Geographic variation in growth response of Douglas‐fir to interannual climate variability and projected climate change

We used 179 tree ring chronologies of Douglas‐fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] from the International Tree‐Ring Data Bank to study radial growth response to historical climate variability. For the coastal variety of Douglas‐fir, we found positive correlations of ring width with summer precipitation and temperature of the preceding winter, indicating that growth of coastal populations was limited by summer dryness and that photosynthesis in winter contributed to growth. For the interior variety, low precipitation and high growing season temperatures limited growth. Based on these relationships, we chose a simple heat moisture index (growing season temperature divided by precipitation of the preceding winter and current growing season) to predict growth response for the interior variety. For 105 tree ring chronologies or 81% of the interior samples, we found significant linear correlations with this heat moisture index, and moving correlation functions showed that the response was stable over time (1901–1980). We proceeded to use those relationships to predict regional growth response under 18 climate change scenarios for the 2020s, 2050s, and 2080s with unexpected results: for comparable changes in heat moisture index, the most southern and outlying populations of Douglas‐fir in Mexico showed the least reduction in productivity. Moderate growth reductions were found in the southern United States, and strongly negative response in the central Rocky Mountains. Growth reductions were further more pronounced for high than for low elevation populations. Based on regional differences in the slope of the growth–climate relationship, we propose that southern populations are better adapted to drought conditions and could therefore contain valuable genotypes for reforestation under climate change. The results support the view that climate change may impact species not just at the trailing edges but throughout their range due to genetic adaptation of populations to local environments.     

Species,Climate and Landscape Physiography Drive Variable Growth Trends in Subalpine Forests

Forests around the world are undergoing rapid changes due to changing climate and increasing physiological stress, but forest response to climate at the ecosystem scale can be highly variable due to the mixed responses of different trees across heterogeneous landscapes. To determine the response of ecosystems in the Rocky Mountains to climate stress, we investigated the response of subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) and Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii), two widely distributed subalpine forest species of Rocky Mountains, to climate warming across a region characterized by gradients of elevation, aspect and soil type. We investigated the growth trend of individual trees through time, determined the climate variables most important for driving growth and quantified the interactions between climate and topography that influence long-term growth trends and potential ecological changes across the study region. Growth trends of these two species are similar through the first part of the century, but diverge during the last several decades. Since 1975, subalpine fir growth decreased through time, while Engelmann spruce growth increased. We find that aspect and warm summer temperatures are the most important factors determining growth in subalpine fir, and subalpine fir growth declines are greatest on east- and south-facing aspects. In contrast, Engelmann spruce growth is uniformly unresponsive to climate. In addition to highlighting the importance of species-level differences in growth response to climate, our results also identify interactions between climate and local physiography as controls on long-term growth trends and suggest that the local landscape physiography can mediate climate-related stress in forested ecosystems. This work advances our understanding of how forest stress is mitigated by landscape factors at the ecosystem scale, and how interactions of species, landscape and climate will control future ecosystem composition and forest growth dynamics.     

Growth response of Abies georgei to climate increases with elevation in the central Hengduan Mountains,southwestern China

Climatic harshness is expected to increase at higher elevations; however, elevational trends of tree radial growth response of high-elevation forests to climate change need to be investigated at different locations because of existing local variability in site-specific climatic conditions. We developed tree-ring width chronologies of Yunnan fir (Abies georgei) along elevation gradients at two sites in the central Hengduan Mountains (HM). High-elevation forests of A. georgei showed growth synchronicity and common growth signals along elevation gradients, indicating a common climatic forcing, although tree radial growth rates decreased with increasing elevation. Radial growth of Yunnan fir showed positive correlations with summer temperatures and February precipitation and moisture availability, but were negatively correlated with spring temperatures. The strongest positive relationship indicated summer (July) mean and minimum temperatures are the most important growth determining climatic factors for tree radial growth in the cold environment of HM, and this relationship revealed a clear elevational trend with stronger correlations at higher altitudes. In contrast, tree radial growth was negatively correlated with June precipitation and moisture availability. The whole study period 1954–2015 was split in two sub-periods of equal length. Comparing the early sub-period (1954–1984) to the later sub-period (1985–2015), tree growth response to the summer temperatures strongly increased, while it became weaker to June precipitation and moisture availability. High-elevation Yunnan fir forests in the HM currently benefit from elevated growing season temperatures under humid summer conditions. However, increasing temperatures may induce drought stress on tree radial growth if the observed decreasing trend in humidity and precipitation continues.     

