, and Nicolay SEMUSHKIN. "MAIN DIRECTIONS OF DEVELOPMENT OF SPRING WHEAT PRODUCTION AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGIES FOR SUSTAINABLE ARABLE FARMING IN THE FOREST-STEPPE BELT OF THE MIDDLE VOLGA REGION." In RURAL DEVELOPMENT. Aleksandras Stulginskis University, 2018. http://dx.doi.org/10.15544/rd.2017.254.
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The article presents results of studies of influence of controlled and environmental factors on production process of different varieties of spring wheat carried out in different soil and climatic conditions of Middle Volga region. The forest-steppe area of the Volga region is one of regions of Russia favorable for spring wheat growing by its natural and climatic conditions. Unbalance of nutrition elements in soil, acid soil and predominantly heavy-textured soil hamper the yield growth. Out of all factors vital for plants (light, heat, moisture and nutrition elements) under consideration, providing plants with nutrition elements and moisture are those limiting high crop yields. he objective of our studies is increasing the crop yield with the simultaneous decrease of the produced goods cost makes it necessary to calculate in advance the possible yield level depending on the influence of different factors: environmental, crop variety and etc. The aim of our studies was to develop methods of growing high yield and high quality crops of different varieties of wheat adjusted for conditions of the forest-steppe black soil in the Volga region. Methods of research using field and laboratory tests, the method of state variety tests of agricultural cultures, phenoldisulfonic acid method, finite difference method, disperse analysis method. A set of observations, records and analysis was carried out during the experiments with implementation Russian methodological guidelines and National State Standards. Statistical processing of the yield data, economic and energy estimates was carried out by the methods recommended by Russia Scientific Research Institute of Agricultural Economy and Union Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Having carried out the analysis of natural resources and genetic potential of the wheat varieties, systems of plant nutrition optimization and influence of their predecessors, we have obtained new data about possibility of increasing the spring durum wheat arable area. We have shown the role of different forms of using nitrogenous fertilizers (on the background of phosphorus – potassium ones) in the increase of productivity and improvement of the spring wheat grain quality. An established optimal norm for Gramma variety spring spelt corn seeding has been established for the conditions of the grey forest soil in the Fore-Kama region of the Republic of Tatarstan and the influence of their nutrition on yield has been found.
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Grigoras, Nicolae. "Aspecte ale înfloririi si fructificarii stejarului (studiu de caz)." In Impactul antropic asupra calitatii mediului. Institute of Ecology and Geography, Republic of Moldova, 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.53380/9789975330800.26.
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The presented study identifies the existing dependencies between the time course of phenological phenomena in the oak stands, from three sample surfaces, and the factors with a major impact on their evolution. The usefulness of the oak tree research is necessary both for scientific and practical reasons, knowing that the issue of ensuring the production of high quality forest seeds and the necessary quantity is an actual one. The researches show that the formation and development of the oak inflorescences, the amount of acorns reached maturity and the degree of its viability (in the region under study) were in direct correlation with the climatic parameters, during the vegetation period, the presence of defoliating and seminophage species , factors that can induce tree metabolic imbalances, low fructification, and premature fall of fruit. The most intense fructification was certified for the Ivancea research area, followed by the Codrii and Mereşeni areas.
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Nedealcov, Maria, Ala Donica, Ion Agapi, and Nicolae Grigoras. "Relatii temporale între parametrii climatici si cresterile anuale ale speciilor forestiere (studiu de caz)." In Impactul antropic asupra calitatii mediului. Institute of Ecology and Geography, Republic of Moldova, 2019. http://dx.doi.org/10.53380/9789975330800.23.
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The forests on the natural distribution area from the silvosteppe zone, under the influence of climate change will experience major changes in their structure and functioning. The analysis of growth parameters for Fraxinus excelsior, Quercus petraea, Q. robur in three experimental areas from center of the Republic of Moldova indicates that the radial growth processes are influenced by the same complex of climatic factors, which differ being dendroclimatic response intensity. It has been shown that between the annual tree growth and forest aridity index - FAI, there are close correlations: the higher FAI values indicate the lower annual growth of the trees, and vice versa, low FAI values identify good development conditions of the stands (higher increases in the annual ring width).
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Ganea, Anatolie. "Conservarea in situ a agrobiodiversității vegetale – factor de reușită în promovarea agriculturii durabile." In VIIth International Scientific Conference “Genetics, Physiology and Plant Breeding”. Institute of Genetics, Physiology and Plant Protection, Republic of Moldova, 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.53040/gppb7.2021.58.
