Climate signal in tree-ring chronologies of Pinus peuce and Pinus heldreichii from the Pirin Mountains in Bulgaria

Numerous proxy climate reconstructions have been developed for Europe, but there are still regions with limited data of this kind. One region is the Balkan Peninsula, which is characterized by complex interactions between mountains and climate. We present and discuss two tree-ring chronologies—a 758-year-long one of Pinus heldreichii Christ and 340-year-long one of Pinus peuce Griseb. from treeline locations in the Pirin Mountains in Bulgaria. Climate–growth relationships were computed with bootstrap correlation functions and their consistency over time assessed by calculating the correlations over shortened periods. In addition, we reviewed and analyzed climate situations in years with unusually narrow or wide tree rings. Both species were negatively influenced by previous summer drought conditions and cold winters. Early summer temperatures were positively correlated with P. peuce radial growth, whereas P. heldreichii displayed dependence on summer precipitation. In the second half of the twentieth century, the P. heldreichii trees displayed higher sensitivity to summer drought, which was probably a result of increased summer temperatures and decreased winter precipitation. Our findings contribute to more reliable proxy climate records for the region.     

First measurements of Blue intensity from Pinus peuce and Pinus heldreichii tree rings and potential for climate reconstructions

Climate changes, their regional patterns, origin, and prediction are currently one of the most important scientific challenges. Tree-rings are among the most widely used proxies for past climate variation. However tree-ring width (TRW) from certain tree species and regions often do not contain robust climate signal. Other parameters such as Maximum latewood density (MXD) of conifer tree rings are more sensitive to summer temperatures, but the measurements have high costs. A potential surrogate for MXD is blue intensity (BI), which is based on the measurements of high-resolution images of the wood. The method has been tested and applied for several species. However it has not been tested up to now for Pinus heldreichii Christ (PIHE) and Pinus peuce Griseb. (PIPE). Those species are with limited distribution on the Balkan Peninsula and due to their longevity (frequently more than 500 years with potential to more than 1000 years) may serve as one of the best proxies for past climate variation in SE Europe.We composed BI chronologies following standard procedures from PIHE and PIPE trees from subalpine locations in the Pirin Mts, Bulgaria. The correlation analysis with climate parameters revealed strong and significant positive correlations of PIHE BI (ΔBI and Latewood BI (LwBI) series) and summer temperatures. The highest were 0.74 (p < 0.05) with July-August average temperatures for the period 1933–1983. The correlation values of ΔBI remained higher than 0.6 for the whole period (1933–2014) and sub-periods both for average monthly and average maximum temperatures. LwBI values of the PIHE chronology had correlation coefficients above 0.52 (highest 0.64) with August and August-July temperatures. The PIPE BI chronologies were also positively correlated with summer temperatures, but showed lower values than PIHE with lower temporal stability. The most stable were the correlations with LwBI average August temperatures, which were above 0.52. Delta BI series displayed high correlations for the 1933–1983 period, but then decreased and this caused overall lower correlations with August temperatures. Our data shows that there is potential to develop long BI chronologies and proxy climate reconstructions from the studied species and in this way complement the knowledge of the past climate of SE Europe.     

Climate response of cork growth in the Mediterranean oak (Quercus suber L.) woodlands of southwestern Portugal

In the Mediterranean climate regions, drought events are expected to affect the growth of forests ecosystems by changing trees growth rates and eventually inducing shifts in their growth patterns. Cork oak (Quercus suber L.) is a strictly western Mediterranean tree species periodically harvested for its bark, the cork. So far, cork oak has received limited attention for dendroclimatological studies due to its typical faint and erratic tree wood rings. Moreover, its distinct cork rings chronologies have been completely neglected. In this study we introduce an approach using cork ring chronologies dated back 9–10 years for climate response. Despite enhancing interannual variability and increasing statistical response to short-term climatic variability, still poorly understood, this study will possibly allow infer long-term climate response. We analyzed the cork ring chronologies of 55 cork samples collected in mature (under exploitation) trees in three distinct locations in southwestern Portugal. Cork growth recorded a high climate signal, with highly significant and coherent responses to the yearly climate-related sources of variation. We successfully assessed trends of cork growth via correlation analysis including selected climate variables among mean monthly temperature, monthly precipitation and, on an annual basis, eight precipitation indices. The high mean sensitivities and inter-series correlations found for cork ring chronologies combined with the significant variance explained by climate variables suggest that climate is likely one dominant signal that affects cork growth, but local environmental stresses can decisively affect this (climate) signal. Assuming cork growth as a proxy for cork oak growth, it seems conceivable that despite the trees being highly resistant to drought stress, cork oak woodlands in southwestern Portugal would have to face lesser growth in a global warming scenario.     