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.     

Abies spectabilis shows stable growth relations to temperature,but changing response to moisture conditions along an elevation gradient in the central Himalaya

A better understanding of growth-climate responses of high-elevation tree species across their distribution range is essential to devise an appropriate forest management and conservation strategies against adverse impacts of climate change. The present study evaluates how radial growth of Himalayan fir (Abies spectabilis D. Don) and its relation to climate varies with elevation in the Manaslu Mountain range in the central Himalaya. We developed tree-ring width chronologies of Himalayan fir from three elevational belts at the species’upper distribution limit (3750−3900 m), in the middle range (3500−3600 m), and at the lower distribution limit (3200−3300 m), and analyzed their associations with climatic factors. Tree growth of Himalayan fir varied synchronously across elevational belts, with recent growth increases observed at all elevations. Across the elevation gradient, radial growth correlated positively (negatively) with temperature (precipitation and standardized precipitation-evapotranspiration index, SPEI-03) during the summer (July to September) season. However, the importance of summer (July to September) temperatures on radial growth decreased with elevation, whereas correlations with winter (previous November to current January) temperatures increased. Correlations with spring precipitation and SPEI-03 changed from positive to negative from low to high elevations. Moving correlation analysis revealed a persistent response of tree growth to May and August temperatures. However, growth response to spring moisture availability has strongly increased in recent decades, indicating that intensified spring drought may reduce growth rates of Himalayan fir at lower elevations. Under sufficient moisture conditions, increasing summer temperature might be beneficial for fir trees growing at all elevations, while trees growing at the upper treeline will take additional benefit from winter warming.     

Comparative dendroclimatic study of Scots pine, Norway spruce, and silver fir in the Vrancea Range, Eastern Carpathian Mountains

Using dendroclimatical methods, we compared the growth response to climate fluctuations of three of the main Romanian Carpathian Mountains coniferous species, Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), Norway spruce (Picea abies Karst.) and silver fir (Abies alba Mill.), growing intermixed in a unique stand. Climate and soil conditions were therefore the same for all the trees studied. The experimental site was chosen to be representative of the south-exposed sites in the Romanian Carpathian Mountains, where pine occurs naturally. In order to investigate the consequences of fluctuations in climate at different temporal scales, we examined both inter-annual and decadal time-steps. An index of soil water deficit was computed to investigate the consequences of drought. Our study reveals that species exhibited different responses to precipitation, temperature or drought. Overall, pine was the most sensitive to precipitation, while spruce showed a higher response to temperature at high frequency for both the current and the previous growing seasons, and to soil water deficit. Fir was the least sensitive species of the comparison. However, for all species, decadal modulations of growth show precipitation as a common and strong driver on the dry south-facing slopes. The results show that Scots pine would be affected more than fir by increased drought frequency and could in the future be replaced on the xeric sites.     

Response of regional tree-line forests to climate change: evidence from the northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Tree-ring width and age structure of Juniperus przewalskii (Qilian juniper) forests were analyzed for four tree-line sites in Qilian and Anyemaqen Mountains, northeastern Tibetan Plateau, to investigate their relationships to climate change. Tree-line growth on Qilian Mountain was mainly limited by temperature at the low-frequency band. However, tree-line growth in the Anyemaqen Mountain was highly correlated with the current growing season temperature at the high-frequency band, and with the previous growing season precipitation at the low-frequency band. A temperature-stressed growth pattern at colder western sites and a moisture-stressed growth pattern at the warm, drier eastern tree-line sites were detected. The number of surviving trees in the tree-line ecotone was not clearly correlated with temperature before the 1900s. An unprecedented rise in the number of trees coincided well with the rapid global warming after the 1900s.     

