Abstract
A within-species trade-off between growth rates and lifespan has been observed across different taxa of trees, however, there is some uncertainty whether this trade-off also applies to shade-intolerant tree species. The main objective of this study was to investigate the relationships between radial growth, tree size and lifespan of shade-intolerant mountain pines. For 200 dead standing mountain pines (Pinus montana) located along gradients of aspect, slope steepness and elevation in the Swiss National Park, radial annual growth rates and lifespan were reconstructed. While early growth (i.e. mean tree-ring width over the first 50 years) correlated positively with diameter at the time of tree death, a negative correlation resulted with lifespan, i.e. rapidly growing mountain pines face a trade-off between reaching a large diameter at the cost of early tree death. Slowly growing mountain pines may reach a large diameter and a long lifespan, but risk to die young at a small size. Early growth was not correlated with temperature or precipitation over the growing period. Variability in lifespan was further contingent on aspect, slope steepness and elevation. The shade-intolerant mountain pines follow diverging growth trajectories that are imposed by extrinsic environmental influences. The resulting trade-offs between growth rate, tree size and lifespan advance our understanding of tree population dynamics, which may ultimately improve projections of forest dynamics under changing environmental conditions.
Highlights
Across different taxa of trees, a within-species trade-off between growth rates and lifespan has been observed with slow-growing trees reaching a longer lifespan than fast-growing trees
For intermediate shade-tolerant to shade-tolerant tree species, several studies suggest a negative association between radial growth rates and maximum ages derived from living trees [1,2,3] or between growth rates and lifespans derived from dead trees [4,5,6]
Forest gap dynamics resulting from wind throw or root rot such as Armillaria sp. or Heterobasidion annosum [47,48], and extensive logging before the foundation of the Swiss National Park (SNP) [30] created openings large enough to allow for high early growth [49]
Summary
Across different taxa of trees, a within-species trade-off between growth rates and lifespan has been observed with slow-growing trees reaching a longer lifespan than fast-growing trees. For intermediate shade-tolerant to shade-tolerant tree species, several studies suggest a negative association between radial growth rates and maximum ages derived from living trees [1,2,3] or between growth rates (e.g. early growth during the first decades of a tree’s life) and lifespans derived from dead trees [4,5,6]. For shade-intolerant species, radial growth data from living trees indicate that old trees tend to grow slower than young trees [3,7,8]; the generality of a trade-off between radial growth and lifespan has recently been questioned [9]. PLOS ONE | DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0150402 March 1, 2016
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