Summer monsoon precipitation variations in central China over the past 750 years derived from a high-resolution absolute-dated stalagmite

A 2–3-year resolution record of stalagmite oxygen isotope variations from the south flank of the Qinling Mountains, central China, has revealed the Asian summer monsoon (ASM) precipitation variations in the investigated area over the past 750 years. The summer monsoon precipitation gradually increased since 1249 AD, reaching its highest values in the period 1535–1685 AD, and then decreased with substantial decadal- to centennial-scale fluctuations. The monsoon precipitation increased again between 1920 and 1970 AD. Three intervals of high monsoon precipitation were identified: 1535–1685 AD, 1755–1835 AD, and 1920–1970 AD. Three intervals of low precipitation were inferred in 1249–1325 AD, 1390–1420 AD, and 1890–1915 AD. The δ¹⁸O composition and lithological features of the stalagmite coincidently indicate a wetter climate during the Little Ice Age (LIA), which is also confirmed by climate records from Chinese historical documents within this area. A comparison with other high-resolution speleothem records indicates regional differences in monsoon precipitation variability from the south to the north of central China in the last 750 years on decadal- to centennial-scale. Power spectrum analysis of the δ¹⁸O record shows significant 117.8-, 34.6-, 14-, 10.3-, and ~ 6-year periodicities. These periodicities are widely observed in the climate records from ASM-controlled areas of China and are consistent with the Gleissburg periodicity, Brϋckner periodicity, sunspot periodicity of solar activity, and El Nińo–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) periodicity. These correlations suggest that both solar activity and ENSO periodicity may have had important influences on ASM precipitation in China over the past 750 years.     

Temperature variations since the mid-18th century for western Nepal, as reconstructed from tree-ring width and density of Abies spectabilis

The climate of western Nepal was reconstructed for the past 249 years using ring width and wood density of Abies spectabilis (D. Don) Spach from western Nepal. A total of 46 increment core samples were collected from 23 individual trees growing in an open A. spectabilis stand near timberline of 3850 m a.s.l. in Humla District, western Nepal. The core samples were subjected to densitometric analysis to obtain chronologies of ring width and three kinds of intra-annual bulk densities, i.e., minimum, maximum, and mean. Response analysis of tree-ring parameters with climate records revealed that the ring width was correlated negatively with March–May (pre-monsoon) temperature and positively with March–May precipitation, while the minimum density was correlated positively with March–July temperature and negatively with March–May precipitation. On the other hand, the maximum and mean densities were positively correlated with August–September and March–September temperatures, respectively. These results indicate that the ring width and minimum density are primarily controlled by the pre-monsoon temperature and precipitation, while the latewood density by the late monsoon temperature. Finally based on these results of the response analysis, a transfer function was established, with which March–September temperature was reconstructed for the past 249 years, which shows a warming trend from 1750s until approximately 1790, followed by cooling until 1810, then by a gradual warming trend extending to 1950, and a notable cold period continuing up to the present. No evidence of a consistent warming trend over the last century or two commonly appearing in higher latitudes was found in the present reconstruction, but possible factor behind the widespread glacial retreat in the Nepal Himalayas was discussed.     

White grubs,Holotrichia rustica and Holotrichia mucida (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) as pests of teak (Tectona grandis L. f.) seedlings

Abstract Field observations were carried out between 2002 and 2005 on bio‐ecology of white grubs infesting teak (Tectona grandis Linn. f.) seedlings at Ramdongari Forest Nursery, Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra, Nagpur in central India. The study collected the data required for an integrated pest management strategy against the white grubs. The species damaging teak seedlings were Holotrichia rustica (Burmeister) and H. mucida Gyllenhal. The beetles (adults) of both these species began to emerge just after the pre‐monsoon showers and when the relative humidity had risen rapidly over several days, but before the first monsoon rains. While the adults fed and mated on naturally growing bushes of Ziziphus jujuba, Z. mauritiana, Z. xylopyra, Acacia leucophloea and A. catechu immediately after the emergence from the teak beds in the nursery, the immature stages (grubs) of both species fed on roots of the teak seedling, leading to plant death. This is the first report of (i) damage caused to teak seedlings by grubs of H. rustica and H. mucida, and (ii) of Z. jujuba and Z. mauritiana being hosts for the beetles of H. mucida and H. rustica. It is also the first detailed report on the field bio‐ecology of the H. rustica and H. mucida as major pests of teak. White grubs are among the toughest‐to‐manage pests of economic importance and information presented here on the pest incidence and damage of H. rustica and H. mucida is important to researchers and nursery field managers for the management of these pests on teak.     

