Spatial variation in oak (Quercus spp.) radial growth responses to drought stress in eastern North America

Dendroecology provides a means to evaluate how mature trees have responded to climate stresses in the recent past and provides one approach for projecting how existing forests will respond to future climate change. This study documented spatial variation in the strength of growth–climate associations for six oak (Quercus) species at 284 sites in eastern North America that span substantial gradients of temperature and site water balance. Radial growth of oaks was more strongly related to growing-season precipitation and the ratio of precipitation to potential evapotranspiration at sites in the western part of the study region where drought conditions occur more frequently. Growth was more strongly related to growing-season mean maximum temperature in the warmer, southern part of the study region. Growth of oaks was not strongly related to site water balance or temperature in the northeastern part of the study region. These results indicate that if climate change results in increased growing-season drought stress, this will adversely affect mature oak trees growing in the southern and western parts of eastern North America, but oaks growing in northeastern North America have more safe space for change before they will suffer reduced growth and vigor.

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Radial growth response of white oak to climate in eastern North America

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x09-126 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 39 (11) ◽

pp. 2180-2192 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

David C. LeBlanc ◽

Mark A. Terrell

Keyword(s):

North America ◽

Water Balance ◽

Radial Growth ◽

Eastern North America ◽

Quercus Alba ◽

Range Limit ◽

White Oak ◽

Climate Gradients ◽

Site Water ◽

Dormant Season

Predicting forest responses to climate change requires an understanding of the cause–effect relationships linking climate to tree growth. Dendroecological analyses across sites that span climate gradients provide one means of characterizing such relationships. Dendroecological analyses for white oak ( Quercus alba L.) at 149 sites spanning the species range in eastern North America identified spatially replicated growth–climate associations. Early growing season site water balance variables for the year of annual ring formation had the strongest, most spatially replicated associations with growth. There was little evidence of phenological variation of these associations related to the latitudinal temperature gradient. Most spatial variation in growth–climate associations was along an east-to-west precipitation gradient. Radial growth was most strongly correlated with site water balance at sites in the northwest quadrant of the range, characterized by continental climate and high interannual variability in precipitation. There was little evidence that dormant season temperature affects white oak growth, even at the northern range limit. Correlations with dormant season precipitation were common in the northwest part of the range, where winter soil water recharge may be more variable. Spatial replication was a useful criterion for distinguishing growth–climate correlations that reflect cause–effect relationships.

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Comparison of the Radial Growth Response of Picea crassifolia to Climate Change in Different Regions of the Central and Eastern Qilian Mountains

Forests ◽

10.3390/f12081015 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (8) ◽

pp. 1015

Author(s):

Xuan Wu ◽

Liang Jiao ◽

Dashi Du ◽

Changliang Qi ◽

Ruhong Xue

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Tree Growth ◽

Central Region ◽

Radial Growth ◽

Growing Season ◽

Qilian Mountains ◽

Growth Patterns ◽

Total Precipitation ◽

Picea Crassifolia ◽

The Qilian Mountains

It is important to explore the responses of radial tree growth in different regions to understand growth patterns and to enhance forest management and protection with climate change. We constructed tree ring width chronologies of Picea crassifolia from different regions of the Qilian Mountains of northwest China. We used Pearson correlation and moving correlation to analyze the main climate factors limiting radial growth of trees and the temporal stability of the growth–climate relationship, while spatial correlation is the result of further testing the first two terms in space. The conclusions were as follows: (1) Radial growth had different trends, showing an increasing followed by a decreasing trend in the central region, a continuously increasing trend in the eastern region, and a gradually decreasing trend in the isolated mountain. (2) Radial tree growth in the central region and isolated mountains was constrained by drought stress, and tree growth in the central region was significantly negatively correlated with growing season temperature. Isolated mountains showed a significant negative correlation with mean minimum of growing season and a significant positive correlation with total precipitation. (3) Temporal dynamic responses of radial growth in the central region to the temperatures and SPEI (the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index) in the growing season were unstable, the isolated mountains to total precipitation was unstable, and that to SPEI was stable. The results of this study suggest that scientific management and maintenance plans of the forest ecosystem should be developed according to the response and growth patterns of the Qinghai spruce to climate change in different regions of the Qilian Mountains.

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A radiocarbon chronology of Holocene climate change and sea-level rise at the Delmarva Peninsula, US Mid-Atlantic Coast

The Holocene ◽

10.1177/09596836211048282 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 095968362110482

Author(s):

Kelvin W Ramsey ◽

Jaime L. Tomlinson ◽

C. Robin Mattheus

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

North America ◽

Sea Level Rise ◽

Sea Level ◽

Early Holocene ◽

Eastern North America ◽

Delmarva Peninsula ◽

The Holocene ◽

Cool Climate ◽

And Sea Level

Radiocarbon dates from 176 sites along the Delmarva Peninsula record the timing of deposition and sea-level rise, and non-marine wetland deposition. The dates provide confirmation of the boundaries of the Holocene subepochs (e.g. “early-middle-late” of Walker et al.) in the mid-Atlantic of eastern North America. These data record initial sea-level rise in the early Holocene, followed by a high rate of rise at the transition to the middle Holocene at 8.2 ka, and a leveling off and decrease in the late-Holocene. The dates, coupled to local and regional climate (pollen) records and fluvial activity, allow regional subdivision of the Holocene into six depositional and climate phases. Phase A (>10 ka) is the end of periglacial activity and transition of cold/cool climate to a warmer early Holocene. Phase B (10.2–8.2 ka) records rise of sea level in the region, a transition to Pinus-dominated forest, and decreased non-marine deposition on the uplands. Phase C (8.2–5.6 ka) shows rapid rates of sea-level rise, expansion of estuaries, and a decrease in non-marine deposition with cool and dry climate. Phase D (5.6–4.2 ka) is a time of high rates of sea-level rise, expanding estuaries, and dry and cool climate; the Atlantic shoreline transgressed rapidly and there was little to no deposition on the uplands. Phase E (4.2–1.1 ka) is a time of lowering sea-level rise rates, Atlantic shorelines nearing their present position, and marine shoal deposition; widespread non-marine deposition resumed with a wetter and warmer climate. Phase F (1.1 ka-present) incorporates the Medieval Climate Anomaly and European settlement on the Delmarva Peninsula. Chronology of depositional phases and coastal changes related to sea-level rise is useful for archeological studies of human occupation in relation to climate change in eastern North America, and provides an important dataset for future regional and global sea-level reconstructions.

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