Wang, Y.; Shu, S.; Wang, X.; Chen, W. Effect of Tree Size Heterogeneity on the Overall Growth Trend of Trees in Coniferous Forests of the Tibetan Plateau. Forests2023, 14, 1483.
Wang, Y.; Shu, S.; Wang, X.; Chen, W. Effect of Tree Size Heterogeneity on the Overall Growth Trend of Trees in Coniferous Forests of the Tibetan Plateau. Forests 2023, 14, 1483.
Wang, Y.; Shu, S.; Wang, X.; Chen, W. Effect of Tree Size Heterogeneity on the Overall Growth Trend of Trees in Coniferous Forests of the Tibetan Plateau. Forests2023, 14, 1483.
Wang, Y.; Shu, S.; Wang, X.; Chen, W. Effect of Tree Size Heterogeneity on the Overall Growth Trend of Trees in Coniferous Forests of the Tibetan Plateau. Forests 2023, 14, 1483.
Abstract
Tree growth is under the combined influence of abiotic and biotic factors. Trees with different sizes may respond differently to these factors, implying that tree heterogeneity in tree size may also modulate the overall growth trend. To test this hypothesis, we focused on the radial growth trends of natural subalpine forests on the Tibetan Plateau. We first extended the iterative growth model (IGM) to the tree-ring scale (IGMR) to test the applicability of the generalized metabolic growth theory to tree growth. As predicted by the IGMR, the radial growth of trees at the aggregate scale is constrained by a unimodal pattern. Using the IGMR, we reconstructed the historical best growth trajectory (HBGT) of trees within the same community based on the tree with the largest radius and/or longest age in the community. From the average difference between the HBGT and the current radial growth rate of trees with different sizes, we constructed an indicator that can measure the overall variation in tree radial growth. Based on this indicator, we found a negative effect of tree size heterogeneity on the overall variability of tree growth across elevations. Further analysis also revealed that the radial growth rate of trees on the Tibetan Plateau has increased significantly compared to the past, where growing season average temperature and annual minimum temperature were negatively and positively correlated with tree growth below and above the treeline, respectively. Our study not only confirmed that the overall variability of tree growth depends on tree size heterogeneity but also proposed an indicator that reveals net changes in tree radial growth rate relative to the past. These theoretical advances facilitate the understanding of changes in the extent of subalpine forests.
Keywords
tree radial growth; iterative growth model; Tibetan Plateau; coniferous forest; growth variability; tree size heterogeneity
Subject
Biology and Life Sciences, Forestry
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
