Abstract
Wood formation is the primary biological process through which carbon is durably sequestered in woody plants, and is thus a major contributor to mitigate climate change. We analyzed the tree growth patterns of four conifer species across the Iberian Peninsula (IP) based on a dense dendrochronological network (179 sites) combined with a high resolution climate dataset. Generalized linear-mixed models were used to predict the potential tree growth of different pine species under different climate conditions considering different age classes. We found a strong age dependency of tree growth, significant variations across the climate gradients, and a significant interaction of both age and climate effects on the four species considered. Overall, Pinus halepensis was the species with the highest climate sensitivity and the highest growth rates in all age classes and across its distribution area. Due to its stronger plastic character and its potential adaptability, Pinus halepensis was demonstrated to be the most suitable species in terms of tree growth and potentiality to enhance carbon sequestration in the IP. Since its potential distribution largely exceeds its actual distribution, P. halepensis arises as a key species to cope with future climate conditions and to keep fixing carbon regardless of the climatic circumstances.
Highlights
Forests world-wide are known as major biotic long-term storage for carbon and play an important role in the global carbon cycle
The higher growth rates observed in arid and semiarid conditions do not represent a novelty in scientific literature [50]. We found that these higher growth rates are extended and even magnified under humid and extremely humid conditions
The patterns of tree growth of the main Mediterranean pine species in the Iberian Peninsula were characterized by a high variability across the territory
Summary
Forests world-wide are known as major biotic long-term storage for carbon and play an important role in the global carbon cycle. Wood formation is the main contributor to the global net of the forest carbon sink of about 2.5 petagrams of carbon per year [1]. As the forest grows and produces wood, around 15% of the anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2 ) emissions are absorbed in the process, helping to mitigate climate change [1,2,3]. Higher rates of forest growth and enhanced wood production are projected to occur in northern boreal and temperate zones due to increasing temperatures and CO2 and nitrogen fertilization [5,6,7]. Predictions forecast a decrease in forest productivity over Mediterranean climates, because the tree growth enhancement produced by fertilization is not expected to compensate for the possible constrains resulting from changes in temperature and rainfall [8].
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