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A dendroclimatic investigation of radial growth–climate relationships for the riparian species Cercidiphyllum japonicum in the Shennongjia area, central China

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Abstract

Cercidiphyllum japonicum is a rare endemic species of East Asia flora and a common component in riparian forests. Dendrochronological techniques were employed to trace radial growth of C. japonicum in the Shennongjia area of central China and examine its relationships with local climate. Effects of precipitation on width of C. japonicum annual rings were negligible except for some temporary negative impacts in prior winter. The variables most strongly controlling radial growth were temperatures in the previous December and during the current summer. Relationships for most pairs of ring-width and monthly/seasonal climate variables were temporally unstable but occasionally significant. Radial growth–climate relationships for C. japonicum were likely shaped by riparian site characteristics, root habits, and regional climatic regimes.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Prof. Chen Zhenghong of Hubei Provincial Bureau of Meteorology for generously providing climatic data, Dr. Scott Franklin of University of North Colorado and the managing editor for revising the English. Three anonymous reviewers, the communicating editor and Dr. Dang Haishan as a laboratory colleague are highly appreciated for their advice on improving earlier drafts. Li Lianfa, Zhang Yang and Chen Hu should also be acknowledged for their assistance with field sampling and lab processing. This work was supported by the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China (No. 30670368; 31070465).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Aquatic Botany and Watershed Ecology, Wuhan Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430074, Hubei, People’s Republic of China

    Dong He, Ming-Xi Jiang & Xin-Zeng Wei

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  1. Dong He
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  2. Ming-Xi Jiang
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  3. Xin-Zeng Wei
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Correspondence to Ming-Xi Jiang.

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Communicated by S. Leavitt.

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He, D., Jiang, MX. & Wei, XZ. A dendroclimatic investigation of radial growth–climate relationships for the riparian species Cercidiphyllum japonicum in the Shennongjia area, central China. Trees 26, 503–512 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-011-0611-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-011-0611-5

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