Development of tree-ring width chronologies and tree-growth response to climate in the mountains surrounding the Issyk-Kul Lake,Central Asia

Three tree-ring width chronologies were developed from 75 Picea schrenkiana trees ranging from low- to high-elevation in the mountains surrounding the Issyk-Kul Lake, Northeast Kyrgyzstan. The reliable chronologies extend back to the mid-18th and late-19th centuries. Spatial correlation analysis indicates that the chronologies for the relatively high-elevation trees contain large-scale climatic signals, while the chronology at relatively low elevation may reflect the local climate variability. The results of the response of tree growth to climate show that these chronologies contain an annual precipitation signal. Furthermore, the influence of temperature indicates mainly moisture stress that is enhanced with rising elevation. The tree-ring records also captured a wetting trend in eastern Central Asia over the past decades. These new tree-ring width chronologies provide reliable proxies of precipitation variability in Central Asia and contribute to the International Tree-Ring Data Bank.     

Topographic influences on radial growth of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) at small spatial scales

Dendroecological and numerical methods were used to study the influence of topographic position on radial growth of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) stands exposed to soil dryness. The correlation structure of total tree-ring width and latewood width of eight scattered populations representing various topographic habitats (steep south-facing slopes, plateaus and hollows) within a rock-slide area (750 m a.s.l.) of about 1 km² was investigated by principal component analysis. Scatter plots of component loadings indicated that (i) total ring width and latewood width are influenced by various climatic factors, (ii) stands growing at similar topographic position show a high agreement in year-to-year variability of radial growth, and (iii) distinct effects of topographic features (slope aspect, slope magnitude) on tree growth are modified by local disturbances (erosion, grazing) and the age structure of stands. Furthermore, both the time series of component scores and non-metric multidimensional scaling of chronologies indicated years where extremely limiting or favorable climate conditions prevailed throughout the study area (pointer years). The influence of climate on tree growth in various topographic habitats was mediated through the influence of climatically stressful years. Because stands are located at sites with different levels of water stress, growth differences between chronologies are considered to be caused by site-specific susceptibility of tree growth to soil dryness. Significant correlations between precipitation in April to June and ring-width confirm that water availability is the primary growth-limiting factor within the study area. These small-scale variations in growth-climate relationships have significant implications for dendroclimatological studies. So paleoclimatic reconstructions based on tree rings will have to assure that an unbiased data set is used, which compensates for local growth-variabilities due to site related environmental stresses.     

不同生境和去趋势方法下的祁连圆柏径向生长对气候的响应

利用青海不同生境祁连圆柏树木年轮样本,采用3种不同去趋势方法建立树轮年表,结合青海30个气象站的气象资料,分析不同生境和去趋势方法下祁连圆柏径向生长对气候的响应差异。结果表明,祁连山区,生长季前期的平均气温是祁连圆柏树木径向生长的主要限制性因子,NEP树轮标准化宽度年表与生长季前期冬季平均气温相关最好;在柴达木盆地,生长季降水量是该地区树木径向生长的限制性因子,SPL树轮年表对生长季降水量相关较好;在青南高原,祁连圆柏径向生长对春季温度响应最为敏感,而SPL年表与春季温度呈现明显的负相关关系,相关系数达-0.606;而在青海东部地区,祁连圆柏树木径向生长对气候的响应总体不显著。位于青海西部和北部的柴达木盆地和祁连山区祁连圆柏径向生长受西风气候的影响显著,尤其是柴达木盆地,其气候受西风主导;而青南高原受西南季风影响更为显著,该地区祁连圆柏径向生长同时受西南季风气候和海拔高度两方面影响;在青海东部,祁连圆柏径向生长受东亚季风影响更为显著。     

Tree-ring growth of Gmelin larch under contrasting local conditions in the north of Central Siberia