不同去趋势方法对树轮年表气候信号的影响——以卧龙地区为例

基于川西卧龙地区林线位置岷江冷杉(Abies faxoniana)的树轮宽度数据, 结合地面气象站和空间网格化气象数据, 对不同去趋势年表对气候条件的响应特征进行了比较分析。研究表明: 不同去趋势年表的气候响应特征具有很大的相似性, 具体表现为前一年9月份、当年3月份和7月份的气温, 以及前一年10-12月份的降水、当年4月份和7月份的降水对树木生长的正影响作用; 前一年11月份到当年3月份的相对湿度, 以及当年2-3月份和7-8月份的霜冻频率对树木生长的负影响作用。从不同去趋势方法对气候响应的异质性特征来看, 保守曲线、67%样芯长度步长、60年步长和90年步长的平滑样条函数去趋势年表间具有很强的相关性, 对气候响应也最明显, 特征基本一致。30年步长的平滑曲线去趋势年表与其他去趋势年表的相关性较弱, 与气候要素的相关性也明显较小。另外, 未经去趋势处理的树轮宽度年表统计参量数值要明显高于去趋势年表, 它与气候要素的相关特征也基本反映出川西卧龙地区树木生长对气候响应的基本特征。     

Climatic responses of Pinus pseudostrobus and Abies religiosa in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve,Central Mexico

Understanding the effects of climate on the growth of trees is important to project the response of forests to climate change. Dendrochronological analysis offers a “proxy” source for the effects of climatic variation on tree growth at different spatial and temporal scales. To examine influences of temperature and precipitation on radial growth of Pinus pseudostrobus and Abies religiosa, this study combines measurements of radial growth patterns of forest trees in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (MBBR) in central Mexico with temperature and precipitation variables from instrumental records. Dendrochronological samples were collected as cross sections and increment cores by using a chainsaw and increment borers, respectively. Total ring-width chronologies were developed for each site. Principal component analyses (PCA) were used to identify common temperature, precipitation and tree growth variation patterns. Correlation and response function analyses between chronologies and records of temperature and precipitation were used to evaluate the relation of climate variables on tree growth. The months during which tree growth was most strongly affected by precipitation were January, February and October from the previous year; only the temperature of September from the previous year affected the tree growth. In some chronologies, May’s average monthly maximum temperature was negatively correlated with tree growth. PCA and a comparison of PCA factor scores of climatic variables and chronologies showed no significant differences between northern, central or southern portions of the MBBR. Apparently, tree growth in the MBBR is reduced in years of low January–May precipitation combined with high summer (September of the previous year) temperatures, a scenario which is likely to occur as a consequence of global climate change.     

Species and site differences influence climate-shrub growth responses in West Greenland

We examined the suitability of two deciduous arctic shrubs (Salix glauca L. and Betula nana L., hereafter Salix and Betula, respectively) for dendroclimatological analysis at two sites in West Greenland. Chronologies were successfully cross-dated, and the oldest covered the period 1954–2010 (Expressed Population Signal [EPS] > 0.85, 1977–2010). Distinctive pointer years, also called micro-rings, including those from a known outbreak of the irruptive moth Eurois occulta L. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) that peaked in 2005, assisted in the dating process. Climate-growth analyses were performed in two ways: first, using correlation analysis between residual site-level chronologies and monthly and seasonal climate data, and second, using linear mixed effects models (LMM) with seasonal climate data and standardized chronologies for each individual. We used climate data for the current and previous years for a given growth ring for both analyses. Both analyses revealed differences in climate-growth response among species and among sites of contrasting topography. Salix ring widths from south facing slopes correlated positively with current year’s summer temperatures, while those on gentle slopes associated negatively with current year’s spring precipitation. Betula was only sampled at one site (flat), and displayed associations with temperature and precipitation in spring. Results from the LMM largely corroborated the correlations for Betula and Salix on south facing slopes. Salix at the flat site displayed significant associations with a large number of climate variables, most strongly previous year’s summer and autumn temperatures, though precipitation in multiple seasons of the current and prior year did a better job of accounting for the variation in the data. Many dendrochronological studies in the Arctic illustrate clear summer temperature responses, but the majority were conducted on a single topographic position. Due to the heterogeneity of West Greenland’s landscapes, it is important to examine individuals from varying topographies. We found that samples collected from south facing slopes do appear to respond positively to summer temperatures, while those on shallow slopes respond to a wider array of seasonal temperature and precipitation parameters. Accounting for these species and topographic differences, when sampling, is imperative for improving our understanding of how plant communities in the Arctic will respond to ongoing and expected warming.     

