Zuwachs und Klimasensitivität von Baumarten im Ökogramm der kollinen und submontanen Stufe

Growth potential and climate sensitivity of tree species in the ecogram for the colline and submontane zone In forestry practice a large amount of empirical knowledge exists about the productivity of individual tree species in relation to site properties. However, so far, only few scientific studies have investigated the influence of soil properties on the growth potential of various tree species along gradients of soil water as well as nutrient availability. Thus, there is a research gap to estimate the productivity and climate sensitivity of tree species under climate change, especially regarding productive sites and forest ad-mixtures in the lower elevations. Using what we call a «growth ecogram», we demonstrate species- and site-specific patterns of mean annual basal area increment and mean sensitivity of ring width (strength of year-to-year variation) for Fagus sylvatica, Quercus spp., Fraxinus excelsior, Picea abies, Abies alba and Pinus sylvestris, based on tree-ring data from 508 (co-)dominant trees on 27 locations. For beech, annual basal area increment ( average 1957–2006) was significantly correlated with tree height of the dominant sampling trees and proved itself as a possible alternative for assessing site quality. The fact that dominant trees of the different tree species showed partly similar growth potential within the same ecotype indicates comparable growth limitation by site conditions. Mean sensitivity of ring width – a measure of climate sensitivity – had decreased for oak and ash, while it had increased in pine. Beech showed diverging reactions with increasing sensitivity at productive sites (as measured by the C:N ratio of the topsoil), suggesting an increasing limitation by climate at these sites. Hence, we derive an important role of soil properties in the response of forests to climate change at lower elevations, which should be taken into account when estimating future forest productivity.

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Relating ring width of Mediterranean evergreen species to seasonal and annual variations of precipitation and temperature

Biogeosciences ◽

10.5194/bg-8-1141-2011 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 8 (5) ◽

pp. 1141-1152 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

W. Nijland ◽

E. Jansma ◽

E. A. Addink ◽

M. Domínguez Delmás ◽

S. M. De Jong

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Tree Species ◽

Climatic Variability ◽

Ring Width ◽

Monthly Precipitation ◽

Evergreen Species ◽

Mediterranean Landscapes ◽

Tree Ring Data ◽

Precipitation And Temperature

Abstract. Plant growth in Mediterranean landscapes is limited by the typical summer-dry climate. Forests in these areas are only marginally productive and may be quite susceptible to modern climate change. To improve our understanding of forest sensitivity to annual and seasonal climatic variability, we use tree-ring measurements of two Mediterranean evergreen tree species: Quercus ilex L. and Arbutus unedo L. We sampled 34 stems of these species on three different types of substrates in the Peyne study area in southern France. The resulting chronologies were analysed in combination with 38 yr of monthly precipitation and temperature data to reconstruct the response of stem growth to climatic variability. Results indicate a strong positive response to May and June precipitation, as well as a significant positive influence of early-spring temperatures and a negative growth response to summer heat. Comparison of the data with more detailed productivity measurements in two contrasting years confirms these observations and shows a strong productivity limiting effect of low early-summer precipitation. The results show that tree-ring data from Q.ilex and A.unedo can provide valuable information about the response of these tree species to climate variability, improving our ability to predict the effects of climate change in Mediterranean ecosystems.

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Relating ring width of Mediterranean evergreen species to seasonal and annual variations of precipitation and temperature

Biogeosciences Discussions ◽

10.5194/bgd-8-355-2011 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. 355-383 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

W. Nijland ◽

E. Jansma ◽

E. A. Addink ◽

M. Domínguez Delmás ◽

S. M. De Jong

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Tree Species ◽

Climatic Variability ◽

Ring Width ◽

Monthly Precipitation ◽

Evergreen Species ◽

Mediterranean Landscapes ◽

Tree Ring Data ◽

Precipitation And Temperature

Abstract. Plant growth in Mediterranean landscapes is limited by the typical summer-dry climate. Forests in these areas are only marginally productive and may be quite susceptible to modern climate change. To improve our understanding of forest sensitivity to annual and seasonal climatic variability, we use tree-ring measurements of two Mediterranean evergreen tree species: Quercus ilex and Arbutus unedo. We sampled 34 stems of these species on three different types of substrates in the Peyne study area in Southern France. The resulting chronologies were analysed in combination with 38 years of monthly precipitation and temperature data to reconstruct the response of stem growth to climatic variability. Results indicate a strong positive response to May and June precipitation, as well as a significant positive influence of early-spring temperatures and a negative growth response to summer heat. Comparison of the data with more detailed productivity measurements in two contrasting years confirms these observations and shows a strong productivity limiting effect of low early-summer precipitation. The results show that tree-ring data from Q. ilex and A. unedo can provide valuable information about the response of these tree species to climate variability, improving our ability to predict the effects of climate change in Mediterranean ecosystems.

