Abstract
European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) adapts to local growing conditions to enhance its performance. In response to variations in climatic conditions, beech trees adjust leaf phenology, cambial phenology, and wood formation patterns, which result in different tree-ring widths (TRWs) and wood anatomy. Chronologies of tree ring width and vessel features [i.e., mean vessel area (MVA), vessel density (VD), and relative conductive area (RCTA)] were produced for the 1960–2016 period for three sites that differ in climatic regimes and spring leaf phenology (two early- and one late-flushing populations). These data were used to investigate long-term relationships between climatic conditions and anatomical features of four quarters of tree-rings at annual and intra-annual scales. In addition, we investigated how TRW and vessel features adjust in response to extreme weather events (i.e., summer drought). We found significant differences in TRW, VD, and RCTA among the selected sites. Precipitation and maximum temperature before and during the growing season were the most important climatic factors affecting TRW and vessel characteristics. We confirmed differences in climate-growth relationships between the selected sites, late flushing beech population at Idrija showing the least pronounced response to climate. MVA was the only vessel trait that showed no relationship with TRW or other vessel features. The relationship between MVA and climatic factors evaluated at intra-annual scale indicated that vessel area in the first quarter of tree-ring were mainly influenced by climatic conditions in the previous growing season, while vessel area in the second to fourth quarters of tree ring width was mainly influenced by maximum temperature and precipitation in the current growing season. When comparing wet and dry years, beech from all sites showed a similar response, with reduced TRW and changes in intra-annual variation in vessel area. Our findings suggest that changes in temperature and precipitation regimes as predicted by most climate change scenarios will affect tree-ring increments and wood structure in beech, yet the response between sites or populations may differ.
Highlights
European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is one of the dominant tree species of mixed and deciduous temperate European forests, with a wide distribution range and high intra-specific plasticity (Dieler and Pretzsch, 2013)
The aim of this study was to analyze the relationships between climatic conditions, tree ring widths, and xylem vessel features in beech in three forest stands with different climatic regimes and different leaf phenology of beech for a period between 1960 and 2016
This study has shown that the emerging field of quantitative wood anatomy complements both dendroecological studies and climate change research (Buttò et al, 2020; Piermattei et al, 2020)
Summary
European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) is one of the dominant tree species of mixed and deciduous temperate European forests (del Río et al, 2017), with a wide distribution range and high intra-specific plasticity (Dieler and Pretzsch, 2013) It grows on forest sites with diverse growing conditions; from moist and cold sites in the southern part of Scandinavia to dry and hot areas in the northern part of the Iberian and Apennine peninsulas (Bolte et al, 2007). Productivity and wood structure (Eilmann et al, 2014; Jezik et al, 2016; Klisz et al, 2019) or growth strategy and survival (Vitasse et al, 2010) were investigated Such experiments provided important insights into differences between provenances, they were usually performed on relatively young trees, which exhibit different climate sensitivity compared to older trees (Trouillier et al, 2018). Studies investigating the response to changing climate in adult beech populations differing in leaf phenology in terms of xylem wood structure are rare
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