1801年以来河南尧山地区油松高温变化及影响机制

基于建立的河南尧山地区油松树轮宽度标准年表,分析了油松径向生长与该地区气温、降水等气候因子之间的关系以及气温升高前后树木生长与平均最高气温间的相关性,结果表明:4—7月平均最高气温与树轮年表的相关系数高达-0.64,是该地区油松径向生长的主要限制因子;气候变暖后树轮年表与9、10月份平均最高气温显著正相关,与2、3月降水显著正相关,与4—7月平均最高气温间的相关性较为稳定。因此,重建了尧山地区1801年来4—7月平均最高气温,其方差解释量达40%(调整自由度后为38.9%)。过去216年的高温重建历史中经历了6个较暖的时期:1801—1825,1845—1853,1876—1889,1922—1944,1957—1975,1996—2013年和5个较冷的时期:1826—1844,1854—1875,1890—1921,1945—1956,1978—1995年,其结果与过去伏牛山龙池曼地区5—7月温度重建序列具有很好的一致性。周期分析结果发现该地区4—7月平均最高气温变化存在着2—4年(ENSO周期)和35.23—48.47年的主要变化周期,小波分析发现在1920年前后气候由长周期变为短周期变化;空间相关分析显示重建的高温序列很好地代表了豫东平原地区的温度变化,同时也发现与北太平洋副热带高压850 hPa上空的温度有非常高的正相关关系,表明豫东高温的波动可能与北太平洋海气振荡有关,这一研究结果为山区森林管理及平原区农业生产提供基础服务数据。     

云南鹤庆盆地末次盛冰期的孢粉记录与古季风

通过研究相当于末次盛冰期鹤庆古湖泊沉积物4．6－9．0m段的孢粉记录,对该区末次盛冰期阶段的植被与古季风变迁模式进行了恢复。该区末次盛冰期冷湿的气候特点与同时东部干旱的草原植被、青藏、高原的荒漠植被和黄土高原区风尘堆积存在明显差异,而与滇池的气候记录有较好的一致性。冰期内部的气候波动与深海氧同位素记录有较好的可比性。冰期冷锋强度的增加,与北方冬季风的经常入侵和冰期青藏高原的冷源效应有关。     

Orbital history and seasonality of regional precipitation

The Arizona monsoon, a major source of precipitation in the Southwest, shares many features with the monsoons of other continents. Computer modeling and fossil data indicate maximum extent of the African and Asian monsoons 9000 years ago. Fossil data indicate increased summer precipitation 9000 years ago, synchronous with the maxima of the African and Asian monsoons and, paradoxically, with the early-Holocene xerothermic of the Pacific Northwest. Climate model runs for 6000, 9000, 11,500, 13,000, and 18,000 years ago indicate increased summer precipitation 9000 years ago and a reciprocal relationship between precipitation in the Northwest and Southwest, but they relegate insolation to a role secondary to the North American ice sheet in regulating climate, and suggest a non-monsoon source for much of the summer precipitation in the Southwest prior to 9000 years ago.     

The Dry Holocene Megathermal in Inner Mongolia

The paleoclimate since 14 kyr BP (¹⁴C age) was reconstructed based on a 16.22-m-long sediment core collected from Lake Yanhaizi, a saline lake located near the northern limit of the East Asian summer monsoon in Inner Mongolia. Coarse sediments were deposited there during a shrinkage phase of the lake when sand dunes reactivated. These sediments have low organic carbon contents but high maturity indices, indicating that they were deposited in an arid environment. By contrast, based on high organic contents and low maturity indices, fine sediments were deposited during periods of high lake stand in a humid environment. It was in general dry between 8.0 and 4.3 kyr BP. The above dry and wet phases are consistent with those recovered from the arid-semiarid transition zone elsewhere, but are unlike the widely perceived humid Holocene Megathermal reported in east China and the newly reconstructed record in the alpine Retreat Lake in Taiwan. The discrepancy may be due to a relative insensitivity to humidity changes in these two areas since they have both been under the total influence of the summer monsoon. On the other hand, much enhanced evaporation over higher monsoon precipitation at Lake Yanhaizi reduces the effective humidity in the warm climate near the northern boundary of the summer monsoon. This also accounts for the fact the high-temperature Holocene Megathermal, as revealed in the Okinawa Trough and the northern South China Sea, is correlated to the dry phases at Lake Yanhaizi. Conversely, the 4-2-kyr BP coldest period in the Holocene corresponds to a wet phase at Lake Yanhaizi.     

