Abstract Despite the recognized influence of spatial resolution on forest life cycle classification typologies, neither the effects of scale (i.e., extent) on development phase assignment nor the pathways of subplot convergence with increasing scale have been quantified. We applied an objective development phase classification protocol to subplots of a 10-ha primeval European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) forest ranging from 156.25 m2 to 10000 m2 in extent. The assignment of one of the eight phases [Gap and Regeneration, Establishment, Early Optimum, Mid Optimum, Late Optimum, Terminal, Decay, and Multi-Sized (aka Plenter)] to each subplot was tallied at each scale and the pathways by which subplots in given phases at smaller scales were merged into larger subplots were summarized. As spatial scale increased, the most immature phases (Gap and Regeneration, Establishment, Early Optimum) converged into the mature phases (Terminal, Decay, Multi-Sized) and were no longer assigned by the 1250–2500 scale at which the mature phases dominated. As subplots assigned to one of the eight development phases at a given scale were merged with neighboring subplots to attain the next larger scale, many different possible pathways for convergence emerged but the number of observed combinations declined with increasing scale. Assignment to the most complex phase increased with increasing scale until ultimately all subplots were assigned to this phase. In addition to confirming the scale dependency of development phase assignment, these results support the hypothesis that the immature development phases are assigned predominantly at the smaller scales that correspond to the prevailing disturbance regime while mature phases are assigned predominantly at larger scales. We further observed a convergence with increasing scale on the most structurally complex phase. The convergence of immature phases on more mature phases with increasing scale likely reflects the dual dynamic of fast, short-term gap dynamics predominant at small scales and the slow, long-term dynamics of maturation, maintenance, and persistence that dominate at larger scales. The assignment of development phases at fine spatial resolutions, therefore, is necessary but not sufficient for a comprehensive investigation of the mosaic cycle. Further, examining development phase assignment across spatial scale may enable the identification of the spatial scale of predominant disturbances by investigating and comparing the rate at which phase transitions occur across scales in different primeval forests.

中文翻译：

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原始欧洲山毛榉 (Fagus sylvatica L.) 森林中跨尺度的发展阶段收敛

摘要 尽管空间分辨率对森林生命周期分类类型的影响已得到公认，但尺度（即范围）对发展阶段分配的影响以及随着尺度增加的子地块收敛途径都没有被量化。我们将客观发展阶段分类协议应用于 10 公顷原始欧洲山毛榉 (Fagus sylvatica L.) 森林的子地块，范围从 156.25 平方米到 10000 平方米不等。将八个阶段之一[间隙和再生、建立、早期最佳、中期最佳、晚期最佳、终末、衰退和多尺寸（又名Plenter）]分配给每个子地块，并在每个尺度上计算将给定阶段中较小尺度的子图合并为较大的子图进行汇总。随着空间尺度的增加，最不成熟的阶段（间隙和再生、建立、早期最佳）收敛到成熟阶段（终端、衰变、多尺寸），不再由成熟阶段占主导地位的 1250-2500 规模分配。当分配给给定规模的八个开发阶段之一的子地块与相邻子地块合并以获得下一个更大的规模时，出现了许多不同的可能收敛途径，但观察到的组合数量随着规模的增加而减少。对最复杂阶段的分配随着规模的增加而增加，直到最终所有子区都分配给这个阶段。除了确认开发阶段分配的规模依赖性，这些结果支持这样一个假设，即未成熟的发展阶段主要分配在与盛行扰动机制相对应的较小尺度上，而成熟阶段主要分配在较大的尺度上。我们进一步观察到在结构最复杂的阶段随着规模的增加而收敛。不成熟阶段在规模增加的更成熟阶段上的收敛可能反映了在小尺度上占主导地位的快速、短期间隙动态和在更大尺度上占主导地位的成熟、维持和持久性的缓慢、长期动态的双重动态。因此，以精细的空间分辨率分配开发阶段对于镶嵌周期的全面调查是必要的，但还不够。更多，