Johannes Edvardsson
Forskare
Exploring the impact of regional climate and local hydrology on Pinus sylvestris L. growth variability – A comparison between pine populations growing on peat soils and mineral soils in Lithuania
Författare
Summary, in Swedish
Aims: To compare growth variability of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) on different soil types, and to assess the potential of peat-soil pines for climatological and hydrological studies.
Methods: We used extensive dendrochronological anal- yses to investigate temporal and spatial responses of pines growing on peat soils and mineral soils in three regions of Lithuania.
Results: Significant correlations were observed be- tween tree populations growing on similar soil types in different geographical regions, whereas synchronicity was absent between neighbouring stands growing on different soil types. At mineral soils, tree growth was significantly correlated with winter and early summer temperatures, whereas a more complex response was detected in peat-soil trees, presumably reflecting a multi- annual synthesis of moisture variability and changing hydrology. Synchronous long-term peat soil tree-growth variations observed over large parts of the Baltics point to a possible regional hydrological forcing. Our results may therefore improve hydrological reconstructions using living and subfossil peat-soil trees, and could be of prime importance given the major influence peatland water-table fluctuations have on a range of environmental processes.
Conclusion: Results reveal that peat-soil pines are un- suitable for high-frequency climate reconstruction, but demonstrate their potential for the reconstruction of multi-annual to decadal hydrological fluctuations. Mineral-soil pines, by contrast, should be used for tem- perature reconstructions.
Methods: We used extensive dendrochronological anal- yses to investigate temporal and spatial responses of pines growing on peat soils and mineral soils in three regions of Lithuania.
Results: Significant correlations were observed be- tween tree populations growing on similar soil types in different geographical regions, whereas synchronicity was absent between neighbouring stands growing on different soil types. At mineral soils, tree growth was significantly correlated with winter and early summer temperatures, whereas a more complex response was detected in peat-soil trees, presumably reflecting a multi- annual synthesis of moisture variability and changing hydrology. Synchronous long-term peat soil tree-growth variations observed over large parts of the Baltics point to a possible regional hydrological forcing. Our results may therefore improve hydrological reconstructions using living and subfossil peat-soil trees, and could be of prime importance given the major influence peatland water-table fluctuations have on a range of environmental processes.
Conclusion: Results reveal that peat-soil pines are un- suitable for high-frequency climate reconstruction, but demonstrate their potential for the reconstruction of multi-annual to decadal hydrological fluctuations. Mineral-soil pines, by contrast, should be used for tem- perature reconstructions.
Publiceringsår
2015-04-15
Språk
Engelska
Sidor
345-356
Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie
Plant and Soil
Volym
392
Dokumenttyp
Artikel i tidskrift
Förlag
Springer
Ämne
- Climate Research
- Environmental Sciences
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt
- ISSN: 0032-079X