Environmental fluctuations facilitate species co-existence and increase decomposition in communities of wood decay fungi

Correlations between mast fruiting of bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus and peak levels of Clethrionomys-voles have been reported from both Norway and Finland, but there has been a discussion whether this is a bottom-up or a top-down relationship. In a multiple regression model, 65% of the variation in a bilberry production index calculated from game reports from southern Norway 1932–1977 could be explained by the berry index of the two preceding years and climate factors acting during key stages of the flowering cycle. High vole populations in previous years did not contribute to explain the fluctuation in berry production. I used the selected model and climate data to predict bilberry production for the period 1978–2004. Predicted berry indices of the current and previous year explained 38% and the total amount of precipitation in May–June explained 16% of the variation in a log-transformed snap-trapping index of bank vole Clethrionomys glareolus 1980–2004. The vole index was not related to any of the climate variables used to predict berry production. This pattern supports the hypothesis that vole cycles are generated by changes in plant chemistry due to climate-synchronized mast fruiting.     

Microscale vegetation-soil feedback boosts hysteresis in a regional vegetation–climate system

It has been hypothesized that a positive feedback between vegetation cover and monsoon circulation may lead to the existence of two alternative stable states in the Sahara region: a vegetated state with moderate precipitation and a desert state with low precipitation. This could explain the sudden onset of desertification in the region about 5000 years ago. However, other models suggest that the effect of vegetation on the precipitation may be insufficient to produce this behavior. Here, we show that inclusion of the microscale feedback between soil and vegetation in the model greatly amplifies the nonlinearity, causing alternative stable states and considerable hysteresis even if the effect of vegetation on precipitation is moderate. On the other hand, our analysis suggests that self‐organized vegetation patterns known from models that only focus at the microscale plant–soil feedback will be limited to a narrower range of conditions due to the regional scale climate‐feedback. This implies that in monsoon areas such as the Western Sahara self‐organized vegetation patterns are predicted to be less common than in areas without monsoon circulation such as Central Australia.     

Monsoon versus uplift in southwestern China--Late Pliocene climate in Yuanmou Basin, Yunnan

Yuanmou Basin of Yunnan, SW China, is a famous locality with hominids, hominoids, mammals and plant fossils. Based on the published megaflora and palynoflora data from Yuanmou Basin, the climate of Late Pliocene is reconstructed using the Coexistence Approach. The results indicate a warm and humid subtropical climate with a mean annual temperature of ca. 16-17°C and a mean annual precipitation of ca. 1500-1600 mm in the Late Pliocene rather than a dry, hot climate today, which may be due to the local tectonic change and gradual intensification of India monsoon. The comparison of Late Pliocene climate in Eryuan, Yangyi, Longling, and Yuanmou Basin of Yunnan Province suggests that the mean annual temperatures generally show a latitudinal gradient and fit well with their geographic position, while the mean annual precipitations seem to be related to the different geometries of the valleys under the same monsoon system.     

Effects of timing of precipitation and acorn harvest date on emergence of Quercus emoryi

