Species-specific tree growth and intrinsic water-use efficiency of Dahurian larch (Larix gmelinii) and Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) growing in a boreal permafrost region of the Greater Hinggan Mountains, Northeastern China

Abstract

Increasing air temperature and atmospheric CO2 concentrations (Ca) can profoundly affect photosynthesis and intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE). However, the response of trees in boreal permafrost regions to rapid warming and Ca increases is poorly constrained by prior research. Here, we evaluated long-term changes in growth (using regional curve standardization [RCS]) and iWUE of Dahurian larch (Larix gmelinii) and Mongolian pine (Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica) in the boreal permafrost region of northeastern China and species-specific responses to increasing Ca and temperature. From 1930–2010, RCS growth of Dahurian larch and Mongolian pine decreased, while iWUE increased by 25.5 and 21.1%, respectively. RCS growth of both species was negatively correlated with winter temperatures, but Mongolian pine depended most strongly on previous December to current February temperatures and Dahurian larch depended most strongly on March temperatures. Moisture conditions only weakly influenced growth.We found similar long-term changes of tree-ring δ13C in the two species. Carbon isotopic discrimination of Dahurian larch and Mongolian pine was determined mainly by growing season temperature (positive) and moisture (negative), but with different signal strengths, suggesting that stomatal conductance influenced tree-ring δ13C. Commonality analysis showed that RCS growth was affected mainly by temperature, but also by the combined effect (interaction) of iWUE and temperature. However, the contribution of iWUE alone was lower for Mongolian pine. Our results suggest that the increased iWUE caused by increasing Ca will not improve tree growth sufficiently to compensate for temperature-induced water stress. The rate of temperature increase has slowed around 1990, which would have stabilized the degree of temperature-induced water stress, and this could be helpful to tree growth recovery in the permafrost region of northeastern China.