While the forest-tundra zone in Siberia, Russia has been dendroclimatologically well-studied in recent decades, much less emphasis has been given to a wide belt of northern taiga larch forests located to the south. In this study, climate and local site conditions are explored to trace their influence on radial growth of Gmelin larch (Larix gmelinii (Rupr.) Rupr.) trees developed on permafrost soils in the northern taiga. Three dendrochronological sites characterized by great differences in thermo-hydrological regime of soils were established along a short (ca. 100 m long) transect: on a river bank (RB), at riparian zone of a stream (RZ) and on a terrace (TER). Comparative analysis of the rate and year-to-year dynamics of tree radial growth among sites revealed considerable difference in both raw and standardized tree-ring width (TRW) chronologies obtained for the RZ site, characterized by shallow soil active layer depth and saturated soils. Results of dendroclimatic analysis indicated that tree-ring growth at all the sites is mostly defined by climatic conditions of a previous year and precipitation has stronger effect on TRW chronologies in comparison to the air temperatures. Remarkably, a great difference in the climatic response of TRW chronologies has been obtained for trees growing within a very short distance from each other. The positive relation of tree-ring growth with precipitation, and negative to temperature was observed in the dry site RB. In contrary, precipitation negatively and temperature positively influenced tree radial growth of larch at the water saturated RZ. Thus, a complicate response of northern Siberian larch forest productivity to the possible climate changes is expected due to great mosaic of site conditions and variability of environmental factors controlling tree-ring growth at different sites. Our study demonstrates the new possibilities for the future dendroclimatic research in the region, as various climatic parameters can be reconstructed from tree-ring chronologies obtained for different sites.     

Recent growth increase in endemic Juglans boliviana from the tropical Andes

The spatial coverage of tree-ring chronologies in tropical South America is low compared to the extratropics, particularly in remote regions. Tree-ring dating from such tropical sites is limited by the generally weak temperature seasonality, complex coloration, and indistinct anatomical morphology in some tree species. As a result, there is a need to complement traditional methods of dendrochronology with innovative and independent approaches. Here, we supplement traditional tree-ring methods via the use of radiocarbon analyses to detect partial missing rings and/or false rings, and wood anatomical techniques to precisely delineate tree-ring boundaries. In so doing we present and confirm the annual periodicity of the first tree-ring width (TRW) chronology spanning from 1814 to 2017 for Juglans boliviana (‘nogal’), a tree species growing in a mid-elevation tropical moist forest in northern Bolivia. We collected 25 core samples and 4 cross-sections from living and recently harvested canopy-dominant trees, respectively. The sampled trees were growing in the Madidi National Park and had a mean age of 115 years old, with certain trees growing for over 200 years. Comparison of (residual and standard) TRW chronologies to monthly climate variables shows significant negative relationships to prior year May-August maximum temperatures (r = −0.54, p < 0.05) and positive relationships to dry season May-October precipitation (r = 0.60, p < 0.05) before the current year growing season. Additionally, the radial growth of Juglans boliviana shows a significant positive trend since 1979. Our findings describe a new and promising tree species for dendrochronology due to its longevity and highlight interdisciplinary techniques that can be used to expand the current tree-ring network in Bolivia and the greater South American tropics.     

Variability of climate–growth relationships along an elevation gradient in the Changbai Mountain, northeastern China

In order to explore climate–growth relationships at different elevations, tree-ring width chronologies of larch (Larix olgensis) were developed from three sampling sites on the northern slope of the Changbai Mountain, northeastern China. There were no consistent trends in statistical characteristics of the tree-ring chronologies along the elevation gradient, since trees in the forest interior had a complacent growth pattern. Monthly mean temperature and monthly total precipitation were used for the analysis. Correlation analysis indicated that temperatures in winter had negative correlations with tree growth (previous November, December and current March for the low-, mid- and high-elevation sites, respectively). The correlations between tree growth and June temperature varied from weakly negative at low elevations to significantly positive at high elevations. Precipitation in June of the growth year had negative relationship with the high-elevation chronology. However, high precipitation was associated with low temperature in early growing season, further supporting that temperature is a growth-limiting factor at high elevations. Our results suggest that along the elevation gradient, L. olgensis may respond in different ways to local climate change.     

