Exploring the potential of native trees for restoration of highland ecosystem in the Andes under climate change predictions

Abstract:

The response of terrestrial ecosystem to global environmental change is poorly understood, especially for highlands in the Andes. Currently, an experiment is being carried out by our team at Universidad de Cuenca to understand how seedlings of native trees species respond to water deficit predictions under climate change predictions. Seeds of Oreocallis grandiflora and  Ocotea heterochrona were collected from two montane forests near Cuenca. The seeds were germinated and the seedlings grown under nursery conditions. These seedlings will be exposed to two levels of water deficit selected from climate change predictions using a calibrated and validated statistical downscaling technique applied to an IPCC GCM (ECHAM5/MPI-OM, scenario A1B) for the years 2026-2050. Seedling growth, biomass accumulation, specific leaf area, stomatal conductance, cholorophyll fluorescence and relative water content will be measured to characterize the physiological response of the seedlings to the water deficit treatments. Results from this study will help identify candidate native species potentially useful for the restoration of highland ecosystems in the Andes designed to be resilient under climate change.