<p>Tree growth is extremely vulnerable to climate change, especially in semi-arid areas. Although the response of stem radial growth (SRG) to climate change has been extensively studied, the intra-annual regulatory mechanisms of SRG in trees with different water use strategies and life types remain poorly understood. This study calculated the SRG of four native species in the semi-arid area of the Loess Plateau, China, including two isohydric species (<i>Pinus tabuliformis</i> Carrière and <i>Populus</i> × <i>hopeiensis</i> Hu &amp; Chow) and two anisohydric species (<i>Prunus sibirica</i> L. and <i>Platycladus orientalis</i> (L.) Franco). The results revealed that the intra-annual SRG of all the four tree species exhibited a single peak, and greater SRG was found in anisohydric species. Principal component analysis and structural equation model revealed that atmospheric water, particularly relative humidity, was the main factor affecting the SRG of coniferous species (<i>P. tabuliformis</i> and <i>P. orientalis</i>), whereas the SRG was mainly affected by soil water content in broadleaf species (<i>P. sibirica</i> and <i>P.</i> × <i>hopeiensis</i>). These findings suggested that water use strategies and life types play important roles in SRG and environmental response of trees in semi-arid area. Considering the high climate sensitivity of wood formation in trees, our results highlight the importance of water use strategies and life types of trees in SRG prediction in the context of future climate change in arid and semi-arid areas.</p>

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Intra-annual stem radial growth of four plantation species with different water use strategies and life types on the Loess Plateau, China

  • Xindong Yang,
  • Yuxiao Xiang,
  • Muhammad Saddique Afzal,
  • Zhiguang Zhao,
  • Changming Zhao

摘要

Tree growth is extremely vulnerable to climate change, especially in semi-arid areas. Although the response of stem radial growth (SRG) to climate change has been extensively studied, the intra-annual regulatory mechanisms of SRG in trees with different water use strategies and life types remain poorly understood. This study calculated the SRG of four native species in the semi-arid area of the Loess Plateau, China, including two isohydric species (Pinus tabuliformis Carrière and Populus × hopeiensis Hu & Chow) and two anisohydric species (Prunus sibirica L. and Platycladus orientalis (L.) Franco). The results revealed that the intra-annual SRG of all the four tree species exhibited a single peak, and greater SRG was found in anisohydric species. Principal component analysis and structural equation model revealed that atmospheric water, particularly relative humidity, was the main factor affecting the SRG of coniferous species (P. tabuliformis and P. orientalis), whereas the SRG was mainly affected by soil water content in broadleaf species (P. sibirica and P. × hopeiensis). These findings suggested that water use strategies and life types play important roles in SRG and environmental response of trees in semi-arid area. Considering the high climate sensitivity of wood formation in trees, our results highlight the importance of water use strategies and life types of trees in SRG prediction in the context of future climate change in arid and semi-arid areas.