Abstract
Remnant populations of Betula papyrifera Marshall have persisted in the Great Plains after the Wisconsin Glaciation along the Niobrara River Valley, Nebraska. Population health has declined in recent years, which has been hypothesized to be due to climate change. We used dendrochronological techniques to assess the response of B. papyrifera to microclimate (1950–2014) and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived from satellite imagery (Landsat 5 TM (1985–2011) and MODIS (2000–2014)) as a proxy for population health. Growing-season streamflow and precipitation were positively correlated with raw and standardized tree-ring widths and basal area increment increase. Increasing winter and spring temperatures were unfavorable for tree growth, while increasing summer temperatures were favorable in the absence of drought. The strongest predictor for standardized tree rings was the Palmer Drought Severity Index, suggesting that B. papyrifera is highly responsive to a combination of temperature and water availability. The NDVI from the vegetation community was positively correlated with standardized tree-ring growth, indicating the potential of these techniques to be used as a proxy for ex situ monitoring of B. papyrifera. These results aid in forecasting the dynamics of the species in the face of climate variability and change in both remnant populations and across its current distribution in northern latitudes of North America.
Highlights
Paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marshall) is a widely distributed deciduous tree species across continental North America
We investigated whether we can establish a relationship of B. papyrifera and pixel-based normalized difference https://mc06.manuscriptcentral.com/cjfr-pubs vegetation index (NDVI) signal during the peak growing season with a plot-based vegetation https://mc06.manuscriptcentral.com/cjfr-pubs in the adjacent community
We found that intra- and inter-annual average and pattern of precipitation, temperature, streamflow and PDSI to be important for growth
Summary
Paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marshall) is a widely distributed deciduous tree species across continental North America. It grows in the boreal forest from Newfoundland in eastern Canada all the way to northwestern Alaska in the U.S, crossing the Canadian prairies in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. 1990; map: which can have positive impacts on growth due to increased cambial activity when water is available (Karlsson et al 2004; Hollesen 2015; Li et al 2016), but this comes with a risk of early season frost, which can damage and kill newly emerging buds and rootlets and may result in crown dieback (Pomerleau 1991). Water stress - including both excess water and drought - can cause defoliation (Wang et al 2016), leading to suppressed tree-ring growth and performance for up to four years following defoliation (Karlsson et al 2004)
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