Rapid escalation and release of risks to forest ecosystems triggered by warming: Insights from tree growth synchrony in temperate forests
Tree growth synchrony serves as a valuable ecological indicator of forest resilience to climate stress and disturbances. However, our understanding of how increasing temperature affects tree growth synchrony during rapidly and slowly warming periods in ecosystems with varying climatic conditions rem...
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KeAi Communications Co., Ltd.
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Forest Ecosystems |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2197562025000454 |
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| author | Liangjun Zhu Danyang Yuan J. Julio Camarero David J. Cooper Mai-He Li Shuguang Liu Xiaochun Wang Paolo Cherubini |
| author_facet | Liangjun Zhu Danyang Yuan J. Julio Camarero David J. Cooper Mai-He Li Shuguang Liu Xiaochun Wang Paolo Cherubini |
| author_sort | Liangjun Zhu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Tree growth synchrony serves as a valuable ecological indicator of forest resilience to climate stress and disturbances. However, our understanding of how increasing temperature affects tree growth synchrony during rapidly and slowly warming periods in ecosystems with varying climatic conditions remains limited. By using tree-ring data from temperate broadleaf (Fraxinus mandshurica, Phellodendron amurense, Quercus mongolica, and Juglans mandshurica) and Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) mixed forests in northeast China, we investigated the effects of climate change, particularly warming, on the growth synchrony of five dominant temperate tree species across contrasting warm-dry and cool-wet climate conditions. Results show that temperature over water availability was the primary factor driving the growth and growth synchrony of the five species. Growth synchrony was significantly higher in warm-dry than in cool-wet areas, primarily due to more uniform climate conditions and higher climate sensitivity in the former. Rapid warming from the 1960s to the 1990s significantly enhanced tree growth synchrony in both areas, followed by a marked reversal as temperatures exceeded a certain threshold or warming slowed down, particularly in the warm-dry area. The growth synchrony variation patterns of the five species were highly consistent over time, although broadleaves exhibited higher synchrony than conifers, suggesting potential risks to forest resilience and stability under future climate change scenarios. Growing season temperatures and non-growing season temperatures and precipitation had a stronger positive effect on tree growth in the cool-wet area compared to the warm-dry area. High relative humidity hindered growth in the cool-wet area but enhanced it in the warm-dry area. Overall, our study highlights that the diversity and sensitivity of climate-growth relationships directly determine spatiotemporal growth synchrony. Temperature, along with water availability, shape long-term forest dynamics by affecting tree growth and synchrony. These results provide crucial insights for forest management practice to enhance structural diversity and resilience capacity against climate change-induced synchrony shifts. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2197-5620 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | KeAi Communications Co., Ltd. |
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| series | Forest Ecosystems |
| spelling | doaj-art-7e6036bbb9534e14952300cc6192d5ea2025-08-20T03:49:41ZengKeAi Communications Co., Ltd.Forest Ecosystems2197-56202025-08-011310033610.1016/j.fecs.2025.100336Rapid escalation and release of risks to forest ecosystems triggered by warming: Insights from tree growth synchrony in temperate forestsLiangjun Zhu0Danyang Yuan1J. Julio Camarero2David J. Cooper3Mai-He Li4Shuguang Liu5Xiaochun Wang6Paolo Cherubini7School of Ecology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China; Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland; College of Life and Environmental Science, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, ChinaSchool of Ecology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China; Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, SwitzerlandInstituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Avda. Montañana 1005, E-50192, Zaragoza, SpainDepartment of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USASwiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland; Key Laboratory of Geographical Processes and Ecological Security in Changbai Mountains, Ministry of Education, School of Geographical Sciences, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024, China; School of Life Science, Hebei University, Baoding 071000, ChinaCollege of Life and Environmental Science, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha 410004, China; School of Ecology, Hainan University, Haikou 570228, ChinaSchool of Ecology, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China; School of Life, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, China; Corresponding author. School of Ecology, Northeast Forestry University, 26 Hexing Road, Harbin 150040, China.Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, Birmensdorf, Switzerland; Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, 2004-2424 Main Mall, V6T 1Z4, Vancouver, BC, CanadaTree growth synchrony serves as a valuable ecological indicator of forest resilience to climate stress and disturbances. However, our understanding of how increasing temperature affects tree growth synchrony during rapidly and slowly warming periods in ecosystems with varying climatic conditions remains limited. By using tree-ring data from temperate broadleaf (Fraxinus mandshurica, Phellodendron amurense, Quercus mongolica, and Juglans mandshurica) and Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis) mixed forests in northeast China, we investigated the effects of climate change, particularly warming, on the growth synchrony of five dominant temperate tree species across contrasting warm-dry and cool-wet climate conditions. Results show that temperature over water availability was the primary factor driving the growth and growth synchrony of the five species. Growth synchrony was significantly higher in warm-dry than in cool-wet areas, primarily due to more uniform climate conditions and higher climate sensitivity in the former. Rapid warming from the 1960s to the 1990s significantly enhanced tree growth synchrony in both areas, followed by a marked reversal as temperatures exceeded a certain threshold or warming slowed down, particularly in the warm-dry area. The growth synchrony variation patterns of the five species were highly consistent over time, although broadleaves exhibited higher synchrony than conifers, suggesting potential risks to forest resilience and stability under future climate change scenarios. Growing season temperatures and non-growing season temperatures and precipitation had a stronger positive effect on tree growth in the cool-wet area compared to the warm-dry area. High relative humidity hindered growth in the cool-wet area but enhanced it in the warm-dry area. Overall, our study highlights that the diversity and sensitivity of climate-growth relationships directly determine spatiotemporal growth synchrony. Temperature, along with water availability, shape long-term forest dynamics by affecting tree growth and synchrony. These results provide crucial insights for forest management practice to enhance structural diversity and resilience capacity against climate change-induced synchrony shifts.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2197562025000454Tree ringsGrowth synchronyForest resilienceRapid warmingTemperate forestNortheast China |
| spellingShingle | Liangjun Zhu Danyang Yuan J. Julio Camarero David J. Cooper Mai-He Li Shuguang Liu Xiaochun Wang Paolo Cherubini Rapid escalation and release of risks to forest ecosystems triggered by warming: Insights from tree growth synchrony in temperate forests Forest Ecosystems Tree rings Growth synchrony Forest resilience Rapid warming Temperate forest Northeast China |
| title | Rapid escalation and release of risks to forest ecosystems triggered by warming: Insights from tree growth synchrony in temperate forests |
| title_full | Rapid escalation and release of risks to forest ecosystems triggered by warming: Insights from tree growth synchrony in temperate forests |
| title_fullStr | Rapid escalation and release of risks to forest ecosystems triggered by warming: Insights from tree growth synchrony in temperate forests |
| title_full_unstemmed | Rapid escalation and release of risks to forest ecosystems triggered by warming: Insights from tree growth synchrony in temperate forests |
| title_short | Rapid escalation and release of risks to forest ecosystems triggered by warming: Insights from tree growth synchrony in temperate forests |
| title_sort | rapid escalation and release of risks to forest ecosystems triggered by warming insights from tree growth synchrony in temperate forests |
| topic | Tree rings Growth synchrony Forest resilience Rapid warming Temperate forest Northeast China |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2197562025000454 |
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