Species-Specific Effects of Groundwater Level Alteration on Climate Sensitivity of Floodplain Trees

• Main Authors: Martin Šenfeldr, Pavel Horák, Jakub Kvasnica, Martin Šrámek, Hana Hornová, Petr Maděra
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-08-01
• Series: Forests
• Subjects: floodplain forests; Central Europe; <i>Fraxinus angustifolia</i>; <i>Quercus robur</i>; groundwater levels; growth trends
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/9/1178

European floodplain forest is facing increasingly frequent and severe drought events related with ongoing climate change. Moreover, this ecosystem type was frequently affected by river regulation, leading to groundwater table lowering; however, river revitalization has, in some locations, achieved some restoration of groundwater levels. In this study, we investigated the growth–climate sensitivity and growth modulation after groundwater-level manipulation for <i>Fraxinus angustifolia</i> Vahl. and <i>Quercus robur</i> L. in one of the most important floodplain forest complexes in Central Europe. We constructed three different types of tree ring chronologies to reflect the high frequency variability, medium-low frequency variability, and basal area increment. We found <i>F. angustifolia</i> to be more sensitive than <i>Q. robur</i> to both drought and groundwater level fluctuations. Moreover, <i>F. angustifolia</i> showed more pronounced short-term and long-term growth decreases after artificial ground water level alteration than did <i>Q. robur</i>. We also found that the groundwater level increase due to river revitalization reduced the climate sensitivity for both <i>F. angustifolia</i> and <i>Q. robur</i>. The decrease in climate sensitivity associated with revitalization was more pronounced for <i>F. angustifolia</i> which, moreover, showed a greater basal growth after river revitalization. Our results suggest that <i>F. angustifolia</i> will be more threatened than <i>Q. robur</i> by the diminution in groundwater availability and increase in drought with ongoing climate change. They also show that river revitalization can be a suitable management tool to help the adaptation to climate change.