Climate-Growth Relationships Along a Black Spruce Toposequence in Interior Alaska

Wolken, Jane M.; Mann, Daniel H.; Grant, Thomas A.; Lloyd, Andrea H.; Rupp, T. Scott; Hollingsworth, Teresa N.

doi:10.1657/aaar0015-056

Cited by 21 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…However, recent studies point to increasing wildfire 2 , decreasing landscape greenness 3 , 4 , greater tree mortality 5 and declining spruce growth 6 – 11 . Over the last two decades, numerous tree-ring studies have been completed in interior Alaska, with most concluding that declining growth of black ( Picea mariana ) and white spruce ( Picea glauca ) is a result of drought stress, induced by rising air temperature and increasing evaporative demand 6 – 15 . The evidence for drought stress is derived from negative correlations between growing season air temperature and growth, positive correlations between precipitation and growth and decreasing carbon isotope discrimination in tree-rings.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Limited evidence of declining growth among moisture-limited black and white spruce in interior Alaska

Sullivan

Pattison

Brownlee

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

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Boreal forests play critical roles in global carbon, water and energy cycles. Recent studies suggest drought is causing a decline in boreal spruce growth, leading to predictions of widespread mortality and a shift in dominant vegetation type in interior Alaska. We took advantage of a large set of tree cores collected from random locations across a vast area of interior Alaska to examine long-term trends in carbon isotope discrimination and growth of black and white spruce. Our results confirm that growth of both species is sensitive to moisture availability, yet show limited evidence of declining growth in recent decades. These findings contrast with many earlier tree-ring studies, but agree with dynamic global vegetation model projections. We hypothesize that rising atmospheric [CO2] and/or changes in biomass allocation may have compensated for increasing evaporative demand, leaving recent radial growth near the long-term mean. Our results highlight the need for more detailed studies of tree physiological and growth responses to changing climate and atmospheric [CO2] in the boreal forest.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Limited evidence of declining growth among moisture-limited black and white spruce in interior Alaska

Sullivan

Pattison

Brownlee

et al. 2017

Sci Rep

Self Cite

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“…Canada have found similar negative responses to warm conditions during the growing season (Dang & Lieffers, 1989;Huang et al, 2010;Walker et al, 2015;Walker & Johnstone, 2014;Wolken et al, 2016). Black spruce is a boreal species, with average July temperatures of 16-24°C across the species range and daily extremes as high as 27°C (Viereck & Johnston, 1990).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 53%

“…We found that the following conditions most favoured black spruce growth: (a) cool, moist conditions in mid‐summer; (b) warm mid‐spring temperatures; and (c) cool temperatures in the fall prior to the current growing season. Prior studies of upland black spruce populations in interior Canada have found similar negative responses to warm conditions during the growing season (Dang & Lieffers, ; Huang et al, ; Walker et al, ; Walker & Johnstone, ; Wolken et al, ). Black spruce is a boreal species, with average July temperatures of 16–24°C across the species range and daily extremes as high as 27°C (Viereck & Johnston, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 69%

Climatic controls on peatland black spruce growth in relation to water table variation and precipitation

et al. 2019

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Prior research has demonstrated the importance of water limitations and increasing temperatures on upland black spruce (Picea mariana [Mill.] B.S.P.) tree growth, which is a dominant component of the North American boreal forest. However, little work has been done to investigate the connectivity between growth and hydro‐climate in peatland black spruce systems. The boreal forest is the largest global terrestrial biome and is highly threatened due to current and projected increases in temperatures for the northern latitudes. Here we explore the dynamics among annual black spruce growth, climate, and water table elevations using 45 years of in situ precipitation, temperature, and water table elevation coupled with dendrochronological analysis from six research peatlands at the Marcell Experimental Forest, MN, USA. From 1963 to 2010, we found weak relationships between water table elevation and black spruce growth at the six study sites. Instead, annual black spruce growth was most favourable during three climatic periods: (a) cool, moist conditions in mid‐summer; (b) warm mid‐spring temperatures; and (c) cool temperatures in the fall prior to the current growing season. The disconnect between black spruce growth and water table dynamics was surprising and suggests that either annual black spruce growth is minimally responsive to hydrological fluctuations at the timescale we analysed or there is great elasticity of black spruce growth to peatland water table and evapotranspiration dynamics under the range of hydrological fluctuations contained in our record.

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“…Previously collected field data from these sites suggest that there is considerably higher variability in soil moisture content from one location to the next on north aspects, likely the result of the hummocky microtopography associated with shallow active layers (Dearborn and Danby 2017). Wolken et al (2016) found similarly low synchrony in black spruce growth patterns near valley bottoms in Alaska, where frost heaving of shallow active layers created high fine-scale variability in soil moisture content compared to valley sides.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 89%

Topographic influences on ring widths of trees and shrubs across alpine treelines in southwest Yukon

Dearborn

Danby

2018

Arctic, Antarctic, and Alpine Research

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Growth responses of trees and shrubs to climate often exhibit unexplained variation in alpine regions, making it difficult to predict how they will respond to future changes in climate. We sought to characterize and explain this variability in southwest Yukon, a topographically complex region of subarctic Canada. We collected cores and sections from 360 spruce trees and 480 willow shrubs across treelines on north and south aspects in six valleys spanning two mountain ranges. We compared growth rates, growth patterns, and climate-growth responses between species and topographic factors. South aspects had wider tree rings and higher tree and shrub interseries correlations than north aspects, likely because of shallow active layers on the latter. Growth patterns and responses to climate did not vary between aspects or elevations but differed slightly between mountain ranges, likely because of differences in spring soil moisture content between ranges. Growth responses of both species to summer temperature were positive, but tree growth was negatively correlated to spring temperature and shrub growth was negatively correlated to summer precipitation, both of which are projected to increase along with summer temperature. Future changes in climate could therefore reduce the growth of one or both species in southwest Yukon.

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Climate-Growth Relationships Along a Black Spruce Toposequence in Interior Alaska

Cited by 21 publications

References 54 publications

Limited evidence of declining growth among moisture-limited black and white spruce in interior Alaska

Limited evidence of declining growth among moisture-limited black and white spruce in interior Alaska

Climatic controls on peatland black spruce growth in relation to water table variation and precipitation

Topographic influences on ring widths of trees and shrubs across alpine treelines in southwest Yukon

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