Long-term increase of March temperature has no negative impact on tree rings of European larch (Larix decidua) in lowland Poland

European larch trees grown outside their natural range were intensively studied in terms of their adaptability to increased late winter temperature. A total of 264 cores of larch were taken from 12 sites throughout northern Poland at sites outside of its natural range. Clustering of de-trended chronologies reveal that research sites are grouped geographically. The mean ring widths, however, are similar amongst the four regions. In total, 21?% of the single correlations for all months for tree-ring widths were significant at the 5?% error level. For earlywood and latewood, the figures are 18 and 19?%, respectively. A generally positive precipitation effect was found, however, no significant negative effect was observed. Temperature had mixed effects on ring width. Higher temperatures in late winter and early spring increased ring width in region 2. High summer temperatures in both the previous and the current year, on the other hand, generally had a negative impact on tree-ring width during the growing season. On most of the sites, the observed long-term trend for increasing temperatures in March had no significant negative influence on tree growth. The visual condition of European larch together with the lack of any negative response of tree rings to observed March temperature increase suggest that it may be beneficial to introduce this species into new areas.     

Establishment of a 4650-year-long eigenvalue chronology based on tree-ring cores from Qilian junipers (Juniperus przewalskii Kom.) in Western China

This paper describes a tree-ring width chronology that spans the past 4650 years, established using the recently developed eigenanalysis technique. The aim is to show whether this eigenanalysis method enables the extraction of long-term tree-growth variations that are due to climatic changes, from a large dataset comprising 1263 tree-ring width records sampled from the highlands of Western China. In order to exclude the so-called growth rate/life span association effect, tree-ring width records were sorted into six subsets, based on the life spans of the trees sampled: 200–400, 400–600, 600–800, 800–1000, 1000–1500 years old, and trees older than 1500 years. Some partial chronologies were created, by pairing the set of all tree samples (living, dead, archaeological remains) with the living trees belonging to each subset. We computed the contours of tree-growth variations (on both 100-year and longer time scales) for each subset, ending with six pairs of these partial subset chronologies. Two sums of all these partial chronologies thus yielded a record of precipitation variations over a period ranging from 2627 BCE up to 2012 CE. It was found that this record shows a high degree of similarity to the existing chronology produced using the regional curve standardization (RCS) method applied to the same dataset, indicating that the eigenvalue chronology is capable of faithfully extracting long-term climatic variations. This also confirms that the first eigenvector represents the growth pattern that is characteristic of each biologically unique tree as well as the micro-environment of each tree stand. The variations observed over the last millennium seem to be connected to a cycle of solar activity with a period of ∼200 years. However, a clear lack of correspondence between solar activity and tree growth prior to 1000 CE indicates that the recent consistency may be coincidental. We believe that the eigenanalysis technique is readily applicable to other kinds of tree-ring datasets from different parts of the world.     

Dendrochronology of maritime pine in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean

The Azores Archipelago, located in the North Atlantic Ridge, experiences heavy rainfall and mild temperatures with weak seasonal differences due to oceanic influence. To our knowledge, there have been no dendrochronological studies in the Azores. The aim of this study is to explore the dendrochronological potential of Pinus pinaster Ait. growing in this archipelago and to determine what limiting factor is regulating tree growth. To do so, we have sampled adult maritime pine trees growing in a plantation, in the Pico island of the Azores.Tree ring boundaries were not always easily distinguished, suggesting that in some years cambial activity did not stop during winter. Despite this, it was possible to successfully crossdate the tree-ring series and to establish a tree-ring width chronology with a strong common signal. Climatic correlations revealed a positive response to spring precipitation but no temperature signal in the tree-ring width chronology. Tree-ring width was also negatively correlated with the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) and the sea level pressure (SLP) in May − June.Intra-annual density fluctuations (IADFs), which are anatomical features formed in response to variations in environmental conditions during the growing season, were present in 85% of the tree rings. IADFs were identified based on its position within the ring: type E⁺, characterized as a transition wood from early- to latewood; type L, the most frequent, characterized as earlywood-like cells within latewood; and type L⁺, characterized as earlywood-like cells between latewood and earlywood of the next tree ring. Each IADF type presented a unique climatic signal: type E⁺ was positively correlated with early summer precipitation and early spring temperature; type L was positively correlated with early autumn precipitation and temperature; and type L⁺ was positively correlated with late autumn precipitation.In conclusion, the tree-ring width chronology established for maritime pine growing in the Pico Island of Azores contains a clear climatic signal for spring precipitation, whereas IADFs frequency correlated better with precipitation later in the growing season. For this reason, we suggest that IADFs should be included in future dendrochronological studies in the Macaronesia Biogeographical region since they can improve the climatic signal present in tree-ring width chronologies.     