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The article gives brief information on inventorying of some crop wild relatives in the forest ecosystems of different soil-climatic zones of Republic of Moldova, and collection of accessions of the local forms of cultivated plants on farms. It was found that natural populations of 5 pilot species – wild cherry, wild pear, cornelian cherry, wild apple and hazelnut are degrading under the influence of envi-ronmental stresses. It is noted that the range of social-economic and political factors of the past 60-70 years has led to significant genetic erosion of the local gene pool of agricultural crops. Elaboration of the effective methods for in situ conservation of agrobiodiversity will facilitate the greening of agricultural production and introduction of the elements of sustainable agriculture.
Reports on the topic "Forest resilience – Climatic factors"
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Solaun, Kepa, Chiquita Resomardono, Katharina Hess, Helena Antich, Gerard Alleng, and Adrián Flores. State of the Climate Report: Suriname: Summary for Policy Makers. Inter-American Development Bank, July 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0003415.
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Several factors contribute to Surinames particular vulnerability to the effects of climate change. It is dependent on fossil fuels, has forests liable to decay, fragile ecosystems, and its low-lying coastal area accounts for 87% of the population and most of the countrys economic activity. Many sectors are at risk of suffering losses and damage caused by gradual changes and extreme events related to climate change. For Suriname to develop sustainably, it should incorporate climate change and its effects into its decision-making process based on scientific- evidence. The State of the Climate Report analyzes Surinames historical climate (1990-2014) and provides climate projections for three time horizons (2020-2044, 2045-2069, 2070-2094) through two emissions scenarios (intermediate/ SSP2-4.5 and severe/ SSP5-8.5). The analysis focuses on changes in sea level, temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, and winds for the seven subnational locations of Paramaribo, Albina, Bigi Pan MUMA, Brokopondo, Kwamalasamutu, Tafelberg Natural Reserve, and Upper Tapanahony. The Report also analyzes climate risk for the countrys ten districts by examining the factors which increase their exposure and vulnerability on the four most important sectors affected by climate change: infrastructure, agriculture, water, and forestry, as well as examining the effects across the sectors. The State of the Climate provides essential inputs for Suriname to develop and update its climate change policies and targets. These policies and targets should serve as enablers for an adequate mainstreaming of climate change adaptation and resilience enhancement into day-to-day government operations.
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Solaun, Kepa, Gerard Alleng, Adrián Flores, Chiquita Resomardono, Katharina Hess, and Helena Antich. State of the Climate Report: Suriname. Inter-American Development Bank, July 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.18235/0003398.
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Suriname is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Among the factors that exacerbate its vulnerability are its dependency on fossil fuels, the degradation of important ecosystems (e.g., mangroves), and the fact that 87% of the population, and most of the countrys economic activity is located within the low-lying coastal area. Many sectors are at risk of suffering losses and damage caused by gradual changes and extreme events related to climate change. For Suriname to develop sustainably, it should incorporate climate change and its effects into its decision-making process based on scientific- evidence. The State of the Climate Report analyzes Surinames historical climate (1990-2014) and provides climate projections for three time horizons (2020-2044, 2045-2069, 2070-2094) through two emissions scenarios (intermediate/ SSP2-4.5 and severe/ SSP5-8.5). The analysis focuses on changes in sea level, temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, and winds for the seven subnational locations of Paramaribo, Albina, Bigi Pan MUMA, Brokopondo, Kwamalasamutu, Tafelberg Natural Reserve, and Upper Tapanahony. The Report also analyzes climate risk for the countrys ten districts by examining the factors which increase their exposure and vulnerability on the four most important sectors affected by climate change: infrastructure, agriculture, water, and forestry, as well as examining the effects across the sectors. The State of the Climate Report provides essential inputs for Suriname to develop and update its climate change policies and targets. These policies and targets should enable an adequate mainstreaming of climate change adaptation and resilience enhancementinto day-to-day government operations. It is expected that the Report will catalyze similar efforts in the future to improve decision-making by providing science-based evidence.
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Barquet, Karina, Elin Leander, Jonathan Green, Heidi Tuhkanen, Vincent Omondi Odongo, Michael Boyland, Elizabeth Katja Fiertz, Maria Escobar, Mónica Trujillo, and Philip Osano. Spotlight on social equity, finance and scale: Promises and pitfalls of nature-based solutions. Stockholm Environment Institute, June 2021. http://dx.doi.org/10.51414/sei2021.011.
