Subfossil bald cypress trees suggest localized, enduring effects of major climatic episodes on the Southeast Atlantic Coast of the United States

ABSTRACT: Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) is the longest-lived tree species in Eastern North America, but coastal cypress forests are vulnerable to a range of environmental factors [D. W. Stahle et al., Q. Sci. Rev. 34, 1-15 (2012)]. Here, we present analyses of bald cypress trees from a subfossil deposit at the mouth of the Altamaha River on the Georgia Coast, United States. Shifts in tree lifespans and growth rates correspond temporally to the onset of the Vandal Minimum environmental downturn, c. 500 CE. Trees that sprouted after c. 500 CE had significantly shorter lifespans on average (<200 y) than those that sprouted before this point in time (>470 y). Trees sprouting after c. 500 CE also grew significantly faster than those that sprouted before this point. Bald cy

SUBMITTER: Napora KG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12184491 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature