Impacts of Climate Change on Forest Ecosystem Dynamics and Management Strategies

Abstract

Climate change is one of the world's greatest challenges. which creates effects on our forest ecosystem. Sensitivity of forest ecosystem and climate significance affects the growth rate and structure of the forest, and it also have a direct impact on species composition, growth of tress, their mortality and reproduction of trees is also affected by climate change. Increase and decrease in temperature leads to change in time phenology due to which earlier burst of bud, leafing and flowering in trees is affected, this review is all about how climate change affects forest ecosystem. All direct and indirect alterations and shifts in the ecosystems are affected by change in climate. Direct alterations involve temperature changes, precipitation, sea level etc whereas Indirect alteration involves habitat loss and fragmentation, disruption of carbon and nitrogen cycles etc. Examples: Mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) in north America warmer temperature have extended the breeding season of the mountain pine beetle, Artic species (e.g., Polar bear and walruses). Rise in temperature will affect respiration process due to which photosynthesis rate will also change. Disturbance in climate change. Affects carbon cycle, forest structure, composition of species and alteration in forest ecosystem. Disturbance includes; invasion in species, forest fire, insects and disease outbreaks. Disease outbreaks destroy the structure, composition and function of forest ecosystems. Forest fire also disturbs our forest ecosystem by disturbing wildlife, habitat, increase and decrease in nutrient cycling and mortality of individual. Trees frequency, size, seasonality, intensity due to fire multiplication of pests and pathogen is faster. They expand their range and invade into new regions under warmer, wetter, or carbon dioxide enriched conditions. Nutrient availability is affected by an increase in the temperature through change of organic matter decomposition and mineralization of soil nutrients, mainly nitrogen.