Abstract. Germination of semi-arid Quercus is strongly correlated with the rainy season. However, the timing and amount of summer precipitation in the southwestern United States is extremely variable. Ongoing and impending changes in global and regional climates are likely to increase this variability. Specifically, anthropogenically induced changes in general circulation patterns may alter the seasonal distribution of precipitation in a directional manner. In addition to climatic variability, the inter- and intra-annual variability of Quercus emoryi Torr. (Emory oak) acorn maturation also is high. Therefore, in light of existing climatic variability and potential future climate change, we conducted a greenhouse experiment to investigate the effects of acorn maturation date and the timing of the onset of the ‘monsoon’ on emergence of Q. emoryi seedlings. Acorns were collected at weekly intervals in July of 1995 and 1996, planted in a greenhouse, and subjected to different watering treatments. Watering treatments were (1) acorns watered the same day as planting; (2) acorns watered two weeks after planting; (3) acorns watered four weeks after planting. Emergence in 1995 was significantly greater in the last week of acorn maturation and decreased significantly as time to the onset of the ‘monsoon’ increased. Emergence in 1996 was very low, presumably because of soil moisture contents that were lower than those observed in 1995. The dependence of Q. emoryi on water for emergence has profound implications for Q. emoryi recruitment in the face of current climatic variability and future climate change. Summers with a delayed ‘monsoon’ and decreased soil moisture may severely constrain recruitment of this woody plant.     

基于红松树轮重建小兴安岭南麓过去140年6月份平均温度变化

基于建立的小兴安岭南麓红松树轮宽度标准年表,分析红松径向生长与该地区温度和降水间的关系以及1982年升温突变对此相关性的影响。结果表明：6月平均温度与树轮宽度年表在变暖前后始终呈极显著负相关,是该地区红松径向生长的主要限制因子。基于此构建的区域1843—1982年6月平均温度重建方程稳定可靠。重建温度序列的偏暖时期和偏冷时期分别持续7年和29年,偏暖时段为1915—1921年,偏冷时段为1880—1891年和1932—1948年。小波分析结果显示6月平均温度存在2—7a周期变化。空间相关分析结果表明重建温度序列能很好的代表小兴安岭南麓及附近区域的温度变化。本研究拓展了研究区现有的气候数据,可为掌握小兴安岭气候变化规律和科学预测未来气候提供数据支撑。     

The late Pleistocene climates of the Lake Zeribar region (Kurdistan,western Iran) deduced from the ecology and pollen production of nonarboreal vegetation

The concept of an arid pleniglacial in the Middle East depends primarily on the interpretation of pollen diagrams including those of Lake Zeribar in the Zagros Mountains of western Iran. It has been assumed that Lake Zeribar was surrounded by a Chenopodiaceae-Artemisia steppe and that the climate was therefore dry. Both assumptions are questioned. The environment of Pleistocene Lake Zeribar may have been similar to the tragacanthic or alpine zone of the modern Zagros Mountains. The dominance by pollen of Chenopodiaceae and Artemisia is explained by low pollen production of high-altitude vegetation, preferential incorporation of pollen of late-blooming plants into the sediments, and high production and long-distance transport of lowland pollen. In any case, high percentages of Chenopodiaceae and Artemisia pollen do not necessarily indicate low annual precipitation but a highly seasonal climate with cold winters and hot, dry summers. Such a climatic regime was in effect continuous except for a period beginning about 10600 B. P. during which summer rainfall or reduced summer drought occurred. This change in seasonality resulted in the dominance of Poaceae pollen and the initial increase in arboreal pollen. A moisture curve based on the ratio between Chenopodiaceae and Artemisia pollen indicates a pleniglacial climate with wet winters and a late-glacial and early-Holocene climate with periods of intense aridity. The climatic history presented here is compatible with non-palynological evidence of regional late Pleistocene climates and with seasonality changes suggested by climatic modelling based on orbital parameters.Abbreviations C/A Chenopodiaceae-Artemisia ratio     

The biomass of an Indian monsoonal wetland before and after being overgrown with Paspalum distichum L.

