Tree growth at the limits: the response of multiple conifers to opposing climatic constraints along an elevational gradient in the Alps

作者：Nikolaus Obojes, Serena Buscarini, Armin Meurer, Erich Tasser, Walter Oberhuber, Stefan Mayr, Ulrike Tappeiner · 发表于：Frontiers in Forests and Global Change · 年份：2024 · DOI：10.3389/ffgc.2024.1332941 · 被引用次数：22 · 研究领域：Tree-ring climate responses、Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics、Forest ecology and management

Introduction Climate change affects the vitality of mountain forests through increasing temperatures and decreasing water availability due to changing precipitation patterns, earlier snowmelt, and increasing evaporative demand. Depending on species characteristics, tree growth might therefore increase in cold habitats near the forest line but decrease in water-limited conditions at low elevation. Methods We analyzed the tree-ring widths of five conifers ( Picea abies , Larix decidua , Pinus sylvestris , Pinus nigra , and Pinus cembra ) along an elevational gradient from 1,000 m to 2,320 m above sea level (a.s.l.) in Vinschgau/Val Venosta Valley in Northern Italy, one of the driest regions of the Alps (mean annual precipitation of 682 mm at 1,310 m a.s.l.). Results Our aim was to estimate the species-specific growth response to changing climate conditions along an elevational gradient. At low elevations, we observed a significant response to water availability not only during the actual growing season but also throughout the previous autumn for all species present. At mid-elevation, the correlation coefficients to precipitation and drought indices (SPEI) were highest for Picea abies . At high elevations, the positive correlation of growth with temperature was smaller than expected for Pinus cembra. In contrast, Larix decidua responded positively to temperature and grew faster in recent decades. Discussion Considering that a further increase in temperatures will reduce plant wa...