Climatic responses of tree-ring width and δ13C signatures of sessile oak (Quercus petraea Liebl.) on soils with contrasting water supply
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In: Plant Ecology, Vol. 214, No. 9, 01.09.2013, p. 1147-1156.
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Climatic responses of tree-ring width and δ13C signatures of sessile oak (Quercus petraea Liebl.) on soils with contrasting water supply
AU - Härdtle, Werner
AU - Niemeyer, Thomas
AU - Aßmann, Thorsten
AU - Aulinger, Armin
AU - Fichtner, Andreas
AU - Lang, Anne Christina
AU - Leuschner, Christoph
AU - Neuwirth, Burkhard
AU - Pfister, Laurent
AU - Quante, Markus
AU - Ries, Christian
AU - Schuldt, Andreas
AU - Oheimb, Goddert
PY - 2013/9/1
Y1 - 2013/9/1
N2 - We investigated climate-growth relationships (in terms of tree-ring width, basal area increment (BAI), and tree-ring δ 13C signatures) of Quercus petraea in Central Europe (Luxembourg). Tree responses were assessed for 160 years and compared for sites with contrasting water supply (i.e. Cambisols vs. Regosols with 175 and 42 mm available water capacity, respectively). Oak trees displayed very low climate sensitivity, and climatic variables explained only 24 and 21 % of variance in tree-ring width (TRW) (Cambisol and Regosol sites, respectively). Contrary to our expectations, site-related differences in growth responses (i.e. BAI, δ 13C signatures) to climate shifts were not significant. This finding suggests a high plasticity of oak trees in the study area. Despite a distinct growth depression found for all trees in the decade 1988-1997 (attributable to increasing annual mean temperatures by 1.1 °C), oak trees completely recovered in subsequent years. This indicates a high resilience of sessile oak to climate change. Shifts in δ 13C corr signatures were mainly affected by temperature, and peaks in δ 13C corr values (corrected for the anthropogenic increase in atmospheric CO 2) coincided with decadal maximum temperatures. Correlations between δ 13C signatures and TRW (mainly affected by precipitation) were not significant. This finding suggests that wood growth often was disconnected from carbon assimilation (e.g. due to carbon storage in the trunk or allocation to seeds). Since the selection of drought-resistant tree species gains importance within the context of adaptive forest management strategies, Q. petraea proves to be an adaptive tree species in Central Europe's forests under shifting climatic conditions.
AB - We investigated climate-growth relationships (in terms of tree-ring width, basal area increment (BAI), and tree-ring δ 13C signatures) of Quercus petraea in Central Europe (Luxembourg). Tree responses were assessed for 160 years and compared for sites with contrasting water supply (i.e. Cambisols vs. Regosols with 175 and 42 mm available water capacity, respectively). Oak trees displayed very low climate sensitivity, and climatic variables explained only 24 and 21 % of variance in tree-ring width (TRW) (Cambisol and Regosol sites, respectively). Contrary to our expectations, site-related differences in growth responses (i.e. BAI, δ 13C signatures) to climate shifts were not significant. This finding suggests a high plasticity of oak trees in the study area. Despite a distinct growth depression found for all trees in the decade 1988-1997 (attributable to increasing annual mean temperatures by 1.1 °C), oak trees completely recovered in subsequent years. This indicates a high resilience of sessile oak to climate change. Shifts in δ 13C corr signatures were mainly affected by temperature, and peaks in δ 13C corr values (corrected for the anthropogenic increase in atmospheric CO 2) coincided with decadal maximum temperatures. Correlations between δ 13C signatures and TRW (mainly affected by precipitation) were not significant. This finding suggests that wood growth often was disconnected from carbon assimilation (e.g. due to carbon storage in the trunk or allocation to seeds). Since the selection of drought-resistant tree species gains importance within the context of adaptive forest management strategies, Q. petraea proves to be an adaptive tree species in Central Europe's forests under shifting climatic conditions.
KW - Biology
KW - Ecosystems Research
KW - climate change
KW - dendrochemistry
KW - dendroecology
KW - luxembourg
KW - water use efficiency
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84881244934&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11258-013-0239-1
DO - 10.1007/s11258-013-0239-1
M3 - Journal articles
AN - SCOPUS:84881244934
VL - 214
SP - 1147
EP - 1156
JO - Plant Ecology
JF - Plant Ecology
SN - 1385-0237
IS - 9
ER -