The decline of Algerian Cedrus atlantica forests is driven by a climate shift towards drier conditions

Navarro-Cerrillo, Rafael M.; Sarmoum, Mohamed; Gazol, Antonio; Abdoun, Fatiha; Camarero, J. Julio

doi:10.1016/j.dendro.2019.04.003

Cited by 19 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Selon Allen et al (2010) et Navarro-Cerrillo et al (2019, les dernières vagues de dépérissement sont principalement dues aux stress hydrique et thermique enregistrés depuis les années 1970. Cette conjugaison d'événements de déficit hydrique et leur occurrence rapprochée a été fatale aux formations sylvatiques fragiles et vulnérables de ces massifs.…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

“…En revanche, les conditions humides, engendrées par les précipitations et l'humidité relative (Aussenac et al, 1981), permettent une meilleure expression des facteurs écologiques locaux et par conséquent un indice de croissance différemment enregistré. Les mêmes événements extrêmes sont signalés dans des études antérieures des cédraies d'Algérie et du Maroc (Kherchouche et al, 2013 ;Slimani, 2014 ;Aoubouazza, 2017 ;Navarro-Cerrillo et al, 2019 ;Sarmoum et al, 2019 ;Moukrim et al, 2020).…”

Section: Discussionunclassified

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Événements climatiques extrêmes et croissance radiale de Cedrus atlantica (Manetti) dans les massifs du Belezma et du Chélia (Algérie)

Tafer¹,

Slimani

Kherchouche

et al. 2022

Bois for. trop.

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Pour mieux comprendre l'impact des facteurs climatiques et l'influence de la diversité des habitats sur le dépérissement des cédraies des Aurès, une approche dendrochronologique basée sur la relation cerne-climat a été adoptée et appliquée à six stations, réparties sur deux cédraies méridionales, du Belezma et du Chélia (Atlas saharien), distantes de 60 km et impactées par différentes perturbations climatiques. Pour les deux sites étudiés, un sondage de 120 arbres a été réalisé, permettant d’extraire au total 240 carottes. Une chronologie maîtresse a été établie pour chaque station et une série moyenne de données a été élaborée pour chaque site. Les chronologies obtenues ont été standardisées afin d’atténuer les effets et les tendances non liées à la variation climatique. Puis, les chronologies résiduelles ont été utilisées pour appréhender la relation cerne-climat. Les résultats obtenus montrent une hétérogénéité de la réponse du cèdre de l’Atlas au sein des deux massifs. La durée et l'intensité des épisodes secs se sont différemment exprimées en fonction des deux sites d’étude, avec un nombre d'années sèches plus important pour le massif du Belezma, pour lequel l’indice standardisé de précipitations (SPI) révèle une récurrence d’épisodes pluvieux plus sévères à partir de la seconde moitié du XXe siècle. Un taux élevé d'années caractéristiques a été enregistré au niveau des deux stations étudiées. Cependant, un plus grand nombre d'événements extrêmes est enregistré au Belezma en comparaison avec le Chélia. Le signal climatique revêt une bonne homogénéité dans les deux sites, mais il est mieux perçu au Belezma. Les coefficients de corrélation expriment une plus forte relation des précipitations avec la croissance radiale au sein de la cédraie dépérie du Belezma, où le dépérissement semble être aggravé par l’âge vieillissant de cette formation, sa basse altitude, son sol maigre et ses peuplements équiennes. À contrario, l'altitude élevée, le sol profond et la structure en futaie jardinée de la formation du mont Chélia sont des facteurs qui semblent atténuer cette forte corrélation cerne-climat, et par conséquent les effets du déficit hydrique responsables du dépérissement sont significativement réduits.

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Section: Discussionunclassified

Événements climatiques extrêmes et croissance radiale de Cedrus atlantica (Manetti) dans les massifs du Belezma et du Chélia (Algérie)

Tafer¹,

Slimani

Kherchouche

et al. 2022

Bois for. trop.

