Mechanisms of Stability of Forest Ecosystems

The mechanisms of adaptation of forest ecosystems to global climate signals are examined through the prism of their functional stability in response to these signals. The problem of ecosystem stability in forest ecology is briefly reviewed, and the applicability of well-known stability mathematical models for landscape–ecological systems is evaluated. The ideology and methodology for the quantitative assessment of the stability of forest ecosystems are given. Two stability levels—labile phytocoenotic and inertial soil-biotic—are specified. The resistance and resilience indices of forest biogeocoenoses are calculated for each level. Matrix maps of the stability of forest facies and formations are compiled on the example of the Oka–Volga River basin. They characterize the sensitivity of the forest units to climate fluctuations and their functional-regeneration potential. The overwhelming majority of forest formations are characterized by high sensitivity to external disturbances but, at the same time, have sufficiently developed mechanics that personify their elastic-plastic stability, i.e., sufficiently high adaptive capacity.