Response of white birch (Betula platyphylla Sukaczev) to temperature and precipitation in the mountain forest steppe and taiga of northern Mongolia

Gradel, Alexander; Haensch, Christina; Ganbaatar, Batsaikhan; Dovdondemberel, Batdorj; Nadaldorj, Ochirragchaa; Günther, Björn

doi:10.1016/j.dendro.2016.03.005

Cited by 30 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…For seasonal climate records, evaluation values were plotted in cross diagrams. We compared Siberian larch and white birch pointer years from Altansumber (Gradel et al 2017). Finally we created comparative diagrams that show how selected pointer years are associated with cool or warm and humid or dry conditions during prior or current year seasons.…”

Section: Pointer Year Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Event values were detected using the program Weiser 1.0 (García-González and Fonti 2006) with a 5-year window for the indexation (Cropper 1979). Indices obtained were compared against a threshold value of 0.3, which corresponds to a standard deviation of 30% (Gradel et al 2017). A positive or negative event year was identified if a respective index-value exceeded the threshold value of |0.3| and if ≥80% cores of the residual chronology showed this tendency (Schweingruber 2012).…”

Section: Pointer Year Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A positive or negative event year was identified if a respective index-value exceeded the threshold value of |0.3| and if ≥80% cores of the residual chronology showed this tendency (Schweingruber 2012). We limited the maximum number of pointer years for one chronology to the six strongest negative and positive pointer years (Gradel et al 2017).…”

Section: Pointer Year Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conversely, birch is more prone to fire damage because of thinner bark, but is able to regenerate vegetatively after severe large-scale disturbances including fires (Rydberg 2000;Johansson 2008). Our general objectives in this study were: (i) to describe and understand specific responses of Siberian larch to climatic factors observed in the Mongolian mountain forest steppe zone, and (ii) to compare our results with those recently obtained for white birch observed in the same area using the same methodology (Gradel et al 2017). Building on previous studies on larch, pine and birch in the Selenge Aimag of Mongolia (Dulamsuren et al 2011;Haensch 2015;Gradel et al 2015a;Gradel et al 2017), we hypothesize that larch growth depends largely on sufficient levels of rainfall specifically in late summer and autumn of the previous year, and that temperature-growth relationships for the two species will differ during the peak fire season in spring.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To our knowledge, no study has yet compared how Siberian larch and white birch are influenced by climatic factors. Studies on pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) (Haensch 2015) and birch (Gradel et al 2017) from the western Khentey Mountains indicate that there could be differences between larch and birch, especially during spring at the peak of the fire season in Mongolia. Larch and birch vary in their ability to survive and regenerate following fires.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Climate-growth relationships and pointer year analysis of a Siberian larch (Larix sibirica Ledeb.) chronology from the Mongolian mountain forest steppe compared to white birch (Betula platyphylla Sukaczev)

et al. 2017

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Background: Forest area, stand quality and growth of Siberian larch in Mongolia have decreased significantly over recent decades. This forest decline is frequently attributed to factors such as unregulated logging, increased ecological disturbances (primarily fire) and climate change. In this study, we analyzed climate-growth response and pointer years for Siberian larch observed in the Altansumber forest research area in the Mongolian mountain forest steppe zone. We compare our results with previously published results of white birch from the same area. Methods: We built a reference chronology from wood core samples taken from 30 trees in three neighboring larch stands. Climate-growth relationships were analyzed monthly and seasonally over the period 1962-2009 using climate data from the Eroo weather station. Pointer year analysis covered the same time frame. Results: Our analysis of the larch chronology showed that precipitation during autumn of the previous year and directly before the growing season of the current year was the most decisive factor determining tree-ring growth. Regional pointer year analysis further indicated that a humid summer and autumn followed by a warm spring support current-year tree-ring growth in these larch stands. Our findings were comparable to a white birch study in the same area. The larch trees, however, showed stronger growth performance and were more tolerant of higher temperatures, notably in spring during peak fire season.Conclusions: Water availability is the decisive factor for larch growth in the mountain forest steppe zone. The chronologies showed no climatic indication of insect infestations. Differences in climate-growth relationships of birch and larch trees during peak fire season may to some degree be explained by their respective means of protecting themselves against low-intensity surface fires (e.g. thick bark of larch). These fire events occur regularly in the region and are influenced by climatic factors. Our analysis and comparison of climate tree-growth relationships may be valuable for developing climate-and disturbance-resilient forestry practices in Mongolian mountain forest ecosystems.

