Drought response of five conifer species under contrasting water availability suggests high vulnerability of Norway spruce and European larch

Abstract

The ability of tree species to cope with anticipated decrease in water availability is still poorly understood. We evaluated the potential of Norway spruce, Scots pine, European larch, black pine, and Douglas-fir to withstand drought in a drier future climate by analyzing their past growth and physiological responses at a xeric and a mesic site in Central Europe using dendroecological methods. Earlywood, latewood, and total ring width, as well as the δ(13) C and δ(18) O in early- and latewood were measured and statistically related to a multiscalar soil water deficit index from 1961 to 2009. At the xeric site, δ(13) C values of all species were strongly linked to water deficits that lasted longer than 11 months, indicating a long-term cumulative effect on the carbon pool. Trees at the xeric site were particularly sensitive to soil water recharge in the preceding autumn and early spring. The native species European larch and Norway spruce, growing close to their dry distribution limit at the xeric site, were found to be the most vulnerable species to soil water deficits. At the mesic site, summer water availability was critical for all species, whereas water availability prior to the growing season was less important. Trees at the mesic were more vulnerable to water deficits of shorter duration than the xeric site. We conclude that if summers become drier, trees growing on mesic sites will undergo significant growth reductions, whereas at their dry distribution limit in the Alps, tree growth of the highly sensitive spruce and larch may collapse, likely inducing dieback and compromising the provision of ecosystem services. However, the magnitude of these changes will be mediated strongly by soil water recharge in winter and thus water availability at the beginning of the growing season.

Age-Effect Radial Growth Responses of Picea schrenkiana to Climate Change in the Eastern Tianshan Mountains, Northwest China

“…The total precipitation in non-growing seasons (from the previous November to the current March) was 40.98 ± 2.20 mm/a, only accounting for 21.89% of total annual precipitation in the study area (Figure 2). However, water could still be available in the early growing seasons with snow and thus provide snow melt water for tree growth in the arid region, relieving the water shortage in spring [65]. Temperatures in growing seasons were also important to tree radial growth, primarily reflecting the negatively correlated relationship between tree-ring width chronologies from three age-classes of trees and mean temperature in the previous August (Figure 4).…”

Potenziale und Risiken eingeführter Baumarten

“…Hierauf begründen sich nicht zuletzt die hohen Erwartungen an die Douglasie vor dem Hintergrund der projizierten Klimaänderungen für Deutschland. Die Resistenz gegenüber zeitweiser Trockenheit wird physiologisch auf einen im Vergleich zu anderen Koniferen effektiveren Kontrollmechanismus der Stomata zurückgeführt (Lassoie und Salo 1981, Grieu et al 1988, Lévesque et al 2013. Die Unterschiede zwischen den Klimaverhältnissen im natürlichen Verbreitungsgebiet und beispielhaft in bewährten Anbaugebieten in Nordwestdeutschland lassen sich durch die klimatischen Kenngrößen "Vegetationszeitniederschlag" und "Jahrestemperaturschwankung" verdeutlichen (Abb.…”

“…Sommertrockenheit verträgt sie besser als die heimischen Nadelhölzer (Lévesque et al 2013(Lévesque et al , 2014. In Mittelgebirgslagen kann es zu Schnee-und Eisbruchschäden in den Kronen kommen (Schober et al 1983), die die Douglasie in der Regel ohne Stammfäule wieder auswächst.…”

Comparative studies of the response of larch and birch seedlings from two origins to water deficit

“…There is limited opportunity for tree species to adapt to changing climatic conditions due to the combination of rapid climate change and the long life-span of trees . Climate-induced forest mortality seems to be an emerging global phenomenon, and investigation into the physiological mechanisms through which dry and hot climatic conditions drive tree death and forest die-off represent a rapidly growing research area (Allen et al 2010;Levesque et al 2013;Anenkhonov et al 2015). Understanding the impact of future climate change on forest species is important for forest managers to generate adaptation and mitigation strategies.…”