长白山北坡不同年龄红松年表及其对气候的响应

运用树木年轮气候学方法,研究了长白山北坡红松(Pinus koraiensis)不同年龄年表特征及其与气候因子间的关系,以期揭示年龄因素对年表的潜在影响。结果表明,平均年龄为63a的红松低龄年表与平均年龄为184a的高龄年表对气候的响应明显不同:低龄红松径向生长与当年1、2月月平均温度负相关(P<0.05),同时也受到上年及当年多个月份的月平均最高温度或最低温度的影响,但与降水的相关性未达到显著水平;高龄红松径向生长则与月平均温度间的关系不明显,而与当年1、2、4、6、7、9月的月平均最高温度正相关,与当年4月、9月的月平均最低温度负相关,同时受到上年5月及当年5月月总降水量的影响。因此,年龄因素对红松年表的气候响应方面存在一定影响,且高龄年表对气候响应的敏感性更高,包含有更多的气候信息。     

江西大岗山地区7-9月降水量的重建与分析

根据江西大岗山地区4个采样点的马尾松年轮样本,建立了本地区的综合年轮年表,分析了马尾松径向生长与气候因子变化的相关及响应关系,发现大岗山地区树木径向生长受生长季7—9月降水量影响较显著,呈负相关关系。在响应分析的基础上,首次重建了大岗山地区1892年以来7—9月的降水量,交叉检验表明重建序列是可靠的。重建结果表明,大岗山地区7—9月份降水变化在过去的117年中总体经历了3个偏干时期：1895—1902年,1908—1926年和1944—1985年,和3个偏湿阶段：1903—1907年,1927—1943年及1986—2008年。重建的降水量序列在1921年,1937年及1977年发生明显的方差突变,表明百年以来该地区降水量变化趋势存在阶段性变化。     

Spatial patterns of central European pointer years from 1901 to 1971

Three hundred and seventy-seven tree-ring width site chronologies including all eight principal forest tree species within Central Europe (5° to 15°E; 43° to 53°N) are expressed as Cropper-values and mapped using a Geographical Information System (here after referred to as GIS). Spatial classification of positive and negative growth anomalies and their occurrence within altitudinal zones, results in nine differing sub-groups of pointer years. In total, 39 years between 1901 and 1971AD are subdivided into these groups. The other 32 years show only growth anomalies in less than 40% of the research area, and therefore were excluded from further investigations.Climatological interpretation of the growth patterns of the nine groups documents mutual temperature and precipitation forcings. Extreme positive pointer years represent optimal growth conditions, i.e., moderate cool and wet conditions during the growing season. For the other years we summarize (i) warm and wet (warm and dry) springs result in positive (negative) anomalies in the Central European lowlands and (ii) warm (cold) summers result in positive (negative) anomalies in the Central European highlands. In some years, however, similar climatological conditions yield to divergent growth response patterns.     

Climate response of Picea schrenkiana based on tree-ring width and maximum density

The effect of global warming on alpine forests is complex. It is crucial, therefore, to investigate the effects of climate change on the radial growth of trees at different altitudes. The tree growth–climate relationship remains poorly understood at large spatial scales in the Tianshan Mountains, China. Schrenk spruce (P. schrenkiana) is a unique tree species to this area. In this study, we collected tree-ring width and maximum density data from nine plots along an altitudinal gradient. Results showed that altitude affected both tree-ring width and maximum density. At high altitudes, tree-ring width was positively correlated with temperature in February of the current year. Tree-ring width was also positively correlated with precipitation in July of the previous year, and January and July of the current year, and negatively correlated with the monthly diurnal temperature range (DTR). At low altitudes, tree-ring width was negatively correlated with temperature in the early growing season and the growing season. Tree-ring width was positively correlated with precipitation in June and September of the previous year, and May of the current year. The tree-ring maximum density was positively correlated with temperature and the DTR of the growing season, and negatively correlated with precipitation in winter and growing season. Moving correlation analysis showed that the positive response of tree-ring width to precipitation in the growing season was enhanced over time at high altitudes. In the low-altitude trees, the negative response of tree-ring width to temperature in the growing season was reduced, while the positive response to precipitation in the growing season was enhanced. The positive response relationship between tree-ring maximum density and the temperature in July weakened over time. At low altitudes, the negative response of tree-ring maximum density to winter precipitation was strengthened, and a stable negative response to July precipitation was observed. As the climate becomes wetter and warmer in the Tianshan Mountains, our results suggest that the radial growth of trees may benefit at elevations above 2400 m a.s.l. There was no obvious elevation limit for the increase in tree-ring maximum density. These findings provide a basis for sustainable forest management under global climate change.     

