scholarly journals Climate Signals for Growth Variations of F. sylvatica, P. abies, and P. sylvestris in Southeast Germany over the Past 50 Years

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1433
Author(s):  
Annette Debel ◽  
Wolfgang Jens-Henrik Meier ◽  
Achim Bräuning
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
European Beech ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Response Analysis ◽  
Climate Variables ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Superposed Epoch Analysis ◽  
The Past

Since recent drought events have already caused severe damage to trees and droughts in the near future are expected to occur even more frequently, this study investigated the response of forest ecosystems to changing climate conditions in the topographically complex region of Bavaria, southeast Germany. For this purpose, climate–growth relationships of important European deciduous and coniferous tree species were investigated over the past 50 years at three middle mountain ranges and corresponding basins. A response analysis between tree-ring width and climate variables was applied to detect modifications in tree responses comparing two 25-year periods at individual forest sites. Furthermore, tree responses to climatic extreme years and seasons were analyzed using a superposed epoch analysis. The results showed that Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) proved to be the most vulnerable and least drought-resistant of all investigated tree species. Likewise, Norway spruce (Picea abies) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica) revealed a higher drought sensitivity over the past 25 years, even though an extended growing season partially improved tree growth at high-elevation sites. In conclusion, all studied tree species were affected by drought events, even at humid high-elevation sites. Correlations with daily climate variables confirmed that even short-term weather conditions could strongly influence trees’ radial growth. Tree responses to climate conditions have shifted significantly between past and present periods but vary considerably among sites and are generally stronger in humid regions than in already dry areas.

Current state and resilience of three main tree species in southern Germany with regard to drier and hotter weather conditions over the past 50 years

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annette Debel ◽  
Achim Bräuning
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Summer Precipitation ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Deciduous Tree ◽  
Response Analysis ◽  
Climate Modelling ◽  
Forest Site ◽  
Southern Germany ◽  
The Past ◽  
Current State

<p>Latest drought events and their already visible damage to trees highlight the crucial need to assess the current state and resilience of forest ecosystems in southern Germany. However, commonly applied dendroclimatic approaches rarely take into account, how weather patterns affecting trees are modified by topographic conditions. For this purpose, three main tree species were studied at three low mountain ranges and three corresponding basins in the topographically complex province of Bavaria (southeast Germany). A response analysis between climate proxies and tree-ring widths was used to investigate climate-growth relationships over the past 50 years of both coniferous and deciduous tree species at each forest site. Temporal stability of tree responses to climate was compared for two 25-year periods to detect possible modifications in climate-growth correlations. A pointer year analysis was also conducted to analyze tree response to climatic extreme events. The results showed that Scots pine (<em>Pinus sylvestris</em>) was the most vulnerable and least drought-resistant of the investigated tree species. Although Norway spruce (<em>Picea abies</em>) and European beech (<em>Fagus sylvatica</em>) benefited from an extended growing season at high elevation sites, they showed higher drought sensitivity over the past 25 years. Beech responses were rather inhomogeneous and even differed in the optimal precipitation period. However, lower correlation coefficients for summer precipitation at the driest site may indicate the ability of beech to adapt to less summer precipitation. Nevertheless, increasing drought frequency, as predicted, poses a serious threat to all studied tree species, including even the colder and more humid sites. Hence, to more accurately estimate risk potentials under future weather conditions, we will combine dendroclimatological results with climate modelling scenarios, particularly expected future frequencies of critical weather types on the local scale.</p>

scholarly journals A Leaf Selfie: Using a Smartphone to Quantify Leaf Vulnerability to Hydraulic Dysfunction

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francesco Petruzzellis ◽  
Martina Tomasella ◽  
Andrea Miotto ◽  
Sara Natale ◽  
Patrizia Trifilò ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drought Tolerance ◽  
Species Distribution ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Climate Variables ◽  
Xylem Embolism ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Simple Set ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Ostrya Carpinifolia

Accurate predictions of species distribution under current and future climate conditions require modeling efforts based on clear mechanistic relationships between climate variables and plant physiological functions. Vulnerability of leaves to xylem embolism is a key mechanistic trait that might be included in these modeling efforts. Here, we propose a simple set-up to measure leaf vulnerability to embolism on the basis of the optical method using a smartphone, a light source, and a notebook. Our data show that this proposed set-up can adequately quantify the vulnerability to xylem embolism of leaf major veins in Populus nigra and Ostrya carpinifolia, producing values consistent with those obtained in temperate tree species with other methods, allowing virtually any laboratory to quantify species-specific drought tolerance on the basis of a sound mechanistic trait.