长白山不同海拔树木生长对气候变化的响应差异

以长白落叶松和红松为例,探讨了长白山地区不同海拔树木生长对气候变化的响应。利用长白山北坡不同海拔4个长白落叶松样点和6个红松样点的树轮宽度资料建立差值年表,通过聚类分析、相关分析和响应分析等方法,研究树木生长特征及其气候响应。结果表明:两个树种年表的平均敏感度、树轮宽度指数的年际变率、信噪比等特征值较高,反映年表含有较强的环境信息。随海拔升高,长白落叶松年表特征值呈先下降后增加的趋势,红松年表特征值则呈先增加后下降的趋势。聚类分析将长白落叶松年表分成高、低海拔两类,红松年表分成高、中、低海拔三类。树木生长对气候响应存在海拔差异。高海拔长白落叶松生长受当年气温影响;低海拔长白落叶松生长对气候存在"滞后响应"。高海拔红松不仅受降水限制,且对气温有"滞后响应";中海拔红松不仅受气温限制,且对降水有"滞后响应";低海拔红松生长主要受气温限制。     

Millennium-Scale Crossdating and Inter-Annual Climate Sensitivities of Standing California Redwoods

Extremely decay-resistant wood and fire-resistant bark allow California’s redwoods to accumulate millennia of annual growth rings that can be useful in biological research. Whereas tree rings of Sequoiadendron giganteum (SEGI) helped formalize the study of dendrochronology and the principle of crossdating, those of Sequoia sempervirens (SESE) have proven much more difficult to decipher, greatly limiting dendroclimatic and other investigations of this species. We overcame these problems by climbing standing trees and coring trunks at multiple heights in 14 old-growth forest locations across California. Overall, we sampled 1,466 series with 483,712 annual rings from 120 trees and were able to crossdate 83% of SESE compared to 99% of SEGI rings. Standard and residual tree-ring chronologies spanning up to 1,685 years for SESE and 1,538 years for SEGI were created for each location to evaluate crossdating and to examine correlations between annual growth and climate. We used monthly values of temperature, precipitation, and drought severity as well as summer cloudiness to quantify potential drivers of inter-annual growth variation over century-long time series at each location. SESE chronologies exhibited a latitudinal gradient of climate sensitivities, contrasting cooler northern rainforests and warmer, drier southern forests. Radial growth increased with decreasing summer cloudiness in northern rainforests and a central SESE location. The strongest dendroclimatic relationship occurred in our southernmost SESE location, where radial growth correlated negatively with dry summer conditions and exhibited responses to historic fires. SEGI chronologies showed negative correlations with June temperature and positive correlations with previous October precipitation. More work is needed to understand quantitative relationships between SEGI radial growth and moisture availability, particularly snowmelt. Tree-ring chronologies developed here for both redwood species have numerous scientific applications, including determination of tree ages, accurate dating of fire-return intervals, archaeology, analyses of stable isotopes, long-term climate reconstructions, and quantifying rates of carbon sequestration.     

Consistency of growth response to precipitation by Pseudopiptadenia contorta in two Atlantic Forest remnants

Tree growth sensitivity to climate can vary over space and time. This variability generates inconsistency in growth response to climate, which makes it difficult to assess the effects of past climate and global climate change on tree growth. A previous short-term study of Pseudopiptadenia contorta found a consistent growth response to climate in distinct locations, which raises the question, is the growth response of P. contorta to climate consistent over the long-term? We aimed to assess whether there is a common pattern of variation in tree-ring width, build tree-ring width chronologies, and verify the consistency of the climate-growth response of P. contorta in two Atlantic Forest remnants. Wood samples were collected in Reserva Biológica de Poço das Antas (RBPA) and Reserva Biológica de Tinguá (RBT) in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Conventional dendrochronology methods were used for cross-dating, to build chronologies and to assess the climate-growth relationship. A common growth pattern was detected for P. contorta, and two tree-ring width chronologies were constructed. A congruent growth response was found for trees of RBPA and RBT to annual and spring precipitation as well as precipitation in the rainy months. Other climate-growth relationships were detected with other precipitation and temperature variables. Considering that P. contorta is a widespread species, occurring in other Brazilian biomes and forest formations, it is a promising model for developing further dendrochronological research including regional networks of replicated site chronologies, which could facilitate the reconstruction of historical climatic series and predictions of future impacts of climate change in tropical areas.     