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“…These discrepancies indicate local factors, such as the soil type or genetic origin of the seeds, modulating growth responses to climate (e.g., [53]). It is probable that the provenance of the seeds have some effect on the growth-climate relationships, as it happens in the species' natural distribution area in Morocco and Algeria [21,22], but, regrettably, we lacked accurate information on the geographical origin of the seeds used in each plantation. Further studies could combine molecular markers with tree-ring data to solve this issue.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For instance, the Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica Manetti ex Carrière) shows high growth resilience in its natural habitats in north-western Africa, where it copes with climatic conditions forecasted for continental, drought-prone areas of south-western Europe during the late 21st century [17,18]. Nevertheless, recent severe droughts have also reduced the productivity of these forests, while dieback episodes have been observed in the xeric Atlas cedar forests of Morocco and Algeria [19][20][21][22][23]. Therefore, the Atlas cedar plantations performed in south-western Europe might also be sensitive to coming drought-induced stress.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifting Precipitation Patterns Drive Growth Variability and Drought Resilience of European Atlas Cedar Plantations

Camarero

Gazol

Colangelo

et al. 2021

Forests

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Tree plantations have been proposed as suitable carbon sinks to mitigate climate change. Drought may reduce their carbon uptake, increasing their vulnerability to stress and affecting their growth recovery and resilience. We investigated the recent growth rates and responses to the climate and drought in eight Atlas cedar (Cedrus atlantica) plantations located along a wide climate gradient from wetter sites in south-eastern France and north Spain to dry sites in south-eastern Spain. The cedar growth increased in response to the elevated precipitation from the prior winter to the current summer, but the influence of winter precipitation on growth gained importance in the driest sites. The growth responsiveness to climate and drought peaked in those dry sites, but the growth resilience did not show a similar gradient. The Atlas cedar growth was driven by the total precipitation during the hydrological year and this association strengthened from the 1980s onwards, a pattern related to the winter North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO). High winter NAO indices and drier conditions were associated with lower growth. At the individual level, growth resilience was related to tree age, while growth recovery and year-to-year growth variability covaried. Plantations’ resilience to drought depends on both climate and tree-level features.

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“…Higher iWUE can result from reducing g s , increasing A, or a combination of the two processes [20]. Previous tree-ring studies have confirmed that the growth of now-dead trees was reduced to some extent already before the death, while iWUE derived from δ 13 C values was higher [21][22][23].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Physiological and Growth Responses to Increasing Drought of an Endangered Tree Species in Southwest China

Zheng

Gou

Fan

et al. 2019

Forests

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Research Highlights: We compared annually resolved records of tree-ring width and stable isotope of dead and surviving Fokienia hodginsii (Dunn) Henry et Thomas trees. We provide new insights into the relationships and sensitivity of tree growth to past and current climate, and explored the underlying mechanism of drought-induced mortality in F. hodginsii. Background and Objectives: Drought-induced tree decline and mortality are increasing in many regions around the world. Despite the high number of studies that have explored drought-induced decline, species-specific responses to drought still makes it difficult to apply general responses to specific species. The endangered conifer species, Fokienia hodginsii, has experienced multiple drought-induced mortality events in recent years. Our objective was to investigate the historical and current responses to drought of this species. Materials and Methods: We used annually resolved ring-width and δ13C chronologies to investigate tree growth and stand physiological responses to climate change and elevated CO2 concentration (Ca) in both dead and living trees between 1960 and 2015. Leaf intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), Ci/Ca and intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) were derived from δ13C. Results: δ13C were positively correlated with mean vapor pressure deficit and PDSI from previous October to current May, while ring widths were more sensitive to climatic conditions from previous June to September. Moreover, the relationships between iWUE, basal area increment (BAI), and Ci/Ca changed over time. From 1960s to early 1980s, BAI and iWUE maintained a constant relationship with increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration. After the mid-1980s, we observed a decrease in tree growth, increase in the frequency of missing rings, and an unprecedented increase in sensitivity of 13C and radial growth to drought, likely related to increasingly dry conditions. Conclusions: We show that the recent increase in water stress is likely the main trigger for the unprecedented decline in radial growth and spike in mortality of F. hodginsii, which may have resulted from diminished carbon fixation and water availability. Given that the drought severity and frequency in the region is expected to increase in the future, our results call for effective mitigation strategies to maintain this endangered tree species.

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The decline of Algerian Cedrus atlantica forests is driven by a climate shift towards drier conditions

Cited by 19 publications

References 37 publications

Événements climatiques extrêmes et croissance radiale de Cedrus atlantica (Manetti) dans les massifs du Belezma et du Chélia (Algérie)

Événements climatiques extrêmes et croissance radiale de Cedrus atlantica (Manetti) dans les massifs du Belezma et du Chélia (Algérie)

Shifting Precipitation Patterns Drive Growth Variability and Drought Resilience of European Atlas Cedar Plantations

Physiological and Growth Responses to Increasing Drought of an Endangered Tree Species in Southwest China

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