Climatic signal in growth-rings of Copaifera lucens: An endemic species of a Brazilian Atlantic forest hotspot,southeastern Brazil

In this study, we present the first tree-ring chronology for the tropical tree species Copaifera lucens and its climatic signal in southeastern Brazil. Tree-ring width series were compared with local climate indices using a drought index (Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index —SPEI), in monthly, bi-monthly and four-monthly scales. We also calculated negative pointer years over the time-span of the tree-ring width. The radial growth of C. lucens showed a positive correlation with the SPEI of the current summer and autumn in all the three analyzed time scales, while the negative pointer years matched with drier years. The species was highly sensitive to very low summer precipitation, which may lead to a 49% reduction in growth. We conclude that the long-living C. lucens has a great potential for dendrochronological studies as it shows a marked climatic signal. Our study also reinforces the importance of rainfall in regulating radial growth in tropical forests and sheds light on the local climate influence on tree growth in recent decades.     

Spatial patterns of central European pointer years from 1901 to 1971

Three hundred and seventy-seven tree-ring width site chronologies including all eight principal forest tree species within Central Europe (5° to 15°E; 43° to 53°N) are expressed as Cropper-values and mapped using a Geographical Information System (here after referred to as GIS). Spatial classification of positive and negative growth anomalies and their occurrence within altitudinal zones, results in nine differing sub-groups of pointer years. In total, 39 years between 1901 and 1971AD are subdivided into these groups. The other 32 years show only growth anomalies in less than 40% of the research area, and therefore were excluded from further investigations.

Climatological interpretation of the growth patterns of the nine groups documents mutual temperature and precipitation forcings. Extreme positive pointer years represent optimal growth conditions, i.e., moderate cool and wet conditions during the growing season. For the other years we summarize (i) warm and wet (warm and dry) springs result in positive (negative) anomalies in the Central European lowlands and (ii) warm (cold) summers result in positive (negative) anomalies in the Central European highlands. In some years, however, similar climatological conditions yield to divergent growth response patterns.     

Tree-ring distinctness,dating potential and climatic sensitivity of laurel forest tree species in Tenerife Island

Macaronesian laurel forests are the only remnants of a subtropical palaeoecosystem dominant during the Tertiary in Europe and northern Africa. These biodiverse ecosystems are restricted to cloudy and temperate insular environments in the North Atlantic Ocean. Due to their reduced distribution area, these forests are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbances and changes in climatic conditions. The assessment of laurel forest trees’ response to climate variation by dendrochronological methods is limited because it was assumed that the lack of marked seasonality would prevent the formation of distinct annual tree rings. The aims of this study were to identify the presence of annual growth rings and to assess the dendrochronological potential of the most representative tree species from laurel forests in Tenerife, Canary Islands. We sampled increment cores from 498 trees of 12 species in two well-preserved forests in Tenerife Island. We evaluated tree-ring boundary distinctness, dating potential, and sensitivity of tree-ring growth to climate and, particularly, to drought occurrence. Eight species showed clear tree-ring boundaries, but synchronic annual tree rings and robust tree-ring chronologies were only obtained for Laurus novocanariensis, Ilex perado subsp. platyphylla, Persea indica and Picconia excelsa, a third of the studied species. Tree-ring width depended on water balance and drought occurrence, showing sharp reductions in growth in the face of decreased water availability, a response that was consistent among species and sites. Inter-annual tree-ring width variation was directly dependent on rainfall input in the humid period, from previous October to current April. The four negative pointer years 1995, 1999, 2008 and 2012 corresponded to severe drought events in the study area. This study gives the first assessment of dendrochronological potential and tree-ring climate sensitivity of tree species from the Tenerife laurel forest, which opens new research avenues for dendroecological studies in Macaronesian laurel forests.     

