Data from: Disturbance history is a key driver of tree lifespan in temperate primary forests

<p>AIMS</p> <p>We examined differences in lifespan among the dominant tree species (spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.), fir (Abies alba Mill.), beech (Fagus sylvatica L.), and maple (Acer pseudoplatanus L.)) across primary mountain forests of Europe. We ask how disturbance history, lifetime growth patterns, and environmental factors influence lifespan.</p> <p>LOCATIONS</p> <p>Balkan mountains, Carpathian mountains, Dinaric mountains.</p> <p>METHODS</p> <p>Annual ring widths from 20,600 cores from primary forests were used to estimate tree life spans, growth trends, and disturbance history metrics. Mixed models were used to examine species-specific differences in lifespan (i.e. defined as species-specific 90th percentiles of age distributions), and how metrics of radial growth, disturbance parameters, and selected environmental factors influence lifespan.</p> <p>RESULTS</p> <p>While only a few beech trees surpassed 500 years, individuals of all four species were older than 400 years. There were significant differences in lifespan among the four species (beech &gt; fir &gt; spruce &gt; maple), indicating life history differentiation in lifespan. Trees were less likely to reach old age in areas affected by more severe disturbance events, whereas individuals that experienced periods of slow growth and multiple episodes of suppression and release were more likely to reach old age. Aside from a weak but significant negative effect of vegetation season temperature on fir and maple lifespan, no other environmental factors included in the analysis influenced lifespan.</p> <p>CONCLUSIONS</p> <p>Our results indicate species-specific biological differences in lifespan, which may play a role in facilitating tree species coexistence in mixed temperate forests. Finally, natural disturbances regimes were a key driver of lifespan, which could have implications for forest dynamics if regimes shift under global change.</p>