杉木径向生长动态及其对季节性干旱的响应

为探讨杉木径向变化的季节动态及其气候响应特征,利用径向生长仪连续2年(2016—2017年)监测了江西中部杉木的径向变化过程,分析了径向变化的日动态、季节动态规律及其与气候因子的相关性。结果表明: 杉木日径向昼夜变化呈白天收缩、夜间膨胀的格局;2017年径向生长开始时间比2016年提前一个月,但旱季持续的水分亏缺使生长季也早一个月结束;在主要生长季内(4—9月),无论湿季与旱季,径向增长量与降雨、相对湿度呈显著正相关,与光合有效辐射、饱和水汽压差呈显著负相关,而水分亏缺量的气候相关性与径向增长量相反;旱季严重缺水时土壤含水量对径向变化的影响显著增强。水分条件始终是影响杉木径向变化的关键因素,夏季干旱时可通过提高土壤含水量等有效途径促进杉木径向生长。     

Warming induced growth decline of Himalayan birch at its lower range edge in a semi-arid region of Trans-Himalaya,central Nepal

Changes in the position of altitudinal treelines and timberlines are considered useful indicators of climatic changes on tree growth and forest dynamics. We sought to determine if recent warming is driving contrasting growth responses of Himalayan birch, at moist treeline (Lete Lekh) and semi-arid timberline (Chimang Lekh) sites in the Trans-Himalayan zone of central Nepal. We used dendrochronological techniques to measure tree ring width (TRW) and basal area increment (BAI) of birch trees from climatically contrasting but nearby sites. The TRW series were correlated with climate records from nearby meteorological stations, and BAI was compared between populations to explore growth trends over recent decades. We found contrasting precipitation trends between nearby sites such that the wet site (Lete) is getting warmer and wetter, and the dry site (Chimang) is getting warmer and drier in recent decades. The radial growth of birch in both moist and semi-arid sites are positively correlated to spring (March–May) rainfall, and negatively correlated to mean and maximum temperature for the same period. The growth climate analysis indicated that moisture availability in early growing season is crucial for birch growth at these locations. The BAI of birch is declining more rapidly at the dry timberline than at the moist treelines in the recent decades, indicating that climatic warming might negatively impact birch radial growth where warming interacts with increasing spring drought in the region. Our work highlights contrasting growth response of birch to climate change at moist and semi-arid forests indicating that local climatic variation must be accounted for when assessing and forecasting regional patterns of tree growth in topographically complex regions like Trans-Himalaya, in order to make accurate predictions of vegetation responses to climate change.     

2000—2019年武夷山亚高山草甸对气候因子的响应及其时滞效应

亚高山草甸对气候变化十分敏感,但目前缺少气候因子对亚热带地区亚高山草甸影响的相关研究,且光学遥感数据对该地区草地信息的提取仍存在一定的挑战。本研究基于MOD13Q1植被指数产品中的归一化植被指数(NDVI)数据集,并结合气象数据,分析2000—2019年间武夷山国家公园黄岗山顶的亚高山草甸的生长变化及其对气候因子的响应和时滞效应。结果表明: 2000—2019年,夏季NDVI呈不显著增加趋势,整个生长季、春季和秋季NDVI均呈极显著增加趋势。NDVI的增加主要受温度增加(0.026 ℃·a^-1)的影响,其中春、秋季温度的增加对草地生长的影响显著高于夏季和整个生长季。生长季NDVI对降水的变化十分敏感,说明即使在降水充沛的亚热带地区,亚高山草甸的生长仍然受到降水的较大影响。不同生长时段温度和降水对草甸NDVI的滞后影响程度不同,温度对亚高山草甸生长的滞后影响为0～1个月,降水对草甸生长的滞后性影响为2～3个月。     