Assessing the relation of tree ring width with climate variables in South Korea through multi-gridded dataset

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasrin Salehnia ◽  
Jinho Ahn
Keyword(s):  
Tree Ring ◽  
Potential Evapotranspiration ◽  
Regression Line ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
Climatic Research Unit ◽  
P Value ◽  
Climate Variables ◽  
Tree Ring Width ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
The Past

<p>The Tree Ring Width (TRW) records are one of the main paleoclimate proxies that estimate the past climate variability. TRW measurements pave the way for scientists to produce sequences from various kinds of trees and reconstruct climate variables over the past years. Understanding the relation between TRW and climate variables in the past would help us analyze climate change events. This study has applied multi-gridded datasets to find the relations and model TRW data with different climate variables in South Korea's northeast. We utilized TRW data related to our case study that is available on the NOAA website; furthermore, we have checked three primary gauges, namely Agmerra (The Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications), CRU TS4.03 (Climatic Research Unit Time-Series version 4.03), and APHRODITE's (Asian Precipitation-Highly-Resolved Observational Data Integration Towards Evaluation) for climate variables. In the first step, we have checked the relation between the gauges' precipitation data and observation TRW. According to the obtained efficiency criteria, CRU performed the best consequences. In the second step, we have tried to model observation TRW as a dependent variable and four climate variables of CRU (precipitation, minimum temperature, potential evapotranspiration, and diurnal temperature range) as independent ones over 1969-1998. We have created a linear regression model and determined the accurate coefficients for each climate variable. Besides, we have examined the observation TRW and modeled TRW data. The results showed that with <em>R<sup>2 </sup></em><sup> </sup>≈ 0.40 and a <em>p-value</em> of 0.0323, the regression line was linearly significant at the 95 percent significance level. It represents that our model is acceptable. We will extend our model with Artificial Intelligence methods and try to apply other TRW stations in the future step. In this way, we may produce highly accurate models and fill the gaps for future researches.</p>

High frequency stable isotope signals as proxy for physiological responses to climate - Dual isotope approach at a European scale

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Vitali ◽  
Rosemarie Weigt ◽  
Stefan Klesse ◽  
Kerstin Treydte ◽  
Rolf Siegwolf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Stomatal Conductance ◽  
Stable Isotope ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Leaf Gas Exchange ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Dual Isotope

<p>Picea abies and Fagus sylvatica, are two of the most important tree species in Europe, and their responses to climate are being extensively investigated, especially at the limits of their distribution. However, their physiology at temperate sites is not yet fully understood. In a European tree-ring network, 10 sites along a climate gradient were sampled throughout Central Europe, and tree-ring width and stable isotope chronologies (C and O) were measured. The year-to-year variability of the isotopes time series for the last 100 years was analyzed in relation to tree-ring growth, spatial distribution, and seasonal climate.</p><p>Climate sensitivity of radial growth of both species was rather variable and site-dependent, and was strongest at the driest sites. On the contrary, variability in the isotopic ratios consistently responded to summer climate, particularly to vapor pressure deficit. The high δ<sup>18</sup>O coherence of the short-term variability between sites and species highlights the strength of the environmental signal in the O chronology also across long distances. On the contrary, δ<sup>13</sup>C shows lower correlations between sites and species, showing a stronger site-dependency, and a lower intra-annual variability. The generally positive correlation between the year-to-year differences in δ<sup>13</sup>C and δ<sup>18</sup>O across most sites demonstrates the strong role of stomatal conductance in controlling leaf gas exchange for these species. However, in the last decades, sites showed a dissimilar shift in the isotopes relationships, with the warmer sites showing an increase of either or both δ<sup>13</sup>C and δ<sup>18</sup>O and consequent decrease of photosynthetic rates and stomatal conductance, highlighting their dependency to atmospheric moisture demand and soil water availability.</p><p>Understanding the underlying physiological mechanisms controlling the short-term variation in tree-ring records will help with defining the performance of these ecologically and economically important tree species under future climate conditions.</p>

scholarly journals Pine Looper Bupalus piniaria (L.) Outbreaks Reconstruction: A Case Study for Southern Siberia

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 90
Author(s):  
Denis A. Demidko ◽  
Olga V. Trefilova ◽  
Sergey S. Kulakov ◽  
Pavel V. Mikhaylov
Keyword(s):  
Tree Ring ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
Climate Impact ◽  
New Method ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Northern Eurasia ◽  
Forest Steppe ◽  
The Past

