Effect of monthly precipitation on the radial growth of Pseudotsuga menziesii in northern Mexico

Abstract

In the context of global climate change, water availability is an essential factor for geographical distribution and abundance of plant species. Pseudotsuga menziesii has been reported as a highly sensitive species to climatic variation and is regarded as a genetic resource of invaluable importance. The objective of this paper was to evaluate the specific effect of precipitation on radial growth throughout year for this species. From historical climate records and tree ring cores collected in Mexican northern forests, growth was correlated with monthly precipitation by standard statistical techniques. Results showed that P. menziesii was more susceptible to winter precipitation prior to the growing season. Low precipitation in winter makes the survival of these individuals vulnerable. In light of our results, direct implications for management strategies of P. menziesi, are discussed.

ENSO index teleconnection with seasonal precipitation in a temperate ecosystem of northern Mexico

“…3, 4). Several authors have argued that damp winters contribute to tree growth because the rain is usually of low intensity, which favors high infiltration and low evapotranspiration, resulting in a positive soil water balance (Constante- García et al, 2009;Pompa-García et al, 2013a, 2013b. These findings confirm the hypothesis of Chen et al (2010), who proposed that damp winters contribute to tree growth.…”

ENSO index teleconnection with seasonal precipitation in a temperate ecosystem of northern Mexic

“…Lowercase denotes previous year months; uppercase means current year months (regarding the year of tree-ring formation). (Constante-García et al, 2009;Pompa-García et al, 2013a, 2013b. These findings confirm the hypothesis of Chen et al (2010), who proposed that damp winters contribute to tree growth.…”