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Hotspots of change in major tree species under climate warming

10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-22325 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Flurin Babst ◽

Richard L. Peters ◽

Rafel O. Wüest ◽

Margaret E.K. Evans ◽

Ulf Büntgen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Climate Sensitivity ◽

Tree Growth ◽

Species Distribution ◽

Tree Species ◽

Habitat Suitability ◽

Species Distribution Models ◽

Sensitivity Index ◽

Distribution Models ◽

Bioclimatic Variables

Warming alters the variability and trajectories of tree growth around the world by intensifying or alleviating energy and water limitation. This insight from regional to global-scale research emphasizes the susceptibility of forest ecosystems and resources to climate change. However, globally-derived trends are not necessarily meaningful for local nature conservation or management considerations, if they lack specific information on present or prospective tree species. This is particularly the case towards the edge of their distribution, where shifts in growth trajectories may be imminent or already occurring.Importantly, the geographic and bioclimatic space (or &#8220;niche&#8221;) occupied by a tree species is not only constrained by climate, but often reflects biotic pressure such as competition for resources with other species. This aspect is underrepresented in many species distribution models that define the niche as a climatic envelope, which is then allowed to shift in response to changes in ambient conditions. Hence, distinguishing climatic from competitive niche boundaries becomes a central challenge to identifying areas where tree species are most susceptible to climate change.Here we employ a novel concept to characterize each position within a species&#8217; bioclimatic niche based on two criteria: a climate sensitivity index (CSI) and a habitat suitability index (HSI). The CSI is derived from step-wise multiple linear regression models that explain variability in annual radial tree growth as a function of monthly climate anomalies. The HSI is based on an ensemble of five species distribution models calculated from a combination of observed species occurrences and twenty-five bioclimatic variables. We calculated these two indices for 11 major tree species across the Northern Hemisphere.The combination of climate sensitivity and habitat suitability indicated hotspots of change, where tree growth is mainly limited by competition (low HSI and low CSI), as well as areas that are particularly sensitive to climate variability (low HSI and high CSI). In the former, we expect that forest management geared towards adjusting the competitive balance between several candidate species will be most effective under changing environmental conditions. In the latter areas, selecting particularly drought-tolerant accessions of a given species may reduce forest susceptibility to the predicted warming and drying.

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Lowering Stand Density Enhances Resiliency of Ponderosa Pine Forests to Disturbances and Climate Change

Forest Science ◽

10.1093/forsci/fxz006 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 65 (4) ◽

pp. 496-507 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jianwei Zhang ◽

Kaelyn A Finley ◽

Nels G Johnson ◽

Martin W Ritchie

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Tree Growth ◽

Ponderosa Pine ◽

Tree Mortality ◽

Ring Width ◽

Basal Area ◽

Stand Density ◽

Site Quality ◽

Climate Trends ◽

Ponderosa Pine Forests

AbstractStand density affects not only structure and growth, but also the health of forests and, subsequently, the functions of forest ecosystems. Here, we integrated dendrochronology and repeated inventories for ponderosa pine research plots to determine whether long-term growth and mortality responded to climate trends and how varying stand density influenced the responses. The plots were established prior to 1975 on existing stands throughout northern California. Although annual temperature increased consistently for the last 65 years, ring-width indices produced by eliminating age and thinning effects failed to detect radial trend regardless of site quality. However, interannual variation for the indices was substantial, reflecting a strong influence of climate on tree growth. Plot-level basal area increments were significantly affected by tree mortality. Stand density index explained most variation of mortality. Lowering stand density enhanced remaining tree growth, reduced mortality, and increased stand resiliency to disturbances and climate change. Besides higher climate moisture indices or lower vapor pressure deficits, any treatments that improve tree vigor and reduce stress will have a similar effect to reducing stand density. Although neither biotic disturbances nor abiotic conditions can be controlled, forest managers can manage stand density appropriately to enhance resilience to climate change and disturbances.

