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

Climate warming has been detected and tree growth is sensitive to climate change in Northwestern Yunnan Plateau. Abies georgei is the main component of subalpine forest in the area. In this study, A. georgei ring width chronologies were constructed at four sites ranging from 3300 to 4150 m a.s.l. in Haba Snow Mountain, Southeastern edge of Tibetan Plateau. We analyzed the relationship between four constructed chronologies and climatic variables (monthly minimum temperature, monthly mean temperature, monthly maximum temperature, monthly total precipitation, the Standardized Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index, and monthly relative humidity) by using response function analysis, moving interval analysis, and redundancy analysis. Overall, the growth of A. georgei was positively affected by common climatic factors (winter moisture conditions, autumn temperature, and previous autumn precipitation). At low and middle-low sites, May moisture condition and previous December precipitation controlled its radial growth with positive correlations. At middle-high and high sites, previous November temperature was the key factor affecting tree growth. The result of moving interval analysis was consistent with correlation analyses, particularly for May moisture at low altitudes.

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Climate-Growth Relations of Abies georgei along an Altitudinal Gradient in Haba Snow Mountain, Southwestern China

Mei¹,

Li²,

Cao³

et al. 2021

“…The negative correlation of A. spectabilis radial growth with winter precipitation (significance for December) may be due to a deeper snowpack with delayed melting in spring and reduced soil temperature which could delay cambial onset and growth initiation. Negative impacts of winter precipitation in A. spectabilis growth have also been reported by Shrestha et al [55], Rayback et al [7], Kharal et al [52] and Gaire et al [56]. The negative A. spectabilis growth correlation to summer precipitation was in line with the results of Schwab et al [12] and Kharal et al [52].…”

Section: Growth-climate Relationshipssupporting

confidence: 83%

“…Higher precipitation generally results in lower soil temperatures. Furthermore, high precipitation may imply an increase cloud cover that would lower air temperature and light availability impacting photosynthetic capacity and reducing growth [12,23,56]. Because we found weak correlations with temperature, the latter scenario is more plausible.…”

Section: Growth-climate Relationshipsmentioning

confidence: 86%

“…This negative correlation means the physiological preconditioning associated with better light conditions, but not high precipitation, would be favorable for carbon gain and growth in the following season [12,49]. Gaire et al [10,56], Kharal et al [52], Lv and Zhang [17], and Tiwari et al [19] found negative and positive correlation respectively to spring temperature and precipitation in the same species. The growth climate correlation for A. spectabilis in this study and previous studies from all over the Nepal Himalayas (e.g., [7,16,52,55,57]) are not consistent.…”

Section: Growth-climate Relationshipsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate-Driven Differences in Growth Performance of Cohabitant Fir and Birch in a Subalpine Forest in Dhorpatan Nepal

Bista

Chhetri

Johnson

et al. 2021

Himalayan Silver Fir (Abies spectabilis) and Himalayan Birch (Betula utilis) are tree species often found coexisting in sub-alpine forests of the Nepal Himalayas. To assess species-specific growth performances of these species, tree-ring samples were collected from the subalpine forest in the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve, Nepal. Standard ring width chronologies of both species were correlated with climatic variables in both static and running windows. Differential and contrasting temporal responses of radial growth of these species to climate were found. Warmer and drier springs appeared to limit birch radial growth. Whereas radial growth of fir showed weakened climate sensitivity. Moving correlation analyses revealed divergent influences of spring climate on both fir and birch. Significant warming that occurred in the 1970s coincided with growth declines in birch and an increase in fir, as indicated by basal area increment. In summary, recent warming has been unfavorable for birch, and favorable to fir radial growth.

“…In the Baltic Sea region, summer moisture availability became increasingly important for the growth of oak (Quercus robur) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica) in the latter 20th century [26]. Increasing growth sensitivity to spring season moisture availability or drought conditions is becoming predominant during recent years for the Abies spectabilis and other conifer species in the central and western Himalaya, along with weakening responses to growing season temperatures [59][60][61]. Radial growth of Fokienia hodginsii in southwest China shows increasing responses to summer temperature (negative) and precipitation (positive) under a warming and drying climate [62].…”

Section: Temporal Shift Of Growth-climate Sensitivitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Increased Drought Sensitivity Results in a Declining Tree Growth of Pinus latteri in Northeastern Thailand

Rakthai

Fan

et al. 2020

Self Cite

Climate change may lead to alterations in tree growth and carbon cycling. Interpreting the response of forest growth to climate change requires an understanding of the temporal and spatial patterns of seasonal climatic influences on the growth of tree species. However, the effects of climate change on pine forest dynamics in tropical region of Thailand remain poorly understood. This study develops three new tree ring-width chronologies of Pinus latteri (Tenasserim pine) in northern and northeastern Thailand and analyzes their climate-growth relationships and temporal stability. Ring-width chronologies of P. latteri at three sites showed significantly positive correlations with precipitation, relative humidity and self-calibrated Palmer Drought Severity Index (scPDSI) during the dry season (previous November to current April) and early rainy season (May–June). Conversely, significantly negative correlations were found between ring-width site chronologies and air temperatures (mean, maximum and minimum) from April to August. Therefore, our results revealed that radial growth of Tenasserim pines from northern and northeastern Thailand was mainly limited by moisture availability during the dry-to-wet transition season from April to June. Moving correlations revealed that Tenasserim pines in the lowland area of northeastern Thailand became more sensitive to moisture availability in recent 30 years (1985–2017) as compared with early period (1951–1984). Accompanying the shifted growth sensitivity to climate change, growth synchrony among trees was increasing and tree growth rates of Tenasserim pines have been declining during recent decades at two more moisture-limited sites in northeastern Thailand. Recent rapid warming and increasing drought during the transition season (April–June) together intensify climatic constrains on tree growth of Tenasserim pines in the lowland area of northeastern Thailand. Considering continued regional climate change, pine forests in tropical lowland areas may encounter intensified drought stresses, and thus, become more vulnerable to future climate change. Our results serve as an early indicator of potential effects of climate change on tropical pine species and raise concerns about sustainable managements of pine forests under a changing climate.