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Bioclimatic model of tree radial growth: application to the French Mediterranean Aleppo pine forests

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Abstract

The potential effects of global changes on forests are of increasing concern. Dendrochronology, which deals with long-term records of tree growth under natural environmental conditions, can be used to evaluate the impact of climatic change on forest productivity. However, assessment of climatic change impacts must be supported by accurate and reliable models of the relationships between climate and tree growth. In this study, a bioclimatic model is used to explore the relationships between tree radial growth and bioclimatic variables closely related to the biological functioning of a tree. This model is at an intermediate level of complexity between purely empirical and process-based models. The method is illustrated with data for 21 Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.) stands grown under a Mediterranean climate in south-east France. The results show that Aleppo pine growth is mainly controlled by soil water availability during the growing season. The bioclimatic variable which best expresses the observed inter-annual tree growth variations is the actual evapotranspiration (AET). Four parameters were adjusted to simulate dendrochronological data: the soil water capacity, the wilting point, the minimum temperature for photosynthesis, and the end of the growing season. The bioclimatic model gives better results than the standard response function and provides better insight into the functional processes involved in tree growth. The convincing results obtained by the bioclimatic model as well as the limited numbers of parameters it requires demonstrate the feasibility of using it to explore future climatic change impacts on Aleppo pine forests.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the European Community through the FORMAT project (contract ENV4-CT97-0641), the SO&P project (contract ENK2-CT-2002-00160) and through a Marie Curie post-doctoral Individual Fellowship (contract EVK2-CT-2002-50021). This study was also supported by the Ministère Français de la Recherche through an individual PhD thesis fellowship. Meteorological data were provided by Météo France. Christian Ripert and Roland Estève helped collect field data. The authors would like to thank Keith Briffa and Jean-Luc Dupouey for their critical review of this paper and the two anonymous reviewers whose comments were helpful in improving the final manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Climatic Research Unit (CRU), University of East Anglia (UEA), Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ, UK

    Cyrille B. K. Rathgeber

  2. ESPM Department, 151 Hilgard Hall, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720-3110, USA

    Laurent Misson

  3. Institut Méditerranéen d’Ecologie et de Paléoécologie (IMEP), CNRS UMR 6116, Europôle Méditerranéen de l’Arbois, 13545, Aix-en-Provence cedex 4, France

    Antoine Nicault

  4. CEREGE, CNRS UMR 6635, BP 80, Europôle Méditerranéen de l’Arbois, 13545, Aix-en-Provence cedex 4, France

    Joël Guiot

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  1. Cyrille B. K. Rathgeber
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  3. Antoine Nicault
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  4. Joël Guiot
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Correspondence to Cyrille B. K. Rathgeber.

Appendix

Appendix

Variables and acronym definitions

Category

Name

Code

Type/unit

Tree-ring variable

Early wood density

ED

kg m−3

Early wood width

EW

mm

Late wood density

LD

kg m−3

Late wood width

LW

mm

Tree growth index

TGI

Index

Climate variable

Sum of annual rainfalls

P

mm

Sum of summer rainfalls

SUP

mm

Mean annual temperature

T

°C

Bioclimatic variable

Annual actual evapotranspiration

AET

mm

Annual potential evapotranspiration

PET

mm

AET/PET

α

Index

Annual constrained evapotranspiration

CAET

mm

Growing degree-days above t°C

GDDt

°C

Mean temperature of the coldest month

MTCO

°C

Soil moisture

SM

mm

Topography variable

Stand slope

PENT

°

Confinement

CONF

°

Index of luminous climate (Becker 1979, 1984)

IKR

Index

Geology variable

Bedrock slope

PENS

Semi-quantitative

Bedrock fissuring

FISY

Semi-quantitative

Soil variable

Mean corer test

TARM

cm

Variation coefficient of corer test

TARV

%

Total depth

PRFT

cm

Texture

TEXT

Semi-quantitative

Percentage of gross material

EG%T

%

Vegetation structure variable

Rocks cover

BLOC

Semi-quantitative

Liter cover

LITA

Semi-quantitative

Total cover

RCVT

Semi-quantitative

Aleppo pine total cover

RPAT

Semi-quantitative

Bioclimatic model parameter

Soil water capacity

SWC

mm

First threshold relative to soil humidity

WILT

%

Second threshold relative to temperature

WARMTH

°C

Third threshold stops the growing season

EGS

Day number

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Rathgeber, C.B.K., Misson, L., Nicault, A. et al. Bioclimatic model of tree radial growth: application to the French Mediterranean Aleppo pine forests. Trees 19, 162–176 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-004-0378-z

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