Climate-driven patterns of global tree longevity
Abstract Concerns about climate change-influenced tree growth declines and world tree mortality raise questions about potential reductions in tree longevity. However, the global influences of climate and growth patterns on tree longevity remain poorly understood. Here we analyzed 219,000 tree-ring w...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02609-2 |
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| _version_ | 1849761055983534080 |
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| author | Jiani Gao Keyan Fang Jing M. Chen Jinbao Li Sergio Rossi Deliang Chen Hans W. Linderholm Jesús Julio Camarero Jan Esper Nicole K. Davi Tsun Fung Au Zhengtang Guo |
| author_facet | Jiani Gao Keyan Fang Jing M. Chen Jinbao Li Sergio Rossi Deliang Chen Hans W. Linderholm Jesús Julio Camarero Jan Esper Nicole K. Davi Tsun Fung Au Zhengtang Guo |
| author_sort | Jiani Gao |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Concerns about climate change-influenced tree growth declines and world tree mortality raise questions about potential reductions in tree longevity. However, the global influences of climate and growth patterns on tree longevity remain poorly understood. Here we analyzed 219,000 tree-ring widths from 4880 globe sites, encompassing 246 species, to investigate tree longevity patterns. Gymnosperms exhibited significantly greater average longevity (366 ± 240 years) than angiosperms (216 ± 81 years), with the oldest individual exceeded 3000 years. Globally, gymnosperm longevity was negatively correlated with precipitation. Arid-adapted trees exhibited significantly higher longevity, likely due to their conservative growth strategy, characterized by slow growth rates and enhanced drought resilience. Trees in harsh environments defined by high altitude, nutrient-poor soils, and minimal human impact were more likely to attain greater longevity. These findings highlight the impact of climate change on tree longevity and the necessity for targeted conservation strategies to protect these vital ecosystem components. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-a8a6877768fe4e78acb1e40c01d33fb5 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2662-4435 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Earth & Environment |
| spelling | doaj-art-a8a6877768fe4e78acb1e40c01d33fb52025-08-20T03:06:09ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352025-07-01611910.1038/s43247-025-02609-2Climate-driven patterns of global tree longevityJiani Gao0Keyan Fang1Jing M. Chen2Jinbao Li3Sergio Rossi4Deliang Chen5Hans W. Linderholm6Jesús Julio Camarero7Jan Esper8Nicole K. Davi9Tsun Fung Au10Zhengtang Guo11Key Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Process (Ministry of Education), College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal UniversityKey Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Process (Ministry of Education), College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal UniversityKey Laboratory of Humid Subtropical Eco-Geographical Process (Ministry of Education), College of Geographical Sciences, Fujian Normal UniversityDepartment of Geography, The University of Hong KongLaboratoire sur les écosystèmes terrestres boréaux, Département des Sciences Fondamentales, Université du Québec à ChicoutimiDepartment of Earth System Science, Tsinghua UniversityRegional Climate Group, Department of Earth Sciences, University of GothenburgInstituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC)Department of Geography, Johannes Gutenberg UniversityTree Ring Laboratory, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia UniversityInstitute for Global Change Biology, University of MichiganInstitute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of SciencesAbstract Concerns about climate change-influenced tree growth declines and world tree mortality raise questions about potential reductions in tree longevity. However, the global influences of climate and growth patterns on tree longevity remain poorly understood. Here we analyzed 219,000 tree-ring widths from 4880 globe sites, encompassing 246 species, to investigate tree longevity patterns. Gymnosperms exhibited significantly greater average longevity (366 ± 240 years) than angiosperms (216 ± 81 years), with the oldest individual exceeded 3000 years. Globally, gymnosperm longevity was negatively correlated with precipitation. Arid-adapted trees exhibited significantly higher longevity, likely due to their conservative growth strategy, characterized by slow growth rates and enhanced drought resilience. Trees in harsh environments defined by high altitude, nutrient-poor soils, and minimal human impact were more likely to attain greater longevity. These findings highlight the impact of climate change on tree longevity and the necessity for targeted conservation strategies to protect these vital ecosystem components.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02609-2 |
| spellingShingle | Jiani Gao Keyan Fang Jing M. Chen Jinbao Li Sergio Rossi Deliang Chen Hans W. Linderholm Jesús Julio Camarero Jan Esper Nicole K. Davi Tsun Fung Au Zhengtang Guo Climate-driven patterns of global tree longevity Communications Earth & Environment |
| title | Climate-driven patterns of global tree longevity |
| title_full | Climate-driven patterns of global tree longevity |
| title_fullStr | Climate-driven patterns of global tree longevity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Climate-driven patterns of global tree longevity |
| title_short | Climate-driven patterns of global tree longevity |
| title_sort | climate driven patterns of global tree longevity |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02609-2 |
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