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Linking biosphere with lithosphere by assessing how earthquakes affect forest growth

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Earthquakes not only affect tree growth directly by causing physical injury to individual trees but also indirectly by inducing changes in forest habitats. We established linkage between tree-ring series and seismic disturbances and found that prominent and lasting seismic legacies in drier areas may be due to an increased infiltration of precipitation through earthquake-induced soil cracks.

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Fig. 1: Changes of tree-growth response to monthly precipitation following earthquakes in dry areas of western North America (WNA).

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This is a summary of: Gao, S. et al. Shifts of forest resilience after seismic disturbances in tectonically active regions. Nat. Geosci. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-024-01380-x (2024).

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Linking biosphere with lithosphere by assessing how earthquakes affect forest growth. Nat. Geosci. 17, 179–180 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-024-01381-w

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