Assessment of Atmospheric Deposition and Vitality Indicators in Mediterranean Forest Ecosystems

Tamara Jakovljević, Aldo Marchetto, Lucija Lovreškov, Nenad Potočić, Ivan Seletković, Krunoslav Indir, Goran Jelić, Lukrecija Butorac, Željko Zgrablić, Alessandra De Marco, Guillaume Simioni, Mladen Ognjenović and Ana Jurinjak Tušek
Additional contact information
Tamara Jakovljević: Croatian Forest Research Institute, Cvjetno naselje 41, 10450 Jastrebarsko, Croatia
Aldo Marchetto: Water Research Institute, National Research Council (CNR-IRSA), Viale Tonolli 50, 28922 Verbania, Italy
Lucija Lovreškov: Croatian Forest Research Institute, Cvjetno naselje 41, 10450 Jastrebarsko, Croatia
Nenad Potočić: Croatian Forest Research Institute, Cvjetno naselje 41, 10450 Jastrebarsko, Croatia
Ivan Seletković: Croatian Forest Research Institute, Cvjetno naselje 41, 10450 Jastrebarsko, Croatia
Krunoslav Indir: Croatian Forest Research Institute, Cvjetno naselje 41, 10450 Jastrebarsko, Croatia
Goran Jelić: Institute for Adriatic Crops and Karst Reclamation, Put Duilova 11, 21000 Split, Croatia
Lukrecija Butorac: Institute for Adriatic Crops and Karst Reclamation, Put Duilova 11, 21000 Split, Croatia
Željko Zgrablić: Croatian Forest Research Institute, Cvjetno naselje 41, 10450 Jastrebarsko, Croatia
Alessandra De Marco: Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA), CR Casaccia, Viale Anguillarese 301, 00123 Roma, Italy
Guillaume Simioni: INRA, Ecology of Mediterranean Forests Unit (URFM) Domaine Saint Paul, Site Agroparc, 84914 Avignon CEDEX 9, France
Mladen Ognjenović: Croatian Forest Research Institute, Cvjetno naselje 41, 10450 Jastrebarsko, Croatia
Ana Jurinjak Tušek: Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Pierottijeva 6, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 23, 1-18

Abstract: Considering the fragility of the Mediterranean environment, there is an increasing need to improve the knowledge of this forest environment. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of air pollution on the forest ecosystem’s condition by analyzing tree vitality. The study area was chosen to represent the most important and the most common species in Mediterranean forest ecosystems of the Eastern Adriatic coast. Quercus pubescens , Quercus ilex , Pinus halepensis , and Pinus nigra plots were equipped with rain collectors and dendrometer bands. Sampling, measurements, and analyses of atmospheric deposition, foliar nutrient, defoliation, and growth were all carried out. Results showed that actual N deposition loads were the lowest in Aleppo pine forest and the highest in holm oak forests. This, however, did not have an effect on the concentrations of N in foliage. Most elements’ concentrations were in the plausible range. No relevant differences in mean defoliation between the plots were observed. The plots with a lower percentage of basal area increment (BAI%) were found to have lower defoliation. The research was conducted to bridge the gap in the knowledge of air pollutants and vitality indicators in different forest types. These findings are a valuable contribution to the sustainable forest management of Mediterranean forest.

Keywords: atmospheric inputs; crown; defoliation; foliage; growth; Mediterranean forest types (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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