Recent Warming-Induced Tree Growth Enhancement at the Tibetan Treeline and the Link to Improved Water-Use Efficiency

Tree growth in high-elevation forests may increase as a result of increasing temperatures and CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere (C-a). However, the pattern and the physiological mechanism on how these two factors interact to affect tree growth are still poorly understood. Here, we analyzed the temporal changes in radial growth and tree-ring delta C-13 for Picea and Abies trees growing in both treeline and lower-elevation forests on the Tibetan Plateau. We found that the tree growth at the treeline has significantly accelerated during the past several decades but has remained largely stable or slightly declined at lower elevations. Further results based on tree-ring delta C-13 suggest that intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) was generally higher at the treeline than in lower-elevation forests, although increasing trends of iWUE existed for all sites. This study demonstrated that the synergetic effects of elevated C-a and increasing temperatures have increased tree growth at the treeline but may not lead to enhanced tree growth in lower-elevation forests due to drought stress. These results demonstrate the elevational dependence of tree growth responses to climatic changes in high-elevation forests from a physiologically meaningful perspective.

Automated summary

The study showed that tree growth at the treeline has significantly accelerated in response to elevated CO2 concentrations and increasing temperatures, while remaining stable or slightly declining at lower elevations. Intrinsic water-use efficiency was found to be higher at the treeline, indicating a more sensitive response to climatic changes in high-elevation forests.