The pine looper Bupalus piniaria is one of the most widespread phyllophagous insect species across Northern Eurasia, defoliating Scots pine forests over vast territories. Since there are not enough long-term documented observations on a series of outbreaks, there is a need for methods allowing them to be reconstructed to study their dynamics patterns. Previously, dendrochronological methods were successfully used to solve such issues. However, the most common approach is not applicable for the Western Siberian forest-steppe since it requires comparison with a non-damaged tree species close to pine in terms of longevity and resistance to rot. In the pine forests of the steppe and forest-steppe zones of Western Siberia, there are no species that are not damaged by the pine looper that meets these requirements. Methods allowing not using control species are also not free from disadvantages (e.g., weak specificity). Therefore, we have developed a new method based on the analysis, not of the tree-ring width but the early- and latewood width to reconstruct past defoliation events. The past defoliation by the pine looper is indicated by the presence of a negative pointer year for latewood, followed by a negative pointer year for earlywood in a subsequent year among the majority of individuals. Linear modeling showed a difference between the climate impact on radial growth and the defoliation one. The obtained reconstruction was compared with the results of other methods (mowing window, OUTBREAK, independent component analysis), literature, and Forest Service data. The developed new method (pointer year method; PYM) showed high efficiency confirmed by results of the tree-ring series analysis (11 revealed outbreaks in the past). Compared with other reconstruction techniques under the given conditions (a favorable combination of heat and humidity; probably low-intense and short defoliation), the proposed method provided more precise results than those proposed earlier. Due to high accuracy, the PYM can be useful for detecting late-summer and autumn past defoliations of tree species with clear difference between early- and latewood even though the damage was weak.

scholarly journals The GenTree Dendroecological Collection, tree-ring and wood density data from seven tree species across Europe

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabet Martínez-Sancho ◽  
Lenka Slámová ◽  
Sandro Morganti ◽  
Claudio Grefen ◽  
Barbara Carvalho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Ring ◽  
Wood Density ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Model Development ◽  
Ring Width ◽  
European Beech ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Individual Tree ◽  
Horizon 2020 ◽  
Width Measurements

AbstractThe dataset presented here was collected by the GenTree project (EU-Horizon 2020), which aims to improve the use of forest genetic resources across Europe by better understanding how trees adapt to their local environment. This dataset of individual tree-core characteristics including ring-width series and whole-core wood density was collected for seven ecologically and economically important European tree species: silver birch (Betula pendula), European beech (Fagus sylvatica), Norway spruce (Picea abies), European black poplar (Populus nigra), maritime pine (Pinus pinaster), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), and sessile oak (Quercus petraea). Tree-ring width measurements were obtained from 3600 trees in 142 populations and whole-core wood density was measured for 3098 trees in 125 populations. This dataset covers most of the geographical and climatic range occupied by the selected species. The potential use of it will be highly valuable for assessing ecological and evolutionary responses to environmental conditions as well as for model development and parameterization, to predict adaptability under climate change scenarios.

Plastic growth response of european beech provenances to dry site conditions

IAWA Journal ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 475-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Srdjan Stojnic ◽  
Ute Sass-Klaassen ◽  
Sasa Orlovic ◽  
Bratislav Matovic ◽  
Britta Eilmann
Keyword(s):  
Ring Width ◽  
European Beech ◽  
Temperate Climate ◽  
Radial Increment ◽  
Site Conditions ◽  
Provenance Trial ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Provenance Trials ◽  
Fagus Sylvatica L ◽  
Place Of Origin

Due to projected global warming, there is a great concern about the ability of European beech to adapt to future climate conditions. Provenance trials provide an excellent basis to assess the potential of various provenances to adjust to given climate conditions. In this study we compared the performance of four European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) provenances growing in a provenance trial at the Fruška Gora Mountain, Serbia. Three of the investigated provenances (Höllerbach and Hasbruch from Germany and Vrani Kamen from Croatia) originate from moist sites, with annual precipitation sums being twice as high as at the provenance trial in Serbia. The performance of these provenances are compared to the growth of the local provenance Fruška Gora which is well adapted to dry site conditions. We analysed tree-ring width, mean vessel area, vessel density and water-conductive area for the period from 2006 to 2012. In spite of differences in climate conditions at their place of origin all beech provenances showed a similar pattern in radial increment. Also the wood- anatomical variables showed similar inter-annual patterns for all provenances and no significant differences between the provenances. This indicates that beech provenances from moist environments can adjust to the relatively dry temperate climate in Serbia.