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Human activity has modified and deteriorated natural ecosystems in ways that reduce resilience and exacerbate environmental and climate problems. Physical measures to protect, manage and restore these ecosystems that also address societal challenges in sustainable ways and bring biodiversity benefits are sometimes referred to as “nature-based solutions” (NBS). For example, reducing deforestation and restoring forests is a major opportunity for climate mitigation, while protecting or restoring coastal habitats can mitigate damage to coastal areas from natural hazard events, in addition to potentially providing co-benefits related to livelihood, recreation, and biodiversity. There is now an impetus to shift towards greater deployment of nature-based solutions. Not only do they offer an alternative to conventional fossil fuel-based or hard infrastructure solutions but, if implemented correctly, they also hold great promise for achieving multiple goals, benefits and synergies. These include climate mitigation and resilience; nature and biodiversity protection; and economic and social gains. 2020 saw an explosion in publications about NBS, which have contributed to filling many of the knowledge gaps that existed around their effectiveness and factors for their success. These publications have also highlighted the knowledge gaps that remain and have revealed a lack of critical reflection on the social and economic sustainability aspects of NBS. Building on these gaps, we decided to launch this mini-series of four briefs to provoke a more nuanced discussion that highlights not only the potential benefits, but also the potential risks and trade-offs of NBS. The purpose is not to downplay the importance of NBS for biodiversity, ecosystems, and coastal mitigation and adaptation, but to ensure that we establish a dialogue about ways to overcome these challenges while leaving no one behind.
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Davies, Will. Improving the engagement of UK armed forces overseas. Royal Institute of International Affairs, January 2022. http://dx.doi.org/10.55317/9781784135010.
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The UK government’s Integrated Review of security, defence, development and foreign policy, published in March 2021 alongside a supporting defence command paper, set a new course for UK national security and highlighted opportunities for an innovative approach to international engagement activity. The Integrated Review focused principally on the state threats posed by China’s increasing power and by competitors – including Russia – armed with nuclear, conventional and hybrid capabilities. It also stressed the continuing risks to global security and resilience due to conflict and instability in weakened and failed states. These threats have the potential to increase poverty and inequality, violent extremism, climate degradation and the forced displacement of people, while presenting authoritarian competitors with opportunities to enhance their geopolitical influence. There are moral, security and economic motives to foster durable peace in conflict-prone and weakened regions through a peacebuilding approach that promotes good governance, addresses the root causes of conflict and prevents violence, while denying opportunities to state competitors. The recent withdrawal from Afghanistan serves to emphasize the complexities and potential pitfalls associated with intervention operations in complex, unstable regions. Success in the future will require the full, sustained and coordinated integration of national, allied and regional levers of power underpinned by a sophisticated understanding of the operating environment. The UK armed forces, with their considerable resources and global network, will contribute to this effort through ‘persistent engagement’. This is a new approach to overseas operations below the threshold of conflict, designed as a pre-emptive complement to warfighting. To achieve this, the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) must develop a capability that can operate effectively in weak, unstable and complex regions prone to violent conflict and crises, not least in the regions on the eastern and southern flanks of the Euro-Atlantic area. The first step must be the development of a cohort of military personnel with enhanced, tailored levels of knowledge, skills and experience. Engagement roles must be filled by operators with specialist knowledge, skills and experience forged beyond the mainstream discipline of combat and warfighting. Only then will individuals develop a genuinely sophisticated understanding of complex, politically driven and sensitive operating environments and be able to infuse the design and delivery of international activities with practical wisdom and insight. Engagement personnel need to be equipped with: An inherent understanding of the human and political dimensions of conflict, the underlying drivers such as inequality and scarcity, and the exacerbating factors such as climate change and migration; - A grounding in social sciences and conflict modelling in order to understand complex human terrain; - Regional expertise enabled by language skills, cultural intelligence and human networks; - Familiarity with a diverse range of partners, allies and local actors and their approaches; - Expertise in building partner capacity and applying defence capabilities to deliver stability and peace; - A grasp of emerging artificial intelligence technology as a tool to understand human terrain; - Reach and insight developed through ‘knowledge networks’ of external experts in academia, think-tanks and NGOs. Successful change will be dependent on strong and overt advocacy by the MOD’s senior leadership and a revised set of personnel policies and procedures for this cohort’s selection, education, training, career management, incentivization, sustainability and support.
