Increasing radial and latewood growth rates of Larix cajanderi Mayr. and Pinus sylvestris L. in the continuous permafrost zone in Central Yakutia (Russia)

• Published in: Annals of Forest Science
• Main Authors: Arzac, Alberto, Popkova, Margarita, Anarbekova, Altynai, Miguel Olano, José, Gutiérrez, Emilia, Nikolaev, Anatoly, Shishov, Vladimir
• Other Authors: Siberian Federal University (SibFU), Universidad de Valladolid Valladolid (UVa), Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, North-Eastern Federal University, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (SB RAS), Biologie intégrée pour la valorisation de la diversité des arbres et de la forêt (BioForA), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Office National des Forêts (ONF)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2019
• Subjects: General additive mixed models; Climate; Central Yakutia; Tree growth; Pointer years; SPEI; [SDE.MCG]Environmental Sciences/Global Changes; permafrost; Yakutia
• Online Access: https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-02620733; https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-02620733/document; https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-02620733/file/2019_Arzac_AFS_76_96_1.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-019-0881-4

International audience Key message Annual radial growth and latewood formation increase during the period 1966-2015 inLarix cajanderiMayr. andPinus sylvestrisL. along a latitudinal gradient on Siberian permafrost. Warmer temperatures and precipitation at the onset of the growth season favor growth in both species. Context A vast area of Siberian boreal forest is covered by continuous permafrost, where tree radial growth is strongly limited by low temperatures. Understanding how climate controls Siberian conifer growth is critical in order to predict their response to ongoing climate change. Aims To explore variations in the radial growth and earlywood/latewood formation of Pinus sylvestris L. and Larix cajanderi Mayr. trees along a climate gradient within the continuous permafrost zone in Central Yakutia (Russia), a region experiencing accelerated warming. Methods We evaluated spatiotemporal differences in tree-ring and latewood width among sites by using generalized additive mixed models. Pearson's correlations were used to analyze the effect of local climate (temperature, precipitation) and drought (SPEI) on the formation of earlywood and latewood. Results Both conifers showed increased radial growth in recent decades. Radial growth was controlled by temperature and precipitation in both species along the gradient, with earlier precipitation events being critical for the formation of wide rings. Conclusion Although temperature is considered as the main limiting factor triggering tree growth in the continuous permafrost zone, our results showed that water availability also plays a key role in radial tree growth even in the coldest sites.