Paspalum distichum L. has been the dominant species in the monsoonal wetlands of the Keoladeo National Park in northcentral India since 1982 when grazing by water buffalo and domestic cattle was halted. Maximum water levels in these wetlands occur immediately after the end of the summer monsoon in late September of early October and then decline until the next summer monsoon the following June. After the normal 1985 monsoon, maximum water depths were around 140 cm. After the poor 1986 monsoon, maximum water depths were only around 60 cm. Paspalum distichum maximum aboveground biomass at four sites ranged from 850 g m^-2 at the shallowest site to 3400 g m^–2 at a deep water site. The maximum biomass of other vegetation types, which had dominated this wetland prior to 1982, ranged from 1400 g m^-2 at a deep water site (Ipomoea aquatica Forsk.) to only 240 g m^-2 to 400 g m^-2 at a deep-water submersed site (Hydrilla verticillata (L. f.) Royle/Cyperus alopecuroides Rottb.) and at a shallow emergent site (Scirpus tuberosus Desf./Sporobolus helvolus (Trin.) Dur. et Schinz). For all vegetation types, biomass changed seasonally in response to changing water levels and temperatures. After the 1986 monsoon, above-ground biomass for all vegetation types was much lower than it had been after the 1985 monsoon. Mean below-ground biomass was very low in all vegetation types (1 to 47 g m^-2). Paspalum distichum had a higher aboveground biomass at nearly all water depths in all seasons than that of the pre-1982 vegetation types. Paspalum distichum belowground biomass, however, is comparable to, or less than, that of the pre-1982 vegetation types. During years with an average monsoon, the overall primary production of these wetlands is estimated to have increased 2.5 to 3.5-fold since they were overgrown with Paspalum distichum.     

Age-dependent responses of tree-ring growth and intra-annual density fluctuations of Pinus pinaster to Mediterranean climate

Dendrochronology generally assumes that climate–growth relationships are age independent once the biological growth trend has been removed. However, tree physiology, namely, photosynthetic capacity and hydraulic conductivity changes with age. We tested whether the radial-growth response to climate and the intra-annual density fluctuations (IADFs) of Pinus pinaster Ait. varied with age. Trees were sampled in Pinhal de Leiria (Portugal), and were divided in two age classes: young (<65 years old) and old (>115 years old). Earlywood and tree-ring width of young P. pinaster trees were more sensitive to climate influence while the response of latewood width to climate was stronger in old trees. Young trees start the growing season earlier, thus a time window delay occurs between young and old trees during which wood cells of young trees integrate environmental signals. Young trees usually have a longer growing season and respond faster to climate conditions, thus young P. pinaster trees presented a higher frequency of IADFs compared with old trees. Most of the IADFs were located in latewood and were positively correlated to autumn precipitation. The radial-growth response of P. pinaster to climate and the IADFs frequency were age dependent. The use of trees with different age to create a tree-ring chronology for climate studies can increase the resolution of climatic signals. Age-dependent responses to climate can also give important clues to predict how young and old trees react to climate change.     

Mummified fossil of Keteleeria from the Late Pleistocene of Maoming Basin,South China,and its phytogeographical and paleoecological implications

Keteleeria is a small genus of Pinaceae now mainly restricted to eastern Asia. Although this genus has been documented with a wide distribution in the geologic record of Europe, North America, and Asia, its history in low‐latitude areas (including South China) has remained obscure. In this paper, a fossil wood of Keteleeria sp. is described from the Late Pleistocene (29–27 ka BP) of the Maoming Basin, South China. This wood is the most ancient megafossil evidence of Keteleeria within the modern distribution area of this genus. The fossil records of Keteleeria suggests that this thermophyllous genus migrated into South China by the Middle Pleistocene escaping from glacial cooling and became widespread over this region in the Late Pleistocene beginning from the interglacial stage preceding the Last Glacial Maximum. The analysis of growth rings in the fossil wood and its comparison with those of modern Keteleeria davidiana (Bertrand) Beissner indicates that in the Late Pleistocene of Maoming Basin (29–27 ka BP) there was a humid climate with less pronounced seasonality of precipitation than that seen in the subtropical monsoonal climate of modern northeastern Vietnam. Apparently, the Maoming Basin was influenced by interglacial regime with summer–monsoon circulation. The previously proposed method to distinguish between evergreen and deciduous conifers based on growth ring anatomy, is not reliable because of the wide variance and ambiguity in its results.     

