Spatial variation and temporal instability in the climate–growth relationship of Korean pine in the Changbai Mountain region of Northeast China

Shao

2015

Trees

Key message The net primary productivity (NPP) of Pinus koraiensis, estimated from tree-ring widths, has a significant correlation with the minimum temperature in April and the summer precipitation over the past 50 years. Abstract This study investigated the relationship between climate and Pinus koraiensis net primary productivity (NPP) (estimated using tree-ring widths) and the effect of climate on NPP in the Changbai Mountains. Three typical areas of Pinus koraiensis and a broad-leaved mixed forest were investigated and sampled. NPP was estimated using biomass equations and the annual diameter at breast height, calculated from tree-ring widths. A stepwise regression was used for the quantitative analysis of the response of NPP to climate variation, whereas correlation and response analyses were used to illustrate the relationship between the climatic variables and NPP. The results showed that between 1960 and 2012, the biomass of sampled Pinus koraiensis in the Changbai Mountains almost doubled, from 107.70 to 205.29 t ha -1 . The NPP of Pinus koraiensis varied steadily within a confined range over the past 52 years, with an average of 1.88 t ha -1 year -1 . In this study, it was deduced that NPP was simultaneously affected by temperature and precipitation. The minimum temperature in April and the precipitation in June and July, which most affected the changes in NPP, could explain 28.4 % of the NPP variance. The extreme values of these principal climatic controls corresponded well with extreme NPP values. However, an increase in NPP caused by recent warming prior to the growing season might have been offset by a decrease in summer precipitation. Furthermore, the effect of temperature change on NPP was complex. An increase in monthly low temperatures induced by warming acted to increase NPP, while the monthly high temperatures during the growing season had a negative impact on NPP for the drought.

Section: The Effect Of Climate On Nppsupporting

confidence: 63%

The effect of climate on the net primary productivity (NPP) of Pinus koraiensis in the Changbai Mountains over the past 50 years

Fang

Shao

2015

Trees

“…Maximum densities of Changbai larch were found to show similar significant correlations with temperature at different elevations (Sun et al 2012). In a study of another species in the Changbai Mountains, Korean pine, Yu et al (2013) also found that the effects of climatic conditions on radial growth for Korean pine became stronger because of rising temperature in late 20th century. The result indicated that warming had significantly influenced tree growth in this area.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Fritts (1976) reported that tree growth is more affected by mean temperature close to the treeline than that at low elevations, where precipitation is more influential. Studies have shown that tree-ring width is significantly correlated to minimum temperature at high elevations (Peterson and Peterson 2001;Dittmar et al 2003;Yu et al 2013). Increases in temperature are known to affect forest composition and distribution through drought stress, especially at middle and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere (Serreae et al 2000;Walther et al 2002;D'Arrigo et al 2007;Mérian et al 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The altitudinal variability and temporal instability of the climate–tree-ring growth relationships for Changbai larch (Larix olgensis Henry) in the Changbai mountains area, Jilin, Northeastern China

Shen

2015

Trees

Key message We investigated the variability of the relationships between climate and tree-ring growth along an altitudinal gradient and the temporal instability of the relationships under warming for Changbai larch (Larix olgensis Henry) in northeast of China. Abstract Growth response of trees to climate has been found to vary with elevation, but their relationships might also be altered with ongoing global climate change. We developed residual chronologies of tree-ring growth parameters at three sites to investigate variability of the interactions between climate and tree-ring growth for Changbai larch (Larix olgensis Henry) along an altitudinal gradient on the northern slopes of the Changbai Mountains area in Northeastern China. The results indicate that temperature and precipitation are linked differently to the formation of the annual ring width of Changbai larch at different elevations. Tree-ring density of Changbai larch is mainly positively associated with temperature while negatively responding to precipitation. The relationships between temperature and tree-ring growth became unstable, however, after the notable warming of the late 1980s in the study area. Tree-ring width decreased at low elevation under drought stress, whereas showed more positive sensitivity to warming at higher altitudes. We found that the tree-ring density relationship with temperature also became unstable under the rising temperature regime. These findings could be applied in simulating tree-ring growth and forest distribution under various climatic and environmental scenarios.

“…The annual average temperature decreases with elevation and ranges from 2.8 °C at 750 m above mean sea level (AMSL) to −0.75 °C at 1400 m AMSL. Annual precipitation increases with elevation, with an annual mean of 670 mm at 750 m to 870 mm at 1400 m AMSL Eighty percent of the total annual precipitation occurs between June and September [37]. The soil in the study area is classified as dark brown forest soil originating from volcanic ashes [38] The EC flux tower is located at the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Forest Ecosystem Experimental Station of the Changbai Mountains (42°24′9″N, 128°05′45″E, elevation 738 m AMSL).…”

Section: Study Areamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The altitude across the study site influences local air temperature and ecosystem productivity. Across the study area, the altitude varies from 700 m AMSL to above 2000 m AMSL [37]. The C fluxes were low in the land use areas with reduced vegetation (e.g., villages, rivers, and roads).…”

Section: Inversed Spatially Distributed C Fluxesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Narrowband Bio-Indicator Monitoring of Temperate Forest Carbon Fluxes in Northeastern China

Mickler

et al. 2014

Remote Sensing

Developments in hyperspectral remote sensing techniques during the last decade have enabled the use of narrowband indices to evaluate the role of forest ecosystem variables in estimating carbon (C) fluxes. In this study, narrowband bio-indicators derived from EO-1 Hyperion data were investigated to determine whether they could capture the temporal variation and estimate the spatial variability of forest C fluxes derived from eddy covariance tower data. Nineteen indices were divided into four categories of optical indices: broadband, chlorophyll, red edge, and light use efficiency. Correlation tests were performed between the selected vegetation indices, gross primary production (GPP), and ecosystem respiration (Re). Among the 19 indices, five narrowband indices (Chlorophyll Index RedEdge 710, scaled photochemical reflectance index (SPRI)*enhanced vegetation index (EVI), SPRI*normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), MCARI/OSAVI [705, 750] and the Vogelmann Index), and one broad band index (EVI) had R-squared values with a good fit for GPP and Re. The SPRI*NDVI has the highest significant coefficients of determination OPEN ACCESSRemote Sens. 2014, 6 8987 with GPP and Re (R 2 = 0.86 and 0.89, p < 0.0001, respectively). SPRI*NDVI was used in atmospheric inverse modeling at regional scales for the estimation of C fluxes. We compared the GPP spatial patterns inversed from our model with corresponding results from the Vegetation Photosynthesis Model (VPM), the Boreal Ecosystems Productivity Simulator model, and MODIS MOD17A2 products. The inversed GPP spatial patterns from our model of SPRI*NDVI had good agreement with the output from the VPM model. The normalized difference nitrogen index was well correlated with measured C net ecosystem exchange. Our findings indicated that narrowband bio-indicators based on EO-1 Hyperion images could be used to predict regional C flux variations for Northeastern China's temperate broad-leaved Korean pine forest ecosystems.