嵩山地区油松人工林树轮宽度对气候因子的响应

以河南登封嵩山地区不同坡向的油松人工林为对象,分别建立了跑马岭、峻极峰及区域油松差值年表。结果表明: 跑马岭油松年表的质量高于峻极峰油松年表;跑马岭油松年表和峻极峰油松年表都包含较高的气候信息,都与当年2月平均气温、生长季末期(9—10月)平均气温和平均最高温呈显著正相关,与当年5月的平均最高温呈显著负相关;跑马岭和峻极峰油松径向生长对气候响应有一定的差异,跑马岭油松径向生长主要与3月平均最低温和9月降水量呈显著正相关,而峻极峰与5月降水量和9月平均最低温呈显著正相关;区域油松年表包含了更多的气候信息。利用多元回归分析方法能较好地模拟出油松树轮宽度生长的限制因素是多个月的温度,尤其是当年9月平均气温,这与相关分析结果一致。本研究可以为本地区森林保护和生态建设提供基础服务。     

Tree growth response to drought and temperature in a mountain landscape in northern Arizona, USA

Aim To understand how tree growth response to regional drought and temperature varies between tree species, elevations and forest types in a mountain landscape. Location Twenty‐one sites on an elevation gradient of 1500 m on the San Francisco Peaks, northern Arizona, USA. Methods Tree‐ring data for the years 1950–2000 for eight tree species (Abies lasiocarpa var. arizonica (Merriam) Lemm., Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm., Pinus aristata Engelm., Pinus edulis Engelm., Pinus flexilis James, Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws., Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco and Quercus gambelii Nutt.) were used to compare sensitivity of radial growth to regional drought and temperature among co‐occurring species at the same site, and between sites that differed in elevation and species composition. Results For Picea engelmannii, Pinus flexilis, Pinus ponderosa and Pseudotsuga menziesii, trees in drier, low‐elevation stands generally had greater sensitivity of radial growth to regional drought than trees of the same species in wetter, high‐elevation stands. Species low in their elevational range had greater drought sensitivity than co‐occurring species high in their elevational range at the pinyon‐juniper/ponderosa pine forest ecotone, ponderosa pine/mixed conifer forest ecotone and high‐elevation invaded meadows, but not at the mixed conifer/subalpine forest ecotone. Sensitivity of radial growth to regional drought was greater at drier, low‐elevation compared with wetter, high‐elevation forests. Yearly growth was positively correlated with measures of regional water availability at all sites, except high‐elevation invaded meadows where growth was weakly correlated with all climatic factors. Yearly growth in high‐elevation forests up to 3300 m a.s.l. was more strongly correlated with water availability than temperature. Main conclusions Severe regional drought reduced growth of all dominant tree species over a gradient of precipitation and temperature represented by a 1500‐m change in elevation, but response to drought varied between species and stands. Growth was reduced the most in drier, low‐elevation forests and in species growing low in their elevational range in ecotones, and the least for trees that had recently invaded high‐elevation meadows. Constraints on tree growth from drought and high temperature are important for high‐elevation subalpine forests located near the southern‐most range of the dominant species.     

祁连山中部地区树轮宽度年表特征随海拔高度的变化

利用采自祁连山中部地区不同海拔高度的四个采样点的青海云杉树轮样芯 ,分别建立了树木年轮宽度年表。发现随海拔高度的上升 ,树轮宽度指数的振幅减小 ,年表的平均敏感性降低 ,样本间的一致性也逐步减小 ,上限年表与气候因子的相关性最低 ,这与目前大家普遍认同的上限树木的生长受温度控制的概念并不一致。进一步的分析表明 ,年表的敏感性随海拔高度降低主要是由于该区域树木生长的限制因子是春季降水 ,而降水随海拔高度的升高而增加 ,从而使得春季降水对树木生长的限制作用随海拔升高而逐步减弱 ;生物学指标的测定结果表明 ,生长在高海拔的树木对环境的生态适应策略发生变化 ,其生理代谢维持在较低水平 ,以避免环境变化带来的影响 ,因此生长在高海拔的青海云杉对环境变化的敏感性较差。     

Variations in carbon source–sink relationships in subalpine fir across elevational gradients

