Contrasting water-use strategies to climate warming in white birch and larch in a boreal permafrost region
Abstract
The effects of rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations (Ca) with climate warming on intrinsic water-use efficiency and radial growth in boreal forests are still poorly understood. We measured tree-ring cellulose δ13C, δ18O, and tree-ring width in Larix dahurica (larch) and Betula platyphylla (white birch), and analyzed their relationships with climate variables in a boreal permafrost region of northeast China over past 68 years covering a pre-warming period (1951-1984; base period) and a warm period (1985-2018; warm period). We found that white birch but not larch significantly increased their radial growth over the warm period. The increased intrinsic water-use efficiency in both species was mainly driven by elevated Ca but not climate warming. White birch but not larch showed significantly positive correlations between tree-ring δ13C, δ18O and summer maximum temperature as well as vapor pressure deficit in the warm period, suggesting a strong stomatal response in the broad-leaved birch to temperature changes. The climate warming-induced radial growth enhancement in white birch is primarily associated with a conservative water-use strategy. In contrast, larch exhibits a profligate water-use strategy. It implies an advantage for white birch over larch in the warming permafrost regions.
Bibliographical data
Original language | English |
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Article number | tpae053 |
ISSN | 0829-318X |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 03.06.2024 |
Externally published | Yes |
Comment Deanary
© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
PubMed | 38769900 |
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