Climate–tree growth relationships of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) in the Southeastern Coastal Plain, USA

Knowledge of tree growth/climate response relationships is important to dendroecological studies and dendroclimatic reconstructions, particularly in the Southeastern Coastal Plain where few such studies have been attempted. To this end, we developed tree-ring chronologies of total ring width, earlywood width, and latewood width from longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) at three sites in the Southeastern Coastal Plain to examine the climate–growth relationships for this tree species. The length of these chronologies is unprecedented for southern pine chronologies in the Southeast. We compared the tree-ring chronologies to monthly temperature, precipitation, Palmer drought severity index (PDSI), and Palmer hydrological drought index (PHDI) data from the pertinent climate divisions. We found that PDSI and PHDI have the highest correlation with longleaf pine growth, and the strongest relationships between longleaf pine growth and these variables occur between July and November. Precipitation in the spring and summer was also positively related to growth at all sites. The relationship between temperature and growth was the weakest among all climate variables, but warm summer temperatures had a consistent, negative relationship with longleaf pine growth. The climate signal in the latewood was generally more robust than for total ring width and earlywood width.     

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 related causes of distinct radial growth reductions in Pinus cembra during the last 200 yr

Distinct radial growth reductions in Cembran pine (Pinus cembra L.) were studied at the timberline on Mt. Patscherkofel (2246 m a.s.l., Tyrol, Austria), which is situated in the inner-Alpine dry region of the Central Austrian Alps. Six timberline stands with different aspects were sampled and ring-width chronologies developed based on dendroecological techniques. Growth-climate relationships between residual chronologies and climate variables were explored using Pearson product-moment correlation coefficients. P. cembra growth at the timberline appears to be limited by cool summer (June-August) and previous autumn (September-October) temperatures and low precipitation in late winter (March). Timberline stands show concurrent growth depressions lasting ≥ 5 yr during the periods 1815–1823, 1851–1858 and 1913–1920, indicating growth depressions were steadily decreasing. Although evaluation of climate data revealed that these growth depressions can mainly be explained by occurrence of cold growing seasons and therefore the influence of recent climate warming on tree growth is plausible, an effect of tree ageing on climate sensitivity may also be involved. On the other hand, climate extremes do not inevitably induce growth responses as would be expected from growth-climate relationships. This is explained by the occurrence of synergistic and/or compensating effects of growth limiting climate variables and preconditioning of tree growth in previous years. Comparison of growth reductions with two published P. cembra timberline chronologies from inner-Alpine dry locations in the Eastern Alps revealed that investigated stands show the highest climate sensitivity during the last 200 yr. This difference in growth response to climate variability is most probably related to the special climate situation at Mt. Patscherkofel, which is exceptionally windy throughout the year and frequently exposed to warm dry winds (Föhn).     

High-fidelity representation of climate variations by Amburana cearensis tree-ring chronologies across a tropical forest transition in South America

Numerous ring-width chronologies from different species have recently been developed in diverse tropical forests across South America. However, the temporal and spatial climate signals in these tropical chronologies is less well known. In this work, annual growth rings of Amburana cearensis, a widely distributed tropical tree species, were employed to estimate temporal and spatial patterns of climate variability in the transition from the dry Chiquitano (16–17°S) to the humid Guarayos-southern Amazon (14–15°S) forests. Four well-replicated chronologies (16–21 trees, 22–28 radii) of A. cearensis were compared with temperature and precipitation records available in the region. The interannual variations in all four A. cearensis tree-ring chronologies are positively correlated with precipitation and negatively with temperature during the late dry-early wet season, the classic moisture response seen widely in trees from dry tropical and temperate forests worldwide. However, the chronologies from the dry Chiquitano forests of southern Bolivia reflect the regional reduction in precipitation during recent decades, while the chronologies from the tropical lowland moist forests in the north capture the recent increase in precipitation in the southern Amazon basin. These results indicate that A. cearensis tree growth is not only sensitive to the moisture balance of the growing season, it can also record subtle differences in regional precipitation trends across the dry to humid forest transition. Comparisons with previously developed Centrolobium microchaete chronologies in the region reveal a substantial common signal between chronologies in similar environments, suggesting that regional differences in climate are a major drivers of tree growth along the precipitation gradient. The difficulty of finding A. cearensis trees over 150-years old is the main limitation involved in the paleoclimate application of this species. The expansion of monocultures and intensive cattle ranching in the South American tropics are contributing to the loss of these old growth A. cearensis trees and the valuable records of climate variability and climate change that they contain.     