• Cold‐adapted trees display acclimation in both carbon source and carbon sink capacity to low‐temperature stress at their upper elevational range limits. Hence a balanced carbon source–sink capacity might be required for their persistence and survival at the elevational tree limits.
• The present study examined the spatial dynamics of carbon source–sink relationship in subalpine fir (Abies fargesii) trees along elevational gradients in the northern slope of the temperate region and in the southern slope of the subtropics in terms of climate in the Qinling Mountain range, north‐central China.
• The results showed that non‐structural carbohydrate (NSC) concentrations in both the source and sink tissues increased with the increase in elevation. The ratio of carbon source–sink displayed a consistent decreasing trend with the increase in elevation and during growing season, showing that it was lowest at a ratio of 2.93 in the northern slope and at a ratio of 2.61 in the southern slope at the upper distribution elevations in the late growing season. Such variations of carbon source–sink ratio might be attributable to the balance between carbon source and sink activities, which changed seasonally across the elevational distribution range.
• We concluded that a ratio of carbon source–sink of at least 2.6 might be essential for subalpine fir trees to persist at their upper range limits. Therefore, a sufficient source–sink ratio and a balanced source–sink relationship might be required for subalpine fir trees to survive and develop at their upper elevational distribution limits.

     

Regeneration dynamics of subalpine fir (Abies fargesii) forest across the altitudinal range in the Shennongjia Mountains,central China

Aims Age structure and regeneration dynamics have been used to infer population response to environmental events and reconstruct forest development history. The aim of this study was to characterize and examine the differences of the age structure and regeneration dynamics of subalpine fir (Abies fargesii) forest across the altitudinal range in the north and south aspects in the Shennongjia Mountains, central China.Methods Ten plots (20×20 m) at each altitudinal zone (i.e. the low elevation, the middle elevation and the high elevation) were established in both the north and south aspects of the Shennongjia Mountains, central China. Dendroecological techniques were applied to obtain information about ages of the trees in the plots. The population age structure was analyzed to investigate the regeneration dynamics across the altitudinal range.Important findings Fir regeneration dynamics and age structure were similar in both aspects, and a unimodal population age structure was found at different altitudinal sites of both aspects, indicating that environmental factors might play an important role in shaping the regeneration dynamics and age structure of A. fargesii across its altitudinal range. There was a sustained recruitment during the 19th century, but the regeneration was rarer in the last century at low and midelevations. A significant greater number of fir seedlings and saplings recruited at high elevations in the last century, and fir tree density at high elevations was significantly higher than that at low elevations. Thus, the fir population at the high elevations showed a significant increase in recruitment and stem density in the last century, and we propose that the gradual infilling of fir seedlings might result in changes in regeneration dynamics and stand structure of the subalpine fir forest at high elevations in the Shennongjia Mountains, central China.     

不同去趋势方法的新疆东天山高低海拔雪岭云杉树轮宽度年表对气候的响应

利用新疆东天山高低海拔雪岭云杉(Picea schrenkiana Fisch.et Mey.)年轮样本,采用样条函数法、负指数函数法和区域曲线法3种去趋势方法研制树轮宽度标准化年表,通过分析不同去趋势方法的新疆东天山高低海拔云杉树轮宽度标准化年表特征、年表与气候响应的关系和年表间在不同频域互相关,及其与其它资料对比发现:(1)3种去趋势法对东天山年表质量影响较小,低海拔树轮年表含有更多可靠的气候变化信息。(2)高海拔的雪岭云杉树木径向生长与6—9月平均气温均呈显著正相关,其中标准化树轮年表与7月平均气温相关系数达0.553(P0.01,n=58),夏季温度可能是东天山高海拔雪岭云杉径向生长的主要限制因子;低海拔雪岭云杉树木径向生长与春季降水显著正相关,同时与春季平均气温显著负相关,春季高温和缺水共同作用的春旱可能是影响低海拔雪岭云杉径向生长的主导因子,且负指数函数年表对气候响应更敏感。(3)区域曲线法能够保留树轮标准化年表中更多低频信息,但优势不明显。高低海拔标准化年表在低频域相关系数较大,并和历史干旱事件有很好的对应。在东天山高低海拔雪岭云杉的去趋势方法研究中,负指数函数法比样条函数法和区域曲线法更适合。     

