Abstract
In the context of continued global climate change, the intensity and frequency of droughts have increased to varying degrees in many places. Due to the complexity of drought events, the mechanisms by which trees respond to drought are not well understood. In this study, we analyzed the growth trends of Qinghai spruce (Picea crassifolia) at different elevations in the western part of Qilian Mountains and the dynamic response to climate change. We also compared the differences in radial growth of trees at different elevations in response to drought events in the growing and non-growing seasons based on resistance (Rt), recovery (Rc), and resilience (Rs). The results showed that (1) trees at all three elevations were limited by drought stress and the lower the elevation the more sensitive the trees were to drought. (2) The response of middle- and low-elevation trees to the standardized precipitation evaporation index in June of that year was stable. (3) Growing season drought limits radial growth of trees more than non-growing season drought, and Rt is smaller and Rc is larger at low elevations. With increasing drought severity, trees at all three elevations exhibited a trend of decreasing Rt and Rs and increasing Rc. (4) There were significant differences in the growth trends of trees at the three elevations. Therefore, we should continuously pay attention to the dynamics of the forest ecosystem in the western part of Qilian Mountains and take improved measures to cope with the adverse effects of drought on Qinghai spruce.
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Funding
This research was supported by CAS “Light of West China” Program (2020XBZG-XBQNXZ-A), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41861006), and the Research Ability Promotion Program for Young Teachers of Northwest Normal University (NWNU-LKQN2019-4).
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Zhang, P., Jiao, L., Wei, M. et al. Drought timing and severity affect radial growth of Picea crassifolia at different elevations in the western Qilian Mountains. Int J Biometeorol 66, 2449–2462 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-022-02368-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-022-02368-1