张广才岭北部三大硬阔树木生长-气候关系的时空变异

树木年轮在时空尺度上的比较可以更好地反映环境变化对树木生长的影响,在认识气候变化对森林生态系统的影响上具有重要意义。采用树木年代学方法分析了张广才岭北部地区阔叶红松林中主要阔叶树种-水曲柳(Fraxinus mandshurica)、黄菠萝(Phellodendron amurense)和胡桃楸(Juglans mandshurica)径向生长与气候关系的时空变异。结果表明,在同一地点树种间气候响应差异明显,胡桃楸受降水和最低温度共同作用,而黄菠萝和水曲柳则主要受最低温度限制,这表明树木生长与气候因子的关系具有一定的物种特异性。随着温度和降水格局的改变,三大硬阔年轮与气候关系在空间水平上存在差异,方正和西大圈样点的胡桃楸与6—8月最低温度呈显著正相关(P0.05),而凤凰山样点与5、6月最低温度和降水呈正相关(P0.05);黄菠萝和水曲柳径向生长随着降水空间格局的变化,其生长季末期相关性程度逐渐减弱。1980年后张广才岭北部出现气温显著升高,在升温前三大硬阔的生长趋势相对一致,而在升温后黄菠萝和水曲柳树轮宽度随温度升高呈上升趋势,但胡桃楸却出现随温度升高而生长下降的"分异现象"。如果未来增温趋势持续发生或者加重,可以推断在张广才岭北部胡桃楸可能受干旱胁迫加剧,其可能出现生长衰退,但增温可能更有利于黄菠萝和水曲柳的生长。     

宝天曼自然保护区不同针叶树径向生长对气候的响应

树木年轮资料能够提供区域内过去长时间的环境和气候信息,成为获取过去气候变化信息的重要手段之一。利用采自宝天曼自然保护区的两种针叶树种油松和华山松树木年轮样本分别建立了油松和华山松树轮宽度标准年表PT和PA,并将油松和华山松样本合并建立了联合树种的区域年表(RC)。3种年表分别与不同气候要素(月平均气温、月平均最高气温、月平均最低气温、月降水量)及其不同月份组合进行相关分析,结果表明,油松年表PT和华山松年表PA都包含较高的气候信息,且都和生长季不同月份温度显著负相关和降水显著正相关。其中,油松和华山松都与当年4月和5月降水显著正相关,油松还与当年5月的平均最高温度和上年11月最低温显著负相关,与当年3月平均最低气温显著正相关;华山松与上年10月和当年4月的平均最高温度显著负相关,与上年12月和当年7月平均最低温度显著正相关;联合年表RC包含了单个年表PT和PA共同的气候信息,与当年4—5月降水和3月最低温显著正相关,与当年7月最低温和4、5月最高温显著负相关。不同年表与生长季(3—8月)内气候要素月份组合的相关分析也表明联合年表RC包含和单物种年表PT、PA相似的气候信息并加强了PT、PA受当年生长季气候变化影响的公共信号。可见,同一地区的多树种联合年表一定程度上能体现出区域性树木生长对气候变化响应的生态生理特征,为同地区建成多树种联合年表来探讨当地区域性气候变化提供了可行性的理论基础和一定的参考作用.     

Effect of ecological factors on intra-annual stem girth increment of holm oak

Key message

The intra-annual stem girth increment of Quercus ilex is mainly driven by water availability and secondly by temperature. Tree size and competition modulate the growth response to climate.