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Hunter, Fraser, and Martin Carruthers. Iron Age Scotland. Society for Antiquaries of Scotland, September 2012. http://dx.doi.org/10.9750/scarf.09.2012.193.
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The main recommendations of the panel report can be summarised under five key headings: Building blocks: The ultimate aim should be to build rich, detailed and testable narratives situated within a European context, and addressing phenomena from the longue durée to the short-term over international to local scales. Chronological control is essential to this and effective dating strategies are required to enable generation-level analysis. The ‘serendipity factor’ of archaeological work must be enhanced by recognising and getting the most out of information-rich sites as they appear. o There is a pressing need to revisit the archives of excavated sites to extract more information from existing resources, notably through dating programmes targeted at regional sequences – the Western Isles Atlantic roundhouse sequence is an obvious target. o Many areas still lack anything beyond the baldest of settlement sequences, with little understanding of the relations between key site types. There is a need to get at least basic sequences from many more areas, either from sustained regional programmes or targeted sampling exercises. o Much of the methodologically innovative work and new insights have come from long-running research excavations. Such large-scale research projects are an important element in developing new approaches to the Iron Age. Daily life and practice: There remains great potential to improve the understanding of people’s lives in the Iron Age through fresh approaches to, and integration of, existing and newly-excavated data. o House use. Rigorous analysis and innovative approaches, including experimental archaeology, should be employed to get the most out of the understanding of daily life through the strengths of the Scottish record, such as deposits within buildings, organic preservation and waterlogging. o Material culture. Artefact studies have the potential to be far more integral to understandings of Iron Age societies, both from the rich assemblages of the Atlantic area and less-rich lowland finds. Key areas of concern are basic studies of material groups (including the function of everyday items such as stone and bone tools, and the nature of craft processes – iron, copper alloy, bone/antler and shale offer particularly good evidence). Other key topics are: the role of ‘art’ and other forms of decoration and comparative approaches to assemblages to obtain synthetic views of the uses of material culture. o Field to feast. Subsistence practices are a core area of research essential to understanding past society, but different strands of evidence need to be more fully integrated, with a ‘field to feast’ approach, from production to consumption. The working of agricultural systems is poorly understood, from agricultural processes to cooking practices and cuisine: integrated work between different specialisms would assist greatly. There is a need for conceptual as well as practical perspectives – e.g. how were wild resources conceived? o Ritual practice. There has been valuable work in identifying depositional practices, such as deposition of animals or querns, which are thought to relate to house-based ritual practices, but there is great potential for further pattern-spotting, synthesis and interpretation. Iron Age Scotland: ScARF Panel Report v Landscapes and regions: Concepts of ‘region’ or ‘province’, and how they changed over time, need to be critically explored, because they are contentious, poorly defined and highly variable. What did Iron Age people see as their geographical horizons, and how did this change? Attempts to understand the Iron Age landscape require improved, integrated survey methodologies, as existing approaches are inevitably partial. Aspects of the landscape’s physical form and cover should be investigated more fully, in terms of vegetation (known only in outline over most of the country) and sea level change in key areas such as the firths of Moray and Forth. Landscapes beyond settlement merit further work, e.g. the use of the landscape for deposition of objects or people, and what this tells us of contemporary perceptions and beliefs. Concepts of inherited landscapes (how Iron Age communities saw and used this longlived land) and socal resilience to issues such as climate change should be explored more fully. Reconstructing Iron Age societies. The changing structure of society over space and time in this period remains poorly understood. Researchers should interrogate the data for better and more explicitly-expressed understandings of social structures and relations between people. The wider context: Researchers need to engage with the big questions of change on a European level (and beyond). Relationships with neighbouring areas (e.g. England, Ireland) and analogies from other areas (e.g. Scandinavia and the Low Countries) can help inform Scottish studies. Key big topics are: o The nature and effect of the introduction of iron. o The social processes lying behind evidence for movement and contact. o Parallels and differences in social processes and developments. o The changing nature of houses and households over this period, including the role of ‘substantial houses’, from crannogs to brochs, the development and role of complex architecture, and the shift away from roundhouses. o The chronology, nature and meaning of hillforts and other enclosed settlements. o Relationships with the Roman world