1998—2017年祁连山南坡不同海拔、坡度和坡向生长季NDVI变化及其与气象因子的关系

祁连山是我国西北地区重要的水源涵养保护区,是我国地形第一、二阶梯分界线,对气候变化极其敏感。基于气温、降水量和归一化植被指数(NDVI)数据,使用趋势分析、小波分析和相关分析方法,结合数字高程模型(DEM)数据,从海拔、坡度和坡向的角度探讨祁连山南坡NDVI变化及其与气温和降水的关系。结果表明: 1998—2017年,祁连山南坡生长季NDVI整体呈增长趋势,增长趋势为0.023·10 a^-1。NDVI值在不同海拔、坡度和坡向上的变化存在差异性,NDVI值随海拔的升高呈先增后降趋势,海拔2700～3700 m区域的植被覆盖状况较好,＞4700 m区域的植被出现退化现象;NDVI值随坡度增加呈降低态势;NDVI值在坡向上的差异较小,但阳坡的植被覆盖状况好于阴坡。生长季NDVI与气温、降水的关系密切,生长季NDVI、气温、降水均具有14年的变化周期,而不同海拔、坡度、坡向的植被受到气温和降水的影响不同,海拔＜3700 m、＞4700 m区域、坡度＜25°区域和各坡向区域的植被均易受降水影响。     

Different responses of Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) and Mongolia oak (Quercus mongolica) growth to recent climate warming in northeast China

Different tree species growing in the same area may have different, or even contrasting growth responses to climate change. Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) and Mongolia oak (Quercus mongolica) are two crucial tree species in temperate forest ecosystems. Six tree-ring chronologies for Korean pine and Mongolia oak were developed by using the zero-signal method to explore their growth response to the recent climate warming in northeast China. Results showed that Mongolia oak radial growth was mainly limited by precipitation in the growing season, while Korean pine growth depended on temperature condition, especially monthly minimum temperature. With the latitude decrease, the relationships between Korean pine growth and monthly precipitation changed from negative to positive correlation, while the positive correlation with monthly temperature gradually weakened. In the contrary, Mongolia oak growth at the three sampling sites was significantly and positively correlated with precipitation in the growing season, while it was negatively correlated with temperature and this relationship decreased with the latitude decrease. The radial growth of Korean pine at different sites showed a clearly discrepant responses to the recent warming since 1980. Korean pine growth in the north site increased with the temperature increase, decreased in the midwest site, and almost unchanged in the southeast site. Conversely, Mongolia oak growth was less affected by the recent climate warming. Our finding suggested that tree species trait and sites are both key factors that affect the response of tree growth to climate change. In addition, the suitable distribution area of Korean pine may be moved northward with the continued global warming in the future, but Mongolia oak may not shift in the same way.     

阿尼玛卿山地不同海拔青海云杉(Picea crassifolia)树轮生长特性及其对气候的响应

利用位于同一坡面的青海云杉树芯样本,建立了4个海拔高度的树轮宽度指数年表。分析结果表明年表序列特征值大都因海拔而不同,各年表序列对气候因子的相关性在不同高度也表现出一定的差异:树木生长都与前一年10月份月均温显著正相关,与前一年8月份和当年5、6月份月均温显著负相关;与前一年9、10月份和当年5月份的降水量都呈显著正相关,但都随海拔升高呈波状变化。树轮宽度指数与不同时段的温度和温暖指数都呈负相关,表明5～9月是该地区青海云杉生长较为活跃的季节。响应函数分析结果表明该地区低海拔生长的青海云杉受温度和降水的影响都比高海拔生长的更显著,显然不同于以前研究的森林上下限树木的生长模式。4a表主成分中的第一主分量贡献率为81.071%,表明同一坡面影响树木生长的大环境因子是一致的。第一主分量与气候因子的相关分析同样显示出前一年生长季末和当年生长季初的水热组合是树木生长的主要限制因子,区域模拟也进一步证明了这一点。并认清了同一坡面青海云杉树轮记录的共性和差异,为今后树轮采样和研究提供一定的理论依据。