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Growth variation in Abies georgei var. smithii along altitudinal gradients in the Sygera Mountains, southeastern Tibetan Plateau

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Abstract

A network of nine Smith fir (Abies georgei var. smithii) ring-width chronologies was constructed from sites ranging in elevation from 3,550 to 4,390 m above sea level (a.s.l.) in the Sygera Mountains, southeastern Tibetan Plateau. High-elevation trees had lower growth rates than did low-elevation trees. The mean tree-ring series intercorrelation (RBAR) increased with elevation. Principal component analysis identified three elevation zones (around 3,600, 3,800, and >4,200 m a.s.l.) with distinctive tree-ring growth patterns. Five chronologies with elevation >4,200 m a.s.l. were highly correlated. Overall, the initiation of tree-ring growth in Smith fir is controlled by common climatic signals, such as July minimum temperature, across a broad altitudinal range. Precipitation was not a growth-limiting factor across stands. Regardless of differences in stand elevation, topographical aspect, and tree age, the radial growth of Smith fir trees was markedly similar in response to common climatic signals, perhaps as a result of the relatively high-elevation of these forests (above 3,550 m a.s.l.) and the abundant summer monsoon rainfall. In addition, radial tree growth along the altitudinal gradients was indicative of a recent warming trend on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau.

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (30670383, 40871097) and the Knowledge Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KZCX2-YW-QN111). We thank Emily Drummond for assistance with the English on an earlier version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Tibetan Environment Changes and Land Surface Processes (TEL), Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 2871, 100085, Beijing, China

    Eryuan Liang, Yafeng Wang & Bo Liu

  2. Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China

    Yan Xu & Xuemei Shao

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  1. Eryuan Liang
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  2. Yafeng Wang
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  3. Yan Xu
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  4. Bo Liu
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  5. Xuemei Shao
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Correspondence to Eryuan Liang.

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Communicated by S. Leavitt.

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Liang, E., Wang, Y., Xu, Y. et al. Growth variation in Abies georgei var. smithii along altitudinal gradients in the Sygera Mountains, southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Trees 24, 363–373 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00468-009-0406-0

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