Abstract

Holm oak (Quercus ilex ssp. ballota [Desf.] Samp.) is the most widespread species in the Iberian peninsula, being one of the most representative trees in forests and open woodlands. The analysis of stem girth increment of holm oak may provide valuable information about how Mediterranean ecosystems will respond to the forecasted climate changes. However, due to the variability of the Mediterranean climate, the knowledge of intra-annual patterns of growth is needed for a better understanding of the influence of the climatic variables at this scale. To this end, we used band dendrometers to measure monthly stem girth increments of 96 holm oak trees from 2003 to 2010, located in open woodlands and dense Mediterranean forests in southwestern Spain. We assessed the effects of climate, competition, topography, and initial stem diameter on stem girth increment. The major stem increment periods were in spring and autumn whereas increment rates were very low or even negative in winter and summer. Spring was not every year the season with the higher stem increments, but autumn when spring was very dry. Higher precipitation, soil moisture, and relative humidity had significant positive effects on stem increment, whereas higher temperature, reference evapotranspiration, and solar radiation had significant negative effects. Initial tree diameter and competition from nearby trees partly explained significant differences in stem increment of individual trees. Therefore, the forecasted climatic changes, in which decreased rainfall in spring and increased summer drought are expected in the Mediterranean region, may be a significant threat to the Q. ilex ecosystems.     

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.     

Diverging growth and resilience of Pinus tabulaeformis and Pinus massoniana to droughts in north-south transition zone,central China

Climate transition zone is a sensitive area of climate change and ecological transition where forests are vulnerable to climate extremes. Extreme droughts are increasing in frequency and magnitude under climate change, resulting in structure and function changes of forest ecosystems. Here, to analyze climate-growth relationships and quantify tree resilience to extreme droughts, we developed six tree-ring-width chronologies from P. tabulaeformis and P. massoniana sampling sites in Mt. Jigong region, Central China. The results indicated that all chronologies from the two species had good consistency, precipitation in current April and mean temperature in current August or mean minimum temperature from current August to October were the main limiting factors of the two tree species growth, but the responses of P. massoniana ring-width to climatic factors was more complex than that of P. tabulaeformis. The results also showed that tree growth of 1999–2005 was the lowest growing period during 1979–2018, and P. massoniana grew better than P. tabulaeformis before 2005 and vice versa after 2005. Comparing low growth years of trees, we identified to study tree growth resilience. The calculations from 1988, 1999–2005 and 2011 drought years indicated that P. tabulaeformis had more increased resilience to extreme droughts than that of P. massoniana, and the two species had stronger ecological recovery and resilience under global warming and non-extreme drought conditions in the recent 40 years. These results have implications for predicting tree resilience and identifying tree species in heterogeneous forest landscapes vulnerable to future climate change in climatic transition zone.     

辽宁省人工林樟子松径向生长对水热梯度变化的响应

基于树轮年代学的理论和方法,建立辽宁地区人工林樟子松年轮宽度年表网络,研究人工林樟子松树木年轮生长变化,探讨樟子松生长与气候变化的关系以及其对水热梯度变化的响应规律。结果表明,研究区各采样点人工林樟子松的径向生长变化呈现较为一致的显著下降趋势(P0.05),并且下降趋势由西北至东南降低。空间上水平上,研究区樟子松的径向生长与研究区降水和相对湿度的空间梯度变化吻合(P0.05),均呈西北至东南增加的特点;各采样点樟子松年轮宽度变化的平均敏感度与降水量、相对湿度显著负相关关系(P0.05),但与温度的正相关关系不显著。各样点樟子松径向生长与月降雨量和月平均相对湿度多呈正相关关系,与月平均温度多呈负相关关系,进一步表明区域水分因子对人工林樟子松生长的限制作用明显。     

Moisture-driven changes in the sensitivity of the radial growth of Picea crassifolia to temperature,northeastern Tibetan Plateau

Precipitation is one of the most important climate factors controlling tree growth, yet it is not fully understood how changes in precipitation affect the relationship between growth and temperature. On the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, nine tree-ring chronologies of Picea crassifolia were developed along a precipitation gradient from semi-arid (mean annual precipitation, 255 mm) to semi-humid (710 mm). We analyze the growth-climate relationships along this precipitation gradient and assess whether these associations are regulated by local precipitation. From 1960 to 2014, temperature increased significantly while precipitation remained stable at the nine sampling sites. The radial growth of P. crassifolia decreased at the semi-arid sites but increased at the semi-humid sites. Growth-temperature relationships gradually changed from negative to positive along the precipitation gradient (from dry to wet sites), particularly during summer. The moist P. crassifolia sites are also characterized by positive correlations with the Palmer Drought Severity Index. The temporal growth-temperature relationships varied significantly among the different spruce sites over the last five decades. Although temperature remains the main factor controlling the growth of P. crassifolia, local precipitation variability is becoming increasingly important. Our findings indicate that considering species distribution areas supports the analyses of the impact of climate change on tree growth.