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Using Tree Rings to Predict the Response of Tree Growth to Climate Change in the Continental United States during the Twenty-First Century

Earth Interactions ◽

10.1175/2010ei362.1 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 14 (19) ◽

pp. 1-20 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

A. Park Williams ◽

Joel Michaelsen ◽

Steven W. Leavitt ◽

Christopher J. Still

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

United States ◽

Tree Ring ◽

Tree Growth ◽

Ring Width ◽

First Century ◽

Annual Growth ◽

Climate Variations ◽

Tree Ring Data ◽

Twenty First Century

Abstract In the early 1900s, tree-ring scientists began analyzing the relative widths of annual growth rings preserved in the cross sections of trees to infer past climate variations. Now, many ring-width index (RWI) chronologies, each representing a specific site and species, are archived online within the International Tree-Ring Data Bank (ITRDB). Comparing annual tree-ring-width data from 1097 sites in the continental United States to climate data, the authors quantitatively evaluated how trees at each site have historically responded to interannual climate variations. For each site, they developed a climate-driven statistical growth equation that uses regional climate variables to model RWI values. The authors applied these growth models to predict how tree growth will respond to twenty-first-century climate change, considering four climate projections. Although caution should be taken when extrapolating past relationships with climate into the future, the authors observed several clear and interesting patterns in the growth projections that seem likely if warming continues. Most notably, the models project that productivity of dominant tree species in the southwestern United States will decrease substantially during this century, especially in warmer and drier areas. In the northwest, nonlinear growth relationships with temperature may lead to warming-induced declines in growth for many trees that historically responded positively to warmer temperatures. This work takes advantage of the unmatched temporal length and spatial breath of annual growth data available within the ITRDB and exemplifies the potential of this ever-growing archive of tree-ring data to serve in meta-analyses of large-scale forest ecology.

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No evidence of recent (1995–2013) decrease of yellow-cedar in Alaska

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/cjfr-2016-0335 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 47 (1) ◽

pp. 97-105 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

T.M. Barrett ◽

R.R. Pattison

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Mortality Rate ◽

Tree Species ◽

Contextual Information ◽

Basal Area ◽

Geographic Range ◽

Recent Change ◽

Regional Monitoring ◽

Large Numbers ◽

Live Tree

Climate change is expected to impact forests worldwide, and yellow-cedar (Callitropsis nootkatensis (D. Don) Oerst. ex D.P. Little) decline has been used as an example of how changing climate can impact a tree species. However, most previous research has not placed yellow-cedar decline within the context of yellow-cedar overall. We used a 2004–2013 regional inventory of the temperate rainforest of Alaska (671 plots with yellow-cedar) to estimate current attributes and a subset of 564 remeasured plots (established 1995–1998) to estimate recent change. Results show that in unmanaged forests, yellow-cedar live tree basal area recently (1995–1998 to 2004–2013) increased, with a 95% confidence interval of a 0.3% to 3.3% increase per decade. Yellow-cedar has a relatively low mortality rate, 0.41% of trees per year. An analysis of live tree to snag ratios was consistent with elevated mortality of yellow-cedar prior to 1995 but also indicated that little range contraction had occurred. The large numbers and wide geographic range of yellow-cedar trees in Alaska and the recent (1995–2013) stability in the monitored population serve as important contextual information for yellow-cedar decline. This research also illustrates that understanding the spatial and temporal complexities of how tree species respond to climate change will be improved if focused studies are accompanied by regional monitoring.

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Production potential, biodiversity and soil properties of forest reclamations: Opportunities or risk of introduced coniferous tree species under climate change?

European Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1007/s10342-021-01392-x ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zdeněk Vacek ◽

Jan Cukor ◽

Stanislav Vacek ◽

Rostislav Linda ◽

Anna Prokůpková ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Tree Species ◽

Coniferous Tree ◽

Production Potential ◽

Coniferous Tree Species

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Analysis of basal area increment of Pinus hartwegii Lindl. at different altitudes and aspects on Jocotitlán Mountain, State of Mexico

REVISTA CHAPINGO SERIE CIENCIAS FORESTALES Y DEL AMBIENTE ◽

10.5154/r.rchscfa.2019.10.074 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 73-88

Author(s):

Angélica Núñez-García ◽

◽

Armando Gómez-Guerrero ◽

Teresa M. Terrazas-Salgado ◽

J. Jesús Vargas-Hernández ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tree Ring ◽

Growth Ring ◽

Ring Width ◽

Basal Area ◽

Climatic Variables ◽

Basal Area Increment ◽

Tree Age ◽

Tree Ring Width ◽

Pinus Hartwegii ◽

Different Altitudes

Introduction: Basal area increment (BAI) is an indicator of forest productivity that varies with tree age and site factors such as soil and climate. Objective: To generate tree-ring width index (RWI) and BAI chronologies of Pinus hartwegii Lindl., relate them to climatic variables, and study the variation in BAI at different altitudes and aspects. Materials and methods: Four observation sites were identified, combining northwest (NW) and southwest (SW) aspects, as well as altitudes of 3 800 and 3 700 m. At each site, the temperature was recorded every four hours for 435 days and 32 growth ring segments were collected using a Pressler´s increment borer. Tree-ring width was measured and BAI was calculated; the correlation index between these indicators and the climatic variables was Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results and discussion: The RWI series from the four observation sites had an intercorrelation of 0.33 (P < 0.01). Two low-growth periods were detected, one between 1950 and 1960 and the other between 1990 and 2005. Site SO-3700 had a different growth pattern, due to a second growth phase beginning in 1978, possibly a benefit resulting from increased temperature. The previous autumn temperature, spring temperature and April-September precipitation of the current year explained the variation in BAI (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The BAI of P. hartwegii could respond favorably to the predicted increases in temperature at an altitude of 3 700 m with southwest aspect.

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60-year record of stem xylem anatomy and related hydraulic modification under increased summer drought in ring- and diffuse-porous temperate broad-leaved tree species

Trees ◽

10.1007/s00468-021-02090-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jorma Zimmermann ◽

Roman M. Link ◽

Markus Hauck ◽

Christoph Leuschner ◽

Bernhard Schuldt

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Tree Species ◽

Hydraulic System ◽

Hydraulic Properties ◽

Ring Width ◽

Precipitation Gradient ◽

Xylem Anatomy ◽

Tree Ring Width ◽

Acclimation Potential

Abstract Key message By combining dendrochronological time-series analysis with radial vessel features, we show that the reconstruction of hydraulic properties improves our understanding of tree species’ acclimation potential to climate change. Abstract The vascular architecture plays a crucial role in the productivity and drought tolerance of broadleaf trees, but it is not yet fully understood how the hydraulic system is acclimating to a warmer and drier climate. Because vessel features may record temporal and spatial variability in climatic signals of the past better than tree-ring width, we combined dendrochronological time-series analysis with the calculation of stem hydraulic properties derived from radial vessel features. We aimed to reconstruct the development and sensitivity of the hydraulic system over six decades and to identify climatic control of xylem anatomy for five co-existing broad-leaved diffuse- and ring-porous tree species (genera Acer, Fagus, Fraxinus and Quercus) across three sites covering a precipitation gradient from 548 to 793 mm. We observed a significant influence of the climatic water balance (CWB) on the vessel features of all species, but the time lag, magnitude and direction of the response was highly species-specific. All diffuse-porous species suffered a decline in vessel diameter in dry years, and increase in vessel density in dry years and the year following. However, F. sylvatica was the only species with a significant long-term change in anatomical traits and a significant reduction in potential hydraulic conductivity (Kp) after dry winters and in dry summers, accompanied with the largest long-term decline in tree-ring width and the largest growth reduction in and after years with a more negative CWB. In contrast, the comparison across the precipitation gradient did not reveal any significant vessel-climate relationships. Our results revealed considerable plasticity in the hydraulic system especially of F. sylvatica, but also evidence of the drought-sensitivity of this species in accordance with earlier dendroecological and physiological studies. We conclude that the long-term reconstruction of hydraulic properties can add substantially to the understanding of the acclimation potential of different tree species to climate change.

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