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Mast seeding and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation: a long-term relationship?

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Abstract

Recognition of the effects of inter-annual climate change on earth systems has led to a greater understanding of the various forces that influence natural systems. The El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is, arguably, the most well-known and widely researched inter-annual climate mode. The effects of ENSO on natural systems include changes in fire-regimes, rainfall and temperature patterns, oceanic upwelling and plant reproduction. Here, I posit a long-term relationship between ENSO and temporal changes in the abundance of a long-lived rainforest conifer, Lagarostrobos franklinii, in western Tasmania, Australia. An increase in pollen from L. franklinii occurs at a number of sites across the landscape of western Tasmania in concert with a marked increase in the frequency and amplitude of El Niño events in the tropical Pacific Ocean, a trend that resulted in an increase in the occurrence of moisture stress in the Tasmanian region. Based on limited, and albeit speculative, data, I propose mast seeding as the mechanism through which ENSO influences L. franklinii population dynamics over long time-scales. This hypothesis draws on the established link between ENSO and mast seeding in plant species that inhabit a range of biomes under the influence of ENSO. I draw upon ecological, palaeoecological and palaeoclimatological data to highlight a potential link between L. franklinii and ENSO for at least 130,000 years.

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Acknowledgments

I acknowledge financial support from the Australian Postgraduate Award, CONICYT project 3110180 and ARC projects DI110100019 and IN140100050. Thanks to Laurie Stahle, who analysed the charcoal content of the Lake Vera record for a forthcoming publication. Thanks also to Feli Hopf who analysed the Lake Vera pollen data.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geography, University of Melbourne, 221 Bouverie Street, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia

    Michael-Shawn Fletcher

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  1. Michael-Shawn Fletcher
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Correspondence to Michael-Shawn Fletcher.

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Communicated by William E Rogers.

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Fletcher, MS. Mast seeding and the El Niño-Southern Oscillation: a long-term relationship?. Plant Ecol 216, 527–533 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-015-0456-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-015-0456-x

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