Trees contribute to their environment by providing oxygen, improving air quality, climate amelioration, conserving water, preserving soil, and supporting wildlife. Climate change has already triggered tree species distribution shifts in many parts of the world, and this impact is expected to increase in the future. Modeling and predicting tree species shifts has therefore become increasingly important in informing approaches that aim to prevent or relieve biodiversity loss and ecosystem destruction resulting from a warming climate. In addition, it is still challenging to identify important environmental factors affecting species distribution and provide management suggestions under changing environments. Hence, there is still a need for considerable efforts in estimating the potential distribution of tree species under scenarios of climate change.
This Research Topic is dedicated to reporting the advances in potential impacts of climate change on the distribution of trees, exploring the characteristics of tree range shifts in different regions, and simulating changes in regional species diversity. It provides an opportunity for publishing improved niche models or mechanistic (physiological) approaches, maps of regional species distribution and diversity across space and time, as well as implications for forest management approaches considering future tree species distribution.
We welcome submissions of original research articles, case studies, opinion papers, short-communication, methods, reviews, and perspective papers on (but not limited to) the following subtopics:
• Development of improved niche models or mechanistic (physiological) approaches for tree species distribution across space and time.
• Potential impacts of climate change on the distribution of key tree species and their ecological significance.
• Simulation of regional species diversity change based on species distribution models under climate change.
• Modelling species distributions and the suitability of non-native tree species to new environments.
• Implications for sustainable forest management considering future tree species distribution.
Trees contribute to their environment by providing oxygen, improving air quality, climate amelioration, conserving water, preserving soil, and supporting wildlife. Climate change has already triggered tree species distribution shifts in many parts of the world, and this impact is expected to increase in the future. Modeling and predicting tree species shifts has therefore become increasingly important in informing approaches that aim to prevent or relieve biodiversity loss and ecosystem destruction resulting from a warming climate. In addition, it is still challenging to identify important environmental factors affecting species distribution and provide management suggestions under changing environments. Hence, there is still a need for considerable efforts in estimating the potential distribution of tree species under scenarios of climate change.
This Research Topic is dedicated to reporting the advances in potential impacts of climate change on the distribution of trees, exploring the characteristics of tree range shifts in different regions, and simulating changes in regional species diversity. It provides an opportunity for publishing improved niche models or mechanistic (physiological) approaches, maps of regional species distribution and diversity across space and time, as well as implications for forest management approaches considering future tree species distribution.
We welcome submissions of original research articles, case studies, opinion papers, short-communication, methods, reviews, and perspective papers on (but not limited to) the following subtopics:
• Development of improved niche models or mechanistic (physiological) approaches for tree species distribution across space and time.
• Potential impacts of climate change on the distribution of key tree species and their ecological significance.
• Simulation of regional species diversity change based on species distribution models under climate change.
• Modelling species distributions and the suitability of non-native tree species to new environments.
• Implications for sustainable forest management considering future tree species distribution.