Consistent limitation of growth by high temperature and low precipitation from range core to southern edge of European beech indicates widespread vulnerability to changing climate

Abstract

The aim of our study was to determine variation in the response of radial growth in Fagus sylvatica L (European Beech) to climate across the species full geographical distribution and climatic tolerance. We combined new and existing data to build a database of 140 tree-ring chronologies to investigate patterns in growth-climate relationships. Our novel meta-analysis approach has allowed the first investigation of the effect of climate on tree growth across the entire geographical distribution of the species. We identified key climate signals in tree-ring chronologies and then investigated how these varied geographically and according to mean local climate, and by tree age and size. We found that the most important climate variables significantly correlated with growth did not show strong geographical patterns. Growth of trees in the core and at the southern edge of the distribution was reduced by high temperature and low precipitation during the growing season, and by high temperatures in the previous summer. However, growth of trees growing in warmer and drier locations was more frequently significantly correlated with summer precipitation than other populations. Additionally, the growth of older and larger trees was more frequently significantly correlated with previous summer temperature than younger and smaller trees. Trees growing at the south of the species geographical distributions are often considered most at risk from climate change, but our results indicate that radial growth of populations in other areas of the distribution is equally likely to be significantly correlated with summer climate and may also be vulnerable. Additionally, tree-rings from older trees contain particular growth-climate relationships that are rarely found in younger trees. These results have important implications for predicting forest carbon balance, resource use and likely future changes to forest composition across the continent.

Functional Response Trait Analysis Improves Climate Sensitivity Estimation in Beech Forests at a Trailing Edge

“…The above-mentioned findings were similar in the Mediterranean and related regions [26]. During the growing season beech tree growth is consistently limited by high temperature and low precipitation at the southern edge of their European distribution [25,27]. Nevertheless, site-specific adaptation of the species can compensate for the unfavorable ecological or functional effects of decreasing precipitation [63], as it was also detected in the current investigation.…”

Drought Stress Distribution Responses of Continental Beech Forests at their Xeric Edge in Central Europe

“…When examining temporal variation of precipitation in a changing climate, it can be more important than temperature in driving the presence and ecological functions of plants [8]. As a result, plant functional parameters are affected by water balance, nutrient uptake, and competitive ability [1, 6,9,10]. At the edge of a species' distribution, a reduction in total precipitation can be the question of life or death and marks the xeric limit of occurrence [11].…”

“…The distribution of temperate forests is limited by climate (e.g., temperature and precipitation), topography (e.g., altitude), and site-dependent ecological constraints (e.g., soil, microclimate) [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. When examining temporal variation of precipitation in a changing climate, it can be more important than temperature in driving the presence and ecological functions of plants [8].…”

“…Beech forests, and in particular, European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) are among the most frequently studied objects of ecological investigations at several scales, as they can teach us a lot about ecological responses [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]10,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. These forests play a significant role in European forested landscapes, having a high level of spatial variation from west to east as well as a high level of heterogeneity under diverse climatic and local environmental conditions [2,5,13,[15][16][17]22,23].…”

Major Changes in Growth Rate and Growth Variability of Beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) Related to Soil Alteration and Climate Change in Belgium

“…Forests in the South of the natural distribution are often considered most at risk. However, other areas may also be just as vulnerable [69]. Forest policy and management planning should now start to take this into consideration.…”