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Section: Pointer Year Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Pointer Year Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Pointer Year Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Climate-growth relationships and pointer year analysis of a Siberian larch (Larix sibirica Ledeb.) chronology from the Mongolian mountain forest steppe compared to white birch (Betula platyphylla Sukaczev)

et al. 2017

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Global fire history of grassland biomes

Leys

Marlon

Umbanhowar

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Grasslands are globally extensive; they exist in many different climates, at high and low elevations, on nutrient‐rich and nutrient‐poor soils. Grassland distributions today are closely linked to human activities, herbivores, and fire, but many have been converted to urban areas, forests, or agriculture fields. Roughly 80% of fires globally occur in grasslands each year, making fire a critical process in grassland dynamics. Yet, little is known about the long‐term history of fire in grasslands. Here, we analyze sedimentary archives to reconstruct grassland fire histories during the Holocene. Given that grassland locations change over time, we compare several charcoal‐based fire reconstructions based on alternative classification schemes: (a) sites from modern grassland locations; (b) sites that were likely grasslands during the mid‐Holocene; and (c) sites based on author‐derived classifications. We also compare fire histories from grassland sites, forested sites, and all sites globally over the past 12,000 years. Forested versus grassland sites show different trends: grassland burning increased from the early to mid‐Holocene, reaching a maximum about 8000–6000 years ago, and subsequently declined, reaching a minimum around 4000 years ago. In contrast, biomass burning in forests increased during the Holocene until about 2000 years ago. Continental grassland fire history reconstructions show opposing Holocene trends in North versus South America, whereas grassland burning in Australia was highly variable in the early Holocene and much more stable after the mid‐Holocene. The sharp differences in continental as well as forest versus grassland Holocene fire history trajectories have important implications for our understanding of global biomass burning and its emissions, the global carbon cycle, biodiversity, conservation, and land management.

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Early snowmelt by an extreme warming event affects understory more than overstory trees in Japanese temperate forests

et al. 2022

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The occurrence of extreme warm events and early snowmelt is predicted to increase in high‐latitude ecosystems, even during periods of time when there is no coincident reduction in total precipitation. However, because extreme events like these occur unpredictably, little is known about how advancing snowmelt by a single extreme warm event, without a reduction in precipitation amount, influences overstory trees and understory vegetation simultaneously in an ecosystem. We conducted a warming experiment (four 20 × 20 m plots) in temperate forests of Japan to determine the effects of earlier snowmelt on both understory dwarf bamboo plants and overstory birch trees. Our experimental treatment advanced snowmelt by about 10 days and increased soil temperatures that were associated with increased rates of soil nitrogen (N) mineralization and nitrification. Furthermore, these changes led to lower C:N ratios of leaves together with the greater growth of understory bamboo vegetation, with no changes in leaf C:N or growth rates of overstory birch trees. Together, our results demonstrate that advancing snowmelt by an extreme warm event in temperate forests is likely to affect N cycling and will benefit understory vegetation without a commensurate change in overstory vegetation, likely due to the increase in available soil N. These results also demonstrate that with the projected increase in the frequency of extreme warm events and advanced snowmelt, understory vegetation is likely to benefit more than overstory trees in Japanese temperate forests with heavy snow.

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Response of white birch (Betula platyphylla Sukaczev) to temperature and precipitation in the mountain forest steppe and taiga of northern Mongolia

Cited by 30 publications

References 27 publications

Climate-growth relationships and pointer year analysis of a Siberian larch (Larix sibirica Ledeb.) chronology from the Mongolian mountain forest steppe compared to white birch (Betula platyphylla Sukaczev)

Climate-growth relationships and pointer year analysis of a Siberian larch (Larix sibirica Ledeb.) chronology from the Mongolian mountain forest steppe compared to white birch (Betula platyphylla Sukaczev)

Global fire history of grassland biomes

Early snowmelt by an extreme warming event affects understory more than overstory trees in Japanese temperate forests

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