1. Age-dependent moisture response of conifers near their cold range limitJan Tumajer, Grudd Håkan, Jernej Jevšenak, Andreas J. Kirchhefer, Francesco Marotta, Jiří Mašek, Kiara Maria Nowatzki, Nikolaus Obojes, Markus Stoffel, Václav Treml, Jelena Lange, 2025, original scientific article Abstract: Growth dynamics of cold subarctic and subalpine forests are primarily sensitive to temperature, but growth responses may vary across regions or shift over tree ontogeny. Systematic assessments of spatial, interspecific, and demographic variation in temperature and moisture limitation of tree growth at cold distribution margins are essential for enhancing our understanding of how these ecosystems will evolve under climate regimes. To address this gap, we built a network of 22 tree-ring width chronologies from cold forests covering two regions (Fennoscandia, European Alps), three species (Pinus sylvestris, Pinus cembra, Larix decidua), and two age cohorts (45–100 and >150 years). We combined daily climate-growth correlations with the process-based Vaganov-Shashkin growth model to identify differences in critical growth factors between species and age cohorts. In addition, we assessed the coincidence of unusually wide and narrow tree rings with years of specific climatic anomalies. Although growing season temperature was the dominant growth-limiting factor, seasonal effects of water balance on tree growth were considerably large and varied systematically between regions, species, and particularly age cohorts. The growth of young P. sylvestris in Fennoscandia responded negatively to water balance and narrow rings coincided with wet years. In contrast, the growth of young P. cembra in the Alps was drought-limited. Old trees of all species and both age cohorts of L. decidua in the Alps showed limited sensitivity to water balance. The patterns of climate-growth responses in cohort chronologies based on tree age at the year of coring were similar to ontogenetic shifts of climate-growth responses if chronologies were based on the cambial age of individual rings. Our results stress the need to account for interspecific and demographic differences in sensitivity to climate in large-scale studies of cold forest ecosystems.
Keywords: boreal forest, Larix, subalpine forest, pinus, tree ring, Vaganov-Shashkin model
Published in DiRROS: 04.06.2025; Views: 684; Downloads: 349
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2. Growth-limiting factors and climate response variability in Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) along an elevation and precipitation gradients in SloveniaJernej Jevšenak, Ivan Tychkov, Jožica Gričar, Tom Levanič, Jan Tumajer, Peter Prislan, Domen Arnič, Margarita Popkova, Vladimir V. Shishov, 2020, original scientific article Abstract: Norway spruce (Picea abies L.) is among the most sensitive coniferous species to ongoing climate change. However, previous studies on its growth response to increasing temperatures have yielded contrasting results (from stimulation to suppression), suggesting highly site-specific responses. Here, we present the first study that applies two independent approaches, i.e. the nonlinear, process-based Vaganov-Shashkin (VS) model and linear daily response functions. Data were collected at twelve sites in Slovenia differing in climate regimes and ranging elevation between 170 and 1300 m a.s.l. VS model results revealed that drier Norway spruce sites at lower elevations are mostly moisture limited, while moist high-elevation sites are generally more temperature limited. Daily response functions match well the pattern of growth-limiting factors from the VS model and further explain the effect of climate on radial growth: prevailing growth-limiting factors correspond to the climate variable with higher correlations. Radial growth correlates negatively with rising summer temperature and positively with higher spring precipitation. The opposite response was observed for the wettest site at the highest elevation, which positively reacts to increased summer temperature and will most likely benefit from a warming climate. For all other sites, the future radial growth of Norway spruce largely depends on the balance between spring precipitation and summer temperature.
Keywords: Vaganov-Shashkin model, climate-growth correlations, tree rings, process-based modelling, dendroTools, dendroclimatology
Published in DiRROS: 21.10.2020; Views: 2266; Downloads: 1825
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