Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Annual ring widths are good predictors of changes in net primary productivity of alpine Rhododendron shrubs in the Sergyemla Mountains, southeast Tibet

  • Published:
Plant Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

It is unclear whether annual ring widths (ARW) are good predictors of changes in net primary productivity (NPP) of trees or shrubs in cold environments. We test if the simulated NPP with inputs of observed leaf nitrogen concentration (N mass) and carbon isotope ratio (δ13C) explains altitudinal variations of ARW, relative growth rate (RGR), and maximum photosynthetic rate (P max) within a widespread woody species at moist timberline ecotones. We measured plant-level ARW and RGR, and related leaf traits (P max, N mass, δ13C etc.) for an alpine Rhododendron shrub (R. aganniphum var. schizopeplum) across ten altitudes (4,190–4,500 m) in the Sergyemla Mountains, southeast Tibet. Based on climate data available from Nyingchi station at 3,000 m, non-age-related ARW chronologies (1960–2008) for each of ten altitudes were positively correlated with June mean temperature, but related little with precipitation and other monthly mean temperatures. With increasing altitude, N mass and P max decreased and δ13C increased, resulting in decreases of observed RGR and simulated NPP. Current-year and recent 50-year-averaged ARWs were well correlated with observed RGR and P max and simulated NPP. June mean temperature explained >62 % of the altitudinal variations in observed RGR and ARW as well as simulated NPP. At moist high altitudes, ARWs can be used as predictors of changes in NPP of alpine shrubs because the low temperature in the early growing season is the primary factor limiting both ARW and NPP. This study suggests a methodology detecting the sensitivity of alpine woody species to varying climatic conditions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Atkin OK, Botmum B, Lambers H (1996) The causes of inherently slow growth in alpine plants: an analysis based on the underlying carbon economies of alpine and lowland Poa species. Funct Ecol 10:698–707

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Briffa KR, Schweingruber FH, Jones PD, Osborn TJ, Shiyatov SG, Vaganov EA (1998) Reduced sensitivity of recent tree-growth to temperature at high northern latitudes. Nature 391:678–682

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cannell MGR, Smith RI (1983) Thermal time, chill days and prediction of budburst in Picea sitchensis. J Appl Ecol 20:951–963

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cordell S, Goldstein G, Meinzer FC, Handley LL (1999) Allocation of nitrogen and carbon in leaves of Metrosideros polymorpha regulates carboxylation capacity and δ13C along an altitudinal gradient. Funct Ecol 13:811–818

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cornelissen JHC, Werger MJA, Castro-Díez P, van Rheenen JWA, Rowland AP (1997) Foliar nutrients in relation to growth, allocation and leaf traits in seedlings of a wide range of woody plant species and types. Oecologia 111:460–469

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D’Arrigo RD, Malmstrom CM, Jacoby GC, Los SO, Bunker DE (2000) Correlation between maximum latewood density of annual tree rings and NDVI based estimates of forest productivity. Int J Remote Sens 21:2329–2336

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farquhar GD, Ehleringer JR, Hubick KT (1989) Carbon isotope discrimination and photosynthesis. Ann Rev Plant Physiol Plant Mol Biol 40:503–537

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Friend AD, Woodward FI (1990) Evolutionary and ecophysiological responses of mountain plants to the growing season environment. Adv Ecol Res 20:59–124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fritts HC, Vaganov EA, Sviderskaya IV, Shashkin AV (1991) Climatic variation and tree-ring structure in conifers: a statistical simulative model of tree-ring width, number of cells, cell wall thickness and wood density. Clim Res 1:37–54

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Genet M, Li MC, Luo TX, Fourcaud T, Clément-Vidal A, Stokes A (2011) Linking carbon supply to root cell-wall chemistry and mechanics at high altitudes in Abies georgei. Ann Bot 107:311–320

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Graumlich LJ, Brubaker LB, Grier CC (1989) Long-term trends in forest net primary productivity: Cascade Mountains, Washington. Ecology 70:405–410

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grime JP, Campbell BD (1991) Growth rate, habitat productivity, and plant strategy as predictors of multiple stress response. In: Mooney HA, Winner WE, Pell EJ (eds) Responses of plants to multiple stresses. Academic Press, San Diego, pp 143–159

