Climate signals from intra-annual wood density fluctuations in Abies durangensis

Abstract

Ongoing climate change is expected to alter forests by affecting forest productivity, with implications for the ecological functions of these systems. Despite its great dendrochronological potential, little research has been conducted into the use of wood density as a proxy for determining sensitivity to climate variability in Mexico. The response of Abies durangensis Martínez, in terms of wood density and growth ring width, to monthly climatic values (mean temperature, accumulated precipitation and the drought index SPEI) was analyzed through correlation analysis. Abies durangensis presents a high response, in terms of radial growth, to climatic conditions. Tree-ring widths are more sensitive to hydroclimatic variables, whereas wood density values are more sensitive to temperature. In particular, mean (MeanD) and minimum (MND) wood density values are more sensitive to climate than maximum (MXD). We found very marked spatial variations that indicate that A. durangensis responds differently to drought conditions depending on the indices of density.

Tree-Ring Patterns and Growth Response of Abies jaliscana to Climate along Elevational Gradients in the Mountains of Western Jalisco, Mexico

“…At the low-, mid-, and high-elevation distribution areas in both aspects, precipitation in the winter and early spring of the current growing season showed a significant positive correlation with the ring-width indices of A. jaliscana. The result is consistent with previous studies in subtropical Mexico, indicating that precipitation, particularly in the winter-spring season (driest period in this region), is the main climatic factor influencing radial growth in temperate-like environments [11][12][13]15]. In the Mediterranean basin, a similar response was reported for Abies borisii-regis and A. cephalonica in the dry season (late spring-summer) [4,46].…”

“…In contrast, we found a negative correlation between the previous precipitation of July and September (the wettest months of the year in this region) and tree growth; this response could be related to saturated soils and a lack of oxygen for physiological processes, even though most of the rainfall is lost by runoff when the soil infiltration capacity is exceeded [8]. This response is consistent with what has been observed in other high-elevation forests in Mexico [8,47]; however, in other similar forests, such as those dominated by A. durangensis and A. religiosa, the correlation of the ring-width chronologies of these two species with the summer rain is not significant [15,20]. In the Mediterranean basin, a similar response was reported for Abies cephalonica, where the humid season (autumn-winter) showed a negative correlation with tree growth [46].…”

“…In both aspects (except SM and SL), mean maximum temperatures in the winter and spring of the current growing season show significant negative correlations with the ringwidth chronology of A. jaliscana. The result is partially consistent with other climate-growth relationships observed in conifers such as A. durangensis, A. guatemalensis, Picea chihuahuana, and Pinus hartwegii, and highly consistent with A. religiosa in the MBBR [8,15,20,40,48]. This correlation between tree growth and temperature could be associated with high evapotranspiration rates, due to increased winter-spring temperatures, reducing annual radial growth [48].…”

“…and high-elevation (>3000 m.a.s.l.) sites in north and central Mexico (20-30 • N) is mainly correlated with winter-spring and total regional precipitation, not temperature [11][12][13][14][15]. Additionally, in other montane forests located in subtropical and temperate geographic regions, different growth trends have been observed at low-, middle-, and high-elevation belts; both precipitation and temperature have been reported as highly correlated at different elevations [2,16].…”

Hydroclimatic variations reveal differences in carbon capture in two sympatric conifers in northern Mexico

“…Several studies carried out in the area have evaluated the responses to climatic conditions (González-Elizondo et al, 2005; González-Cásares, Pompa-García & Camarero, 2017; Pompa-García et al, 2017a), while others have used density for biometric purposes (González-Cásares, Yerena-Yamallel & Pompa-García, 2016; Pompa-García & Venegas-González, 2016). It has also been reported that the wood density of a species ( Abies durangensis ) that coexists with the species evaluated in the present study is more sensitive to temperature than the tree-ring width (González-Cásares, Pompa García & Venegas González, 2018). In this study, density was used to improve the estimation of carbon capture and its response to climate and thus facilitate a reliable and valuable comparative analysis to broaden the knowledge of the carbon accumulation in forest ecosystems.…”