Abstract
Aims
To examine the potential mechanistic predictors of germination and first-year survival in two species of Great Basin sub-alpine trees along an elevation gradient on three soil types.
Methods
Using a network of experimental gardens, we sowed limber pine and Great Basin bristlecone pine along elevational gradients at three sites on three different soil types. We collected germination and first-year survival data of each species while measuring temperature, soil water content, and other environmental variables to examine the potential predictors of first-year survival in these two species.
Results
Thanks to consecutive anomalously wet and dry years, we found germination and first-year survival to be largely limited by soil type, soil water content, and precipitation timing. Limber pine germination and survival showed weak negative responses while bristlecone pine germination and survival showed stronger negative responses to temperature.
Conclusions
Young trees are more sensitive to water limitation than to temperature and soil type has a strong moderating effect on water availability. Precipitation timing affected this availability with winter snowpack being less important in establishment than summer monsoonal rain. These results point to the importance of substrate and understanding limitations on all life stages when attempting to predict species range shifts.
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Abbreviations
- GS:
-
Growing season
- GDD:
-
Growing degree days
- SWC:
-
Soil water content
- VWC:
-
Volumetric water content
- Tmax :
-
Daily maximum temperature
- Tmin :
-
Daily minimum temperature
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Acknowledgments
We thank Connie Millar and Adelia Barber for invaluable direction and input and research technicians Iris Allen, Jamey Wilcher, and Asa Holland. Thank you to the White Mountains Research Center for logistic support, and to the Andrew Latimer and Malcolm North Labs for reviewing and improving this manuscript. We thank three anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments to this manuscript.
Funding
This project was generously supported by the USDA Forest Service, the White Mountain Research Center, California Native Plant Society, Davis Botanical Society, and UC Davis Jastro-Shields Graduate Research Scholarship.
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BVS originally conceived of the idea. BVS and MPN conceived and designed the experiments. BVS performed the experiments. BVS and MPN analyzed the data. BVS and MPN wrote the manuscript.
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Responsible Editor: Rafael S. Oliveira.
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Smithers, B.V., North, M.P. Mechanisms of species range shift: germination and early survival of Great Basin bristlecone pine and limber pine. Plant Soil 457, 167–183 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-020-04732-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-020-04732-9