Joint effects of climate, tree size, and year on annual tree growth derived from tree‐ring records of ten globally distributed forests. (30th October 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Anderson‐Teixeira, Kristina J.; Herrmann, Valentine; Rollinson, Christine R.; Gonzalez, Bianca; Gonzalez‐Akre, Erika B.; Pederson, Neil; Alexander, M. Ross; Allen, Craig D.; Alfaro‐Sánchez, Raquel; Awada, Tala; Baltzer, Jennifer L.; Baker, Patrick J.; Birch, Joseph D.; Bunyavejchewin, Sarayudh; Cherubini, Paolo; Davies, Stuart J.; Dow, Cameron; Helcoski, Ryan; Kašpar, Jakub; Lutz, James A.; Margolis, Ellis Q.; Maxwell, Justin T.; McMahon, Sean M.; Piponiot, Camille; Russo, Sabrina E.; Šamonil, Pavel; Sniderhan, Anastasia E.; Tepley, Alan J.; Vašíčková, Ivana; Vlam, Mart; Zuidema, Pieter A.;
• Is Part Of: Global change biology. Volume 28:Number 1(2022)
• Page Start: 245
• Page End: 266
• Publication Date: 2021-10-30
• Subjects: climate sensitivity -- environmental change -- Forest Global Earth Observatory (ForestGEO) -- generalized least squares (GLS) -- nonlinear -- tree diameter -- tree rings; Climatic changes -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Troposphere -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Biodiversity conservation -- Periodicals; Eutrophication -- Periodicals; 551.5
• DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15934
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1354-1013

Abstract

Abstract: Tree rings provide an invaluable long‐term record for understanding how climate and other drivers shape tree growth and forest productivity. However, conventional tree‐ring analysis methods were not designed to simultaneously test effects of climate, tree size, and other drivers on individual growth. This has limited the potential to test ecologically relevant hypotheses on tree growth sensitivity to environmental drivers and their interactions with tree size. Here, we develop and apply a new method to simultaneously model nonlinear effects of primary climate drivers, reconstructed tree diameter at breast height (DBH), and calendar year in generalized least squares models that account for the temporal autocorrelation inherent to each individual tree's growth. We analyze data from 3811 trees representing 40 species at 10 globally distributed sites, showing that precipitation, temperature, DBH, and calendar year have additively, and often interactively, influenced annual growth over the past 120 years. Growth responses were predominantly positive to precipitation (usually over ≥3‐month seasonal windows) and negative to temperature (usually maximum temperature, over ≤3‐month seasonal windows), with concave‐down responses in 63% of relationships. Climate sensitivity commonly varied with DBH (45% of cases tested), with larger trees usually more sensitive. Trends in ring width at small DBH were linked to the light environment under which trees established, but basal area or biomass increments consistently reached maxima at intermediate DBH. Accounting for climate and DBH, growth rate declined over time for 92% of species in secondary or disturbed stands, whereas growth trends were mixed in older forests. These trends were largely attributable to stand dynamics as cohorts and stands age, which remain challenging to disentangle from global change drivers. By providing a parsimonious approach for characterizing multiple interacting drivers of tree growth, our method reveals a more complete picture of the factors influencing growth than has previously been possible. Abstract : Tree rings provide an invaluable long‐term record for understanding how climate and other drivers shape tree growth and forest productivity. We apply a novel analytical approach that simultaneously models nonlinear effects of primary climate drivers, stem diameter, and calendar year to 40 species across 10 globally distributed forests. We show that growth responses to climate are predominantly nonlinear, that climate sensitivity commonly varies with stem diameter, that growth rate trends with diameter are linked to the light environment under which trees established, and that growth rates have declined through time for the majority of populations in secondary stands.