Evaluation of benefits and risk of assisted migration in Fagus species
At a glance
- Project leader : Dr. Fabio Rezzonico
- Deputy of project leader : Dr. Christoph Sperisen
- Project team : Mirjam Kurz
- Project status : ongoing
- Funding partner : Federal government (Eidgenössische Forschungsanstalt für Wald, Schnee und Landschaft WSL)
- Contact person : Fabio Rezzonico
Description
Risk and benefits of assisted introduction of drought-resistant
Fagus species in Europe
European beech (Fagus sylvatica) is one of the economically most
important broadleaved trees in Europe. Its natural geographical
diffusion area is however expected to experience a major shift as a
consequence of global warming. Assisted introduction of closely
related oriental beech (Fagus orientalis), which grows at warmer
and drier sites, has been proposed as a mean to maintain the
ecosystem services of Fagus forests once the climate will be too
unfavorable for F. sylvatica. However, these two species are known
to hybridize in their contact zone in Eastern Europe, a fact that
constitutes a potential risk, as hybrids may potentially be
invasive or more susceptible to certain diseases. In this project
we collaborate with WSL to perform a genetic assessment of Fagus
offspring at selected sites in Central Europe, where a limited
population of F. orientalis was introduced in the past decades, in
order to understand the local hybridization rate and population
dynamics between the two species. The data obtained will be
critical for risk assessment and development of future
strategies.