    Google Scholar 

  • Hasenauer H, Nemani RR, Schadauer K, Running SW (1999) Forest growth response to changing climate between 1961 and 1990 in Austria. For Ecol Manag 122:209–219

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hikosaka K, Hanba YT, Hirose T, Terashima I (1998) Photosynthetic nitrogen use efficiency in woody and herbaceous plants. Funct Ecol 12:896–905

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hikosaka K, Nagamatsu D, Hiroshi SI, Hirose T (2002) Photosynthesis-nitrogen relationships in species at different altitudes on Mount Kinabalu, Malaysia. Ecol Res 17:305–313

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hultine KR, Marshall JD (2000) Altitude trends in conifer leaf morphology and stable carbon isotope composition. Oecologia 123:32–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hunt R (1982) Plant growth curves: the functional approach to plant growth analysis. University Park Press, Baltimore

    Google Scholar 

  • Kao WY, Chang KW (2001) Altitudinal trends in photosynthetic rate and leaf characteristics of Miscanthus populations from central Taiwan. Aust J Bot 49:509–514

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kicklighter DW, Bondeau A, Schloss AL, Kaduk J, McGuire AD (1999) The participants of the potsdam NPP model intercomparison comparing global models of terrestrial net primary productivity (NPP): global pattern and differentiation by major biomes. Glob Change Biol 5:16–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kong GQ (2011) Mechanisms for altitudinal variations in plant growth rate and photosynthetic capacity of an evergreen and a deciduous shrub species at moist timberline ecotones, southeast Tibet. Ph.D. thesis, Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

  • Körner C (2003) Carbon limitation in trees. J Ecol 91:4–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Körner C, Farquhar GD, Roksandic Z (1988) A global survey of carbon isotope discrimination in plants from high altitude. Oecologia 74:623–632

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Körner C, Farquhar GD, Wong SC (1991) Carbon isotope discrimination by plants follows latitudinal and altitudinal trends. Oecologia 88:30–40

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Larcher W (1969) Physiological plant ecology. Springer, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Li MH, Xiao WF, Wang SG, Cheng GW, Cherubini P, Cai XH, Liu XL, Wang XD, Zhu WZ (2008) Mobile carbohydrate in Himalayan treeline trees I. Evidence for carbon limitation but not for growth limitation. Tree Physiol 28:1287–1296

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Liang EY, Eckstein D (2009) Dendrochronological potential of the alpine shrub Rhododendron nivale on the south-eastern Tibetan Plateau. Ann Bot 104:665–670

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Liang EY, Shao XM, Xu Y (2009) Tree-ring evidence of recent abnormal warming on the southeast Tibetan Plateau. Theor Appl Climatol 98:9–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liang EY, Wang YF, Xu Y, Liu B, Shao XM (2010) Growth variation in Abies georgei var. smithii along altitudinal gradients in the Sygera Mountains, southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Trees 24:363–373

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu XS (2011) Microclimate and its effect on stem radius growth of trees across two contrasting timberline ecotones, Southeast Tibet. Ph.D. thesis, Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

  • Liu XS, Luo TX (2011) Spatio-temporal variability of soil temperature and moisture across two contrasting timberline ecotones in the Sergyemla Mountains, southeast Tibet. Arct Antarct Alp Res 43:229–238

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luo TX, Neilson RP, Tian H, Vörösmarty CJ, Zhu HZ, Liu SR (2002) A model for seasonality and distribution of leaf area index of forests and its application to China. J Veg Sci 13:817–830

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luo TX, Luo J, Pan YD (2005) Leaf traits and associated ecosystem characteristics across subtropical and timberline forests in the Gongga Mountains, eastern Tibetan Plateau. Oecologia 142:261–273

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Luo TX, Zhang L, Zh HZ, Daly C, Li MC, Luo J (2009) Correlations between net primary productivity and foliar carbon isotope ratio across a Tibetan ecosystem transect. Ecography 32:526–538

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Luo TX, Li MC, Luo J (2011) Seasonal variations in leaf δ13C and nitrogen associated with foliage turnover and carbon gain for a wet subalpine fir forest in the Gongga Mountains, eastern Tibetan Plateau. Ecol Res 26:253–263

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Malmstrom CM, Thompson MV, Juday GP, Los SO, Randerson JT, Field CB (1997) Internannual variation in global-scale net primary production: testing model estimates. Glob Biogeochem Cycles 11:367–392

