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A Qualitative Ecosystem Assessment for Different Shrublands in Western Europe under Impact of Climate Change

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Abstract

Climate change may affect the dynamics of ecosystems and the goods and services they provide. To investigate the consequences of warming and drought for the goods and services provided by different shrublands in various western European countries, an assessment was carried out using results of field manipulation experiments of the CLIMOOR and VULCAN projects. Goods and services of these shrublands mainly encompass biodiversity, various forms of recreation, conservation of culturally and historically important landscapes, groundwater as a drinking water source, and carbon sequestration. Warming of dry lowland heathlands in The Netherlands and Denmark increases nutrient availability, which may lead to grass encroachment reducing biodiversity and decreasing recreational values. Drought may reduce the chances of grass encroachment but increase the chances of disturbances to heather vegetation. Similarly, warming increases and drought decreases the chances of nitrate pollution to the groundwater, which is often used as a drinking water source. Warming of the upland heathland in the UK increases its productivity, which might enable higher grazing densities leading to improved agricultural production. However, complex interactions between heather and invading species may be affected. Furthermore, nitrate production is increased, which may lead to groundwater pollution. Under drought conditions, productivity decreases and agricultural production capacity drops. In the Mediterranean shrubland in Spain, both warming and drought led to a shift in the species composition of seedlings and recruitment, which might lead to a change in the plant community and a reduction in biodiversity. In the drought treatment, a decreasing soil carbon content may lead to a loss of biodiversity, recreational possibilities, and an increased threat of wildfires and erosion.

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Acknowledgements

The project was funded by EU under the projects CLIMOOR (contract No. ENV4-CT97-0694) and VULCAN (contract No. EVK2-CT-2000-00094) and the participating research institutes. The authors wish to thank S. Bareham, C. Gordon, P. Gundersen, M. de Jonge, H. Petersen, I.K. Schmidt, and E. Wilson for sharing their knowledge of the sites and ecosystem types.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Geo-ecological Research (ICG), Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED)– Physical Geography, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 166, 1018 WV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Wim W. Wessel & Albert Tietema

  2. RISØ National Laboratory, P.O. Boks 49, DK-4000, Roskilde, Denmark

    Claus Beier

  3. Centre for Ecology and Hydrology–Bangor, Deiniol Rd., Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UP, United Kingdom

    Bridget A. Emmett

  4. Unitat Ecofisiologia CSIC–CEAB–CREAF, CREAF (Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications), Edifici C, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain

    Josep Peñuelas

  5. Danish Forest and Landscape Research Institute, Hørsholm Kongevej 11, DK-2970, Hørsholm, Denmark

    Torben Riis–Nielsen

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  1. Wim W. Wessel
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  2. Albert Tietema
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  3. Claus Beier
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  4. Bridget A. Emmett
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  5. Josep Peñuelas
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  6. Torben Riis–Nielsen
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Correspondence to Wim W. Wessel.

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Wessel, W., Tietema, A., Beier, C. et al. A Qualitative Ecosystem Assessment for Different Shrublands in Western Europe under Impact of Climate Change. Ecosystems 7, 662–671 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-004-0219-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-004-0219-3

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