Elevation-dependent climate sensitivity in Eucalyptus pauciflora Sieb. ex Spreng

Abstract

We examine climate sensitivity in tree-ring chronologies from Eucalyptus pauciflora Sieb. ex Spreng at three elevations—1,350, 1,475 and 1,600 m above the sea level. Consistent with the principle that the sensitivity of tree-ring chronologies increases with proximity to the limits of tree growth, statistics reflecting chronology reliability increased with elevation. Climatological analyses of the three elevation classes revealed that whilst ring width is significantly and positively correlated with maximum air temperature during spring (September-November) in the chronology from the highest elevation class, significant correlations with maximum temperature are not present at low elevations. Similarly, whilst ring width in the chronology from 1,350 m was significantly and positively correlated with precipitation during late summer and early autumn, no significant correlations are evident at higher elevations. Our results illustrate the importance of careful site selection in dendroclimatological studies of eucalypts and demonstrate the potential of E. pauciflora for climatological studies.