A comparison of ring-width and event-year chronologies derived from white oak (Quercus alba) and northern red oak (Quercus rubra), southwestern Quebec, Canada

In dendrochronology, ring width has been a variable of choice when assessing the radial growth–climate association of tree species. We compared ring-width and event-year chronologies from a dendroclimatic perspective using both white oak (Quercus alba L.) and northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.). The study was conducted in three regions of the Ottawa valley in southern Québec. Twelve mixed red and white oak stands were selected and for each oak species, 12 chronologies were developed from tree-ring measurement and 12 others were derived using visual assessment of narrow or wide rings (event years). Ring-width and event-year chronologies gave almost identical results and revealed the prevalence of drought in the early growing season as the most influential factor in both species. This study emphasizes the utility of event-year chronologies in tree-ring studies and their comparativeness with ring width. Establishing event-year chronologies has the advantage of being faster than measuring ring width, it does not necessitate complex equipment and depending on the purpose of the study may prove to be at least comparable. The choice of species, their mean sensitivity, the ability to recognize narrow or large rings as well as the number of trees and sites to analyze may, however, be factors to consider when choosing to use event-year chronologies over the more commonly used ring-width ones.     

Age-specific responses to climate identified in the growth of Quercus alba

The objective of this research was to determine whether the dendroclimatic responses of young Quercus alba (aged 29–126 years) differ from those of old Q. alba (149–312 years). We collected Q. alba increment cores across a range of size classes from Buffalo Mountain Natural Area Preserve, an oak-hickory forest in southcentral Virginia, USA. Tree cores were crossdated and raw ring widths were detrended to remove the influence of increasing circumference with age, microsite, and local stand dynamics. Standardized ring widths were averaged to develop two master chronologies from the 20 oldest and youngest trees. Ring-width indices were correlated with temperature, precipitation, and Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). Annual tree-ring growth in old and young Q. alba was significantly correlated with precipitation from the previous growing season, but was not significantly correlated with temperature. Only the old trees showed a significant correlation between annual ring width and PDSI. These results may indicate that growth in old trees is more sensitive to drought than in young trees. If future climate change includes the predicted increase in mid-growing season droughts, tree-level responses are likely to be age-dependent with older trees experiencing relatively greater reductions in growth.     

川西亚高山不同年龄紫果云杉径向生长对气候因子的响应

运用树木年轮气候学的基本方法,建立王朗自然保护区紫果云杉在集中分布上限区域的年轮宽度年表,选取差值年表分析不同年龄云杉的径向生长同逐月气候因子的相关及响应关系,结果显示:幼龄组云杉年表的敏感度高于中龄组和老龄组云杉,幼龄组云杉对生长季前及生长季的气温状况显著正相关;中龄组云杉年表仅与当年4月份和7月份的月平均最低气温显著正相关;老龄组云杉的年轮宽度指数同上年生长季(上年8月份)的月平均气温和月平均最低温显著负相关,上年生长季高温的"滞后效应"在老龄组云杉体现的更为突出;幼龄组与中龄组云杉对当年6月份降水持续增加显示出明显的负相关关系,上年12月份的降水会对幼龄组和老龄组云杉径向生长不利。研究表明幼龄组云杉包含的气候信息要优于中龄组和老龄组云杉,在该区域进行相关研究时应根据研究需要选取不同年龄跨度的云杉年表。     

芦芽山阳坡不同海拔华北落叶松径向生长对气候变化的响应

为研究树木生长对气候变化的响应状况,选取芦芽山阳坡的3个海拔高度建立了华北落叶松(Larix principis-rupprechtii)的树轮宽度年表。年表的统计参数表明,3条年表均为研究气候信息的可靠资料。结果表明,芦芽山阳坡华北落叶松的径向生长和生长与气候的关系均具有海拔差异,中海拔(2440 m)和高海拔(2540 m)的华北落叶松具有相似年际生长变化,而二者均与低海拔(2330 m)华北落叶松的年际生长不同。低海拔华北落叶松的生长与4月平均气温和上一年11月降水量显著负相关,而中海拔和高海拔的生长均与上一年10月平均气温和6月降水量显著负相关。通过年表与气候因子之间的滑动相关分析发现,3个海拔高度华北落叶松生长与气候因子的关系均不稳定,生长与气温条件之间的显著相关关系是随着气温升高而出现的。气温的升高引起了华北落叶松生长与气温因子关系的海拔差异,以及径向生长的海拔差异。这一结果对于气候变化对植被垂直梯度影响的研究具有一定参考价值。