Radial growth and climate responses of white oak (Quercus alba) and northern red oak (Quercus rubra) at the northern distribution limit of white oak in Quebec, Canada

Abstract

Aim The objectives of this study were: (1) to compare radial growth patterns between white oak (Quercus alba L.) and northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) growing at the northern distribution limit of white oak; and (2) to assess if the radial growth of white oak at its northern distribution limit is controlled by cold temperature. Location The study was conducted in three regions of the Ottawa valley in southern Québec. All stands selected were located at the northern limit of distribution of Q. alba. Methods Twelve mixed red and white oak stands were sampled and increment cores were extracted for radial growth analyses. For each oak species, 12 chronologies were derived from tree‐ring measurement (residual chronologies). Principal components analysis and redundancy analysis were used to highlight the difference between radial growth in both species and to determine their radial growth–climate association. Results There was little difference between the radial growth of each species; Q. alba, however, exhibits more year‐to‐year variation in growth than Q. rubra. More than 65% of the variance in radial growth was shared among sites and species. Both species showed a similar response to climate, which suggested that the limit of distribution of Q. alba might not be determined by effects on growth. Both species had a classic response to climate and drought in the early growing season. Main conclusions The northern distribution limit of Q. alba does not appear to be directly controlled by effects on growth processes as indicated by the similarities in radial growth and response to climate between the two species. The location of the stands on southern aspects suggested that cold temperature could have been a major factor controlling the distribution limit of Q. alba. However, it is speculated that stands growing on southern aspects may be more prone to forest fires or to drought, which would favour the maintenance and establishment of oaks, and of Q. alba in particular. Models relating the northern distribution limits of species to broad climate parameters like annual mean temperature will need to be reviewed to incorporate more biologically relevant information. Such assessments will in turn provide better estimates of the effect of climate changes on species distribution.

Climate change and oak growth decline: Dendroecology and stand productivity of a Turkey oak (Quercus cerris L.) old stored coppice in Central Italy

“…Lebourgeois et al, 2004). Water requirements during the summer are typical of deciduous oaks even in environments that are considerably wetter than those we studied (Čufar et al, 2008;Drobyshev et al, 2008;Friedrichs et al, 2009;Helama et al, 2009;Lebourgeois, 2006;Tardif et al, 2006). Stem age and logging history affect decadal tree productivity response to climate (e.g.…”

Assessing the climatic sensitivity of Douglas-fir at its northern range margins in British Columbia, Canada

“…Similar results were reported for oak species (Quercus spp.) in eastern Canada (Tardif et al 2006). However, unique and strong Douglas-fir climate-growth relationships have been described in populations growing in forestgrassland and high-elevation ecotones (e.g., Case and Peterson 2005;Griesbauer and Green 2010).…”

Radial Growth Response of Larix gmelinii to Climate along a Latitudinal Gradient in the Greater Khingan Mountains, Northeastern China

“…Tree radial growth is influenced by environmental factors (e.g., temperature, precipitation, and competition) and conditions within the individual tree [1,2]. Tree-ring records are often used to investigate the responses of tree growth to historical climate variations, to predict the effects of future climate change on tree growth, and to understand the spatial and temporal patterns of tree-growth variability of forest ecosystems [5][6][7]. Therefore, tree-ring records can increase our capacity to predict potential changes in forest structure and composition, as well as provide important information on natural resource management [8][9][10][11][12].…”