Journal
FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT
Volume 384, Issue -, Pages 191-199Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2016.10.050
Keywords
Water stress; Conifer mortality; Lake Baikal Region; Drought; Aridity increase; Forest health
Categories
Funding
- Russian Science Fund (RNF) [14-24-00112]
- NASA's Terrestrial Ecology Program
- Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation [2.914.2014/K]
- Russian Science Foundation [14-24-00112] Funding Source: Russian Science Foundation
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Siberian pine (Pinus sibirica) and fir (Abies sibirica) (so called dark needle conifers, DNC) showed decreased radial growth increment within the Lake Baikal watershed since the 1980s with increasing mortality recorded since the year 2000. Tree ring width was strongly correlated with vapor pressure deficit, aridity and root zone moisture. Water stress from droughts made trees more susceptible to insect attacks causing mortality in about 10% of DNC stands within the Lake Baikal watershed. Within Siberia DNC mortality increased in the southern part of the DNC range. Biogeographically, tree mortality was located within the DNC - forest-steppes transition. Tree mortality was significantly correlated with drought and soil moisture anomalies. Within the interior of the DNC range mortality occurred within relief features with high water stress risk (i.e., steep convex south facing slopes with shallow well drained soils). In general, DNC mortality in Siberia was induced by increased aridity and severe drought (inciting factors) in synergy with biotic attacks (contributing factor). In future climate scenarios with predicted increase in aridity DNC could be eliminated from the southern part of its current range and will be replaced by drought-resistant conifers and broadleaf species (e.g., Larix sibirica, Pinus silvestris, and Betula pubescence). (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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