scholarly journals Above-ground net primary productivity in young stands of beech and spruce

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jozef Pajtík ◽  
Bohdan Konôpka ◽  
Róbert Marušák
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Net Primary Productivity ◽  
Standing Stock ◽  
European Beech ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Tree Species Composition ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Resistant Species

AbstractOne of the expected consequences of climate change and its inherent phenomena to forest ecosystems is the gradual modification of their tree species composition (i.e. expansion of resistant species instead of less resistant ones). Climate change accompanied with increasing temperatures and a lack of precipitations may present a threat especially to spruce stands in the European part of the temperate zone. European beech is one of the possible forest tree species which might replace the potentially endangered spruce. In this paper, we observed, by using a combination of continual measurements and destructive whole-tree sampling, standing stocks of above-ground biomass (i.e. stem, branches, and foliage) and its annual net primary productivity (NPP) in naturally regenerated young stands of beech and spruce. We intentionally selected a site where the changing climate conditions are better suited to the ecological demands of beech rather than spruce (the species is dominant in the observed area). We recorded only small differences in the standing stock of stems of the beech, if based on tons per ha. However, this is in favor of spruce if based on cubic meters per ha. The largest difference between the species was found for the standing stock of foliage, spruce retained three times the biomass of beech. Also, beech allocated more carbohydrates to stem than spruce. On the other hand, we estimated nearly the same production of foliages and branches in both stands.

scholarly journals Interpreting common garden studies to understand cueing mechanisms of spring leafing phenology in temperate and boreal tree species

Silva Fennica ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 54 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl Salk
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Common Garden ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Long Distance ◽  
Climate Change Responses ◽  
Critical Photoperiod ◽  
Leafing Phenology

Trees are particularly susceptible to climate change due to their long lives and slow dispersal. However, trees can adjust the timing of their growing season in response to weather conditions without evolutionary change or long-distance migration. This makes understanding phenological cueing mechanisms a critical task to forecast climate change impacts on forests. Because of slow data accumulation, unconventional and repurposed information is valuable in the study of phenology. Here, I develop and use a framework to interpret what phenological patterns among provenances of a species in a common garden reveal about their leafing cues, and potential climate change responses. Species whose high elevation/latitude provenances leaf first likely have little chilling requirement, or for latitude gradients only, a critical photoperiod cue met relatively early in the season. Species with low latitude/elevation origins leafing first have stronger controls against premature leafing; I argue that these species are likely less phenologically flexible in responding to climate change. Among published studies, the low to high order is predominant among frost-sensitive ring-porous species. Narrow-xylemed species show nearly all possible patterns, sometimes with strong contrasts even within genera for both conifers and angiosperms. Some also show complex patterns, indicating multiple mechanisms at work, and a few are largely undifferentiated across broad latitude gradients, suggesting phenotypic plasticity to a warmer climate. These results provide valuable evidence on which temperate and boreal tree species are most likely to adjust in place to climate change, and provide a framework for interpreting historic or newly-planted common garden studies of phenology.

scholarly journals Correlation between climate data and land altitude for Fasciola hepatica infection in cattle in Santa Catarina, Brazil

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Elisa Pereira Silva ◽  
Corina da Costa Freitas ◽  
Luciano Vieira Dutra ◽  
Marcelo Beltrão Molento
Keyword(s):  
Fasciola Hepatica ◽  
Clinical Importance ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Santa Catarina ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
The Past ◽  
Food Borne ◽  
Significant Difference

Abstract Fascioliasis is a food-borne parasitic disease that affects a range of animals, including humans caused by Fasciola hepatica. The present study aimed to determine the spatial distribution of bovine fasciolosis and to assess the correlation between the high Positivity Index (PI) and climate data and land altitude, from 2004 to 2008 and 2010 in Santa Catarina (SC), Brazil. Condemned livers of slaughtered animals were obtained from 198 out of 293 municipalities and from 518.635 animals, exclusively from SC. There was a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001) between the prevalence of F. hepatica and land altitude ( ρ ^ s = -0.43). The highest PI (above 10.1%) was observed in cities at 500 to 600 m (P < 0.01; ρ ^ s = -0.47) of altitude. There was no correlation between fascioliasis and rainfall in SC. It was determined that weather conditions in the past decade did not impose any limitation to the occurrence of the parasite, making it a disease of permanent clinical importance. These findings are essential to regions with similar geographical and climate conditions (i.e. altitude), when considering long-term control measurements, where animals and humans can be infected.

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