Growth response of coniferous trees to climate change in the Qinling Mountains, China

Abstract

As an important geographical boundary, the subalpine coniferous forests in the Qinling Mountains have critical effects on water conservation, biodiversity conservation and climate regulation at the regional and even larger scale. In recent decades, temperature significantly increased in the Qinling Mountains, with significant spatial heterogeneity. An understanding of the responses of the Qinling coniferous trees to climate change is important for the protection and management of mountain forests under climate change. In this study, we synthesized the relationships between the radial growth of coniferous trees and climate at different altitudes in the western, central, and eas-tern Qinling Mountains. The effects of climate change on coniferous trees were investigated from the aspects of radial growth, NDVI, phenology, and species distribution range. Furthermore, know-ledge gaps in the responses of tree growth to climate change and possible future directions in this field were discussed.