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Miehe G, Miehe S, Vogel J, Co S, Duo L (2007) Highest treeline in the Northern Hemisphere found in Southern Tibet. Mt Res Dev 27:169–178

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Monson RK, Turnipseed AA, Sparks JP, Harley PC, Scottdenton LE, Sparks K, Huxman TE (2002) Carbon sequestration in a high-elevation, subalpine forest. Glob Change Biol 8:459–478

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mooney HA, Billings WD (1965) Effects of altitude on carbohydrate content of mountain plants. Ecology 46:750–751

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morecroft MD, Woodward FI (1990) Experimental investigations on the environmental determination of δ13C at different altitudes. J Exp Bot 41:1303–1308

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Morecroft MD, Woodward FI (1996) Experiments on the causes of altitudinal differences in the leaf nutrient contents, size and δ13C of Alchemilla alpina. New Phytol 134:471–479

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Poorter H, Remkes C (1990) Leaf area ratio and net assimilation rate of 24 wild species differing in relative growth rate. Oecologia 83:553–559

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reich PB, Oleksyn J (2004) Global patterns of plant leaf N and P in relation to temperature and latitude. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 101:11001–11006

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Reich PB, Walters MB, Ellsworth DS (1997) From tropics to tundra convergence in plant functioning. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 94:13730–13734

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rossi S, Deslauriers A, Anfodillo T, Morin H, Saracino A, Motta R, Borghetti M (2006) Conifers in cold environments synchronize maximum growth rate of tree-ring formation with day length. New Phytol 170:301–310

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sturges DL, Trlica MJ (1978) Root weights and carbohydrate reserves of big Sagebrush. Ecology 59:1282–1285

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tranquillini W (1979) Physiological ecology of the alpine timberline. Springer, New York

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Vaganov EA, Hughes MK, Kirdyanov AV, Schweingruber FH, Silkin PP (1999) Influence of snowfall and melt timing on tree growth in subarctic Eurasia. Nature 400:149–151

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • van Cleve K, Yarie J (1986) Interaction of temperature, moisture and soil chemistry in controlling nutrient cycling and ecosystem development in the taiga of Alaska. In: van Cleve K, Chapin FS III, Flanagan PW, Viereck LA (eds) Forest ecosystems in the Alaskan taiga. Springer, New York, pp 160–189

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Vitousek PM, Field CB, Matson PM (1990) Variation in foliar δ13C in Hawaiian Metrosideros polymorpha: a case of internal resistance? Oecologia 84:362–370

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang J, Rich PM, Price KP, Kettle WD (2004) Relations between NDVI and tree productivity in the central Great Plains. Int J Remote Sens 25:3127–3138

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weih M, Karlsson PS (2002) Low winter soil temperature affects summertime nutrient uptake capacity and growth rate of mountain birch seedlings in the subarctic Swedish Lapland. Arct Antarct Alp Res 34:434–439

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wieser G, Tausz M (2007) Trees at their upper limit: treelife limitation at the alpine timberline. Springer, Dordrecht

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilmking M, Juday GP, Barber VA, Zald HSJ (2004) Recent climate warming forces contrasting growth responses of white spruce at tree line in Alaska through temperature thresholds. Glob Change Biol 10:1724–1736

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woodward FI (1986) Ecophysiological studies on the shrub Vaccinium myrtillus L. taken from a wide altitudinal range. Oecologia 70:580–586

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Prof. G. R. Zhang for providing the climatic data from the experimental station of the School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University. This study was funded by the National Key Projects for Basic Research of China (2010CB951301), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (40901038, 40671069).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes, Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 4A Datun Rd., Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100101, China

    Gaoqiang Kong, Tianxiang Luo, Xinsheng Liu, Lin Zhang & Eryuan Liang

  2. Graduate University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Gaoqiang Kong

Authors
  1. Gaoqiang Kong
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tianxiang Luo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Xinsheng Liu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Lin Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Eryuan Liang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tianxiang Luo.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kong, G., Luo, T., Liu, X. et al. Annual ring widths are good predictors of changes in net primary productivity of alpine Rhododendron shrubs in the Sergyemla Mountains, southeast Tibet. Plant Ecol 213, 1843–1855 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-012-0140-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-012-0140-3

Keywords

Search

Navigation