Earlywood and Latewood Widths of Picea chihuahuana Show Contrasting Sensitivity to Seasonal Climate

Abstract

Abstract:The existence of endangered tree species in Mexico necessitates an understanding of their vulnerability to the predicted climate changes (warming and drying trends). In this study, the sensitivity to climate of earlywood (EW) and latewood (LW) widths of the threatened Picea chihuahuana was determined. The response of EW and LW to climate variables (maximum temperature, minimum temperature, precipitation, evaporation, and a drought index) was analyzed by means of correlation analysis using dendrochronology over the period of 1950-2015. EW and LW production were enhanced by cool and wet conditions during winter prior to the start of growing season. During the growing season, EW and LW production increased in response to cool spring and summer conditions, respectively; temperatures and year-round evaporation, excluding summer and the previous drought in the period prior to the growing season. EW was sensitive to seasonal drought, which is a concern considering the predicted aridification trends for the study area. These results provide further knowledge on the dendroecological potential of Picea chihuahuana.

New frontiers in tree-ring research

“…By extracting information at the intra-annual scale, we have exponentially expanded the range of studies that can be accomplished using tree rings, including the expansion of tree ring’s temporal resolution to season or even month (Cabral-Alemán et al, 2017), a better understanding of tree-physiology (Bouriaud et al, 2005), and the discovery of stronger proxies for environmental parameters (Babst et al, 2016; Dannenberg and Wise, 2016; Griffin et al, 2013). For example, tropical trees, previously a quandary for dendrochronological research (see the ‘Low latitudes’ section), are now analyzed via anatomy (Venegas-González et al, 2015) for climate-specific signatures and the effects of climate change (Adams et al, 2017; Castagneri et al, 2015; Ziaco et al, 2016).…”

Inter and intra-annual links between climate, tree growth and NDVI: improving the resolution of drought proxies in conifer forests

“…To complement the understanding of the dynamics of radial growth in response to drought, a better temporal resolution of tree-ring proxies is required (Timofeeva et al 2017 ). In conifers, the measurement of earlywood and latewood widths is often used to study seasonal growth responses to climate and drought (e.g., Griffin et al 2011 , 2013 ; Cabral-Alemán et al 2017 ; Camarero et al 2020 ).…”

Tree-Ring Width Data of Tsuga longibracteata Reveal Growing Season Temperature Signals in the North-Central Pearl River Basin since 1824 AD

“…For example, Dong et al [16] found that high winter temperatures in the previous year had an important impact on the tree growth of Chinese cedar (Cryptomeria fortune) in Fujian province of humid subtropical China. The dendroecological study of Chihuahua spruce (Picea chihuahuana) in northern Mexico also showed that cool and wet conditions in the previous winter could favor the earlywood and latewood growth of the current year [17]. In addition, the current August to October temperature also had positive impacts on the tree growth of T. longibracteata at the MRS site (p < 0.05, Figure 5a), reflecting the positive effect of temperature on photosynthesis, wood formation duration, and tree growth [51].…”