Climate-tree-growth relationships of Scots pine stands (Pinus sylvestris L.) exposed to soil dryness

Oberhuber, Walter; Stumböck, Max; Kofler, Werner

doi:10.1007/pl00009734

Cited by 112 publications

(137 citation statements)

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“…We contribute additional evidence showing that drought plays a role as growth constraint not only in areas with pronounced water deficit but also in specific treelines as has been also observed in boreal (Aakala and Kuuluvainen 2011), mountain (Oberhuber 2001) and temperate forests ). In the aforementioned cases the effect of drought stress on growth was due to low soil moisture availability induced by warm summer temperatures, which indicates that local factors such as soil depth and stoniness or slope steepness may lead to drought stress in cold climate treelines (Villalba et al 1994;Galván et al 2014).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

Complex climate constraints of upper treeline formation in the Pyrenees

Andrés

Camarero

Büntgen

2015

Trees

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Alpine treelines are often induced by a threshold of minimum temperatures above which tree growth is generally not possible anymore. However, this worldwide pattern may not account for more drought-prone mountains, where changes in precipitation can also affect ecosystem functioning and productivity at higher elevations. Here, we aim to determine if tree ring formation in ecotones along the Pyrenees indeed primarily depends on temperature means or also reflects hydroclimatic changes. The mean duration of the growing season at Pyrenean treelines was 177 days lasting from mid May to early November, which corresponds to a mean root-zone temperature of 8.2 ºC.Temperatures during the early and late growing season were most critical for mountain pine growth at highest elevations, and above average spring temperatures also contributed to radial enlargement of tracheids. Sites showing more similar soil temperatures also presented more alike long-term growth trends indicating that local conditions trace regional influences on growth. Nevertheless, more wet conditions in summer enhanced growth at treelines subjected to more Mediterranean influence and therefore having a higher summer water deficit. A broader perspective reveals that soil moisture availability during spring and summer, however, also influenced ring width formation at other treelines located in mid-latitude mountains separating temperate and semi-arid biomes. Our results suggest re-evaluating the idea of purely temperaturelimited treelines, especially in mid-latitude mountains that experience moisture seasonality or where precipitation decreases with increasing elevation.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 67%

Complex climate constraints of upper treeline formation in the Pyrenees

Andrés

Camarero

Büntgen

2015

Trees

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“…A reduced growth rate in response to declining water availability is a universally observed plant response (Kelliher et al, 1980;Osmond et al, 1987;Oberhuber et al, 1998;Sarris et al, 2007). In most GDEs rainfall and groundwater provide important supplies of water, and the ratio of rainfallto-groundwater uptake varies spatially and temporally.…”

Section: Effects Of Groundwater On Growth and Dendrochronological Traitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Quantification of growth rates from tree rings can be used to reconstruct fluctuations in the supply water from precip-4242 D. Eamus et al: Groundwater-dependent ecosystems: recent insights from satellite and field-based studies itation and groundwater (Oberhuber et al, 1998;Bogino and Jobbagy, 2011;Perez-Valdivia and Sauchyn, 2011;Xiao et al, 2014). In mountainous regions where the regional water supply is derived from snowmelt, tree growth and groundwater depth are correlated with precipitation during the year prior to growth because much of the snow received in the winter melts in the year after it fell (Oberhuber et al, 1998;Perez-Valdivia and Sauchyn, 2011). Likewise, tree ring growth and groundwater fluctuations are correlated to the dominant climate driver in an area (e.g.…”

Section: Effects Of Groundwater On Growth and Dendrochronological Traitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The timing of groundwater dependence can influence the presence of a climate signal in tree rings: climate signals can be weaker during formation of late wood, when growth rates are small (Oberhuber et al, 1998), or during the dry season, when precipitation rates are negligible and growth is supported by groundwater (Drake and Franks, 2003). Thus, analysis of tree ring chronologies can provide an insight into the importance of access to groundwater for plant growth.…”

Section: Effects Of Groundwater On Growth and Dendrochronological Traitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Groundwater-dependent ecosystems: recent insights from satellite and field-based studies

Eamus

Zolfaghar

Villalobos‐Vega

et al. 2015

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

127

112

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Abstract. Groundwater-dependent ecosystems (GDEs) are at risk globally due to unsustainable levels of groundwater extraction, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. In this review, we examine recent developments in the ecohydrology of GDEs with a focus on three knowledge gaps: (1) how do we locate GDEs, (2) how much water is transpired from shallow aquifers by GDEs and (3) what are the responses of GDEs to excessive groundwater extraction? The answers to these questions will determine water allocations that are required to sustain functioning of GDEs and to guide regulations on groundwater extraction to avoid negative impacts on GDEs.We discuss three methods for identifying GDEs: (1) techniques relying on remotely sensed information; (2) fluctuations in depth-to-groundwater that are associated with diurnal variations in transpiration; and (3) stable isotope analysis of water sources in the transpiration stream.We then discuss several methods for estimating rates of GW use, including direct measurement using sapflux or eddy covariance technologies, estimation of a climate wetness index within a Budyko framework, spatial distribution of evapotranspiration (ET) using remote sensing, groundwater modelling and stable isotopes. Remote sensing methods often rely on direct measurements to calibrate the relationship between vegetation indices and ET. ET from GDEs is also determined using hydrologic models of varying complexity, from the White method to fully coupled, variable saturation models. Combinations of methods are typically employed to obtain clearer insight into the components of groundwater discharge in GDEs, such as the proportional importance of transpiration versus evaporation (e.g. using stable isotopes) or from groundwater versus rainwater sources.Groundwater extraction can have severe consequences for the structure and function of GDEs. In the most extreme cases, phreatophytes experience crown dieback and death following groundwater drawdown. We provide a brief review of two case studies of the impacts of GW extraction and then provide an ecosystem-scale, multiple trait, integrated metric of the impact of differences in groundwater depth on the structure and function of eucalypt forests growing along a natural gradient in depth-to-groundwater. We conclude with a discussion of a depth-to-groundwater threshold in this mesic GDE. Beyond this threshold, significant changes occur in ecosystem structure and function.

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“…The related effects of atmospheric circulation patterns, climatic conditions 37 and drought stress on tree growth at several spatial scales are rarely considered in 38 the same research framework (e.g., Oberhuber et al 1998;Lebourgeois 2000; stress as drivers of growth changes along aridity gradients (e.g., Oberhuber et al 46 1998). Furthermore, drought effects on growth may be time-dependent.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%