Cellulose oxygen isotopic composition of teak (Tectona grandis) collected from Java Island: a tool for dendrochronological and dendroclimatological analysis

The oxygen isotopic composition (δ¹⁸O) of tree-ring cellulose has been recognized as a powerful tool for dendroclimatological and dendrochronological investigations in Asia. Only a few studies of cellulose δ¹⁸O so far published, however, have been conducted in Indonesia, and the spatial coherence of cellulose δ¹⁸O has yet to be clarified. In this study we measured cellulose δ¹⁸O of teak (Tectona grandis) collected from four sites on Java Island to evaluate the similarity between the different teak δ¹⁸O values and the potential for using teak δ¹⁸O both as a climate proxy and as a tool for cross-dating. Cellulose δ¹⁸O time series of Javanese teaks were found to be significantly correlated in all of the comparisons between sites, even between sites separated by a distance as great as 400 km. While significant correlations did not appear in the ring width data between our samples (expressed population signal (EPS) = 0.64; Rbar = 0.23; sample depth = 10), they were found between the cellulose δ¹⁸O values (EPS = 0.89; Rbar = 0.58; sample depth = 10). These results suggest that teak δ¹⁸O variations have higher spatial coherence and might be a useful tool for cross-dating. A significant negative correlation was observed between cellulose δ¹⁸O and the relative humidity/precipitation during the rainy season, indicating that the cellulose δ¹⁸O of Javanese teak is an effective proxy for relative humidity/precipitation during the rainy season. Cellulose δ¹⁸O was found to be positively correlated with precipitation during the dry season preceding the growing season, whereas it showed no correlations with the temperature and Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), the key constraints of δ¹⁸O on the Indochina Peninsula.     

East Asian Monsoon Signals Reflected in Temperature and Precipitation Changes over the Past 300 Years in the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yangtze River

Based on observational data and Asian monsoon intensity datasets from China, the relationships between the East Asian winter monsoon index and winter temperature, the East Asian summer monsoon index and Meiyu precipitation over the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, were analyzed. We found that the monsoon signals were reflected in the temperature and Meiyu precipitation variations. Thus, we used the reconstructed Meiyu precipitation and winter temperature series for the past 300 years and detected the summer/winter monsoon intensity signals using multi-taper spectral estimation method and wavelet analysis. The main periodicities of Meiyu precipitation and winter temperature, such as interannual cycle with 2–7-year, interdecadal-centennial cycles with 30–40-year and 50–100-year, were found. The good relationships between the East Asian summer and winter monsoons suggested that they were in phase at 31-year cycle, while out of phase at 100-year cycle, but with 20-year phase difference. In addition, the winter monsoon intensity may be regulated by the North Atlantic Oscillation, the Arctic Oscillation and the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, and the summer monsoon is closely related to the signal intensities of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation.     

Trichomes: their Diversity,Distribution and Density in Acclimatization of Teak (Tectona grandis L.) Plants Grown in vitro

Diversity, distribution and density of trichomes were studied in relation to other morphological and physiological parameters of in vivo and in vitro teak (Tectona grandis L.) plants with the objective to understand their role in hardening and acclimatization of micropropagated plants. Less diversity and scanty distribution of trichomes of in vitro leaves in comparison to the in vivo ones were correlated with water loss of the former plants leading to low rate of survival after transplantation. The probable cause for absence of certain types of trichome in in vitro plants was also discussed.     

德令哈地区柏树山不同生境气候对祁连圆柏径向生长的影响

为探究德令哈地区柏树山不同生境气候对祁连圆柏（Sabina przewalskii）径向生长的影响,在该区域设置3个采样点（S1：地势较低的陡坡地,S2：坡度缓和的凹形坡地,S3：地势较高的陡坡地）,运用树木年轮学方法收集了58棵祁连圆柏共113根样芯。通过建立3个样点的祁连圆柏差值年表,分析在半干旱区不同生境内祁连圆柏径向生长对气候响应的特征以及气候因子对祁连圆柏径向生长的贡献。结果表明：不同生境的祁连圆柏径向生长对降水的响应基本一致,对温度的响应则存在显著差异,其中当年5月的降水对不同生境祁连圆柏径向生长的贡献作用最大（P<0.01）,当年6月的降水次之（P<0.05）。温度对S1和S3祁连圆柏径向生长的贡献均不显著（P>0.05）。当年9月的平均最高温对S2祁连圆柏径向生长有显著的贡献作用（P<0.05）,低温对其的贡献并不显著（P>0.05）。研究结果论证了受地形差异的影响,不同生境下的气候对树木径向生长的影响具有多样性。因此,在研究树木生长与气候的关系时,应综合考虑不同生境的特点,以选取适宜的生境进行科学研究。