Elevation-dependent variations of tree growth and intrinsic water-use efficiency in Schrenk spruce (Picea schrenkiana) in the western Tianshan Mountains, China.

ABSTRACT: Rising atmospheric CO2 concentration (C a) is expected to accelerate tree growth by enhancing photosynthesis and increasing intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE). However, the extent of this effect on long-term iWUE and its interactions with climate remains unclear in trees along an elevation gradient. Therefore, we investigated the variation in the radial growth and iWUE of mature Picea schrenkiana trees located in the upper tree-line (A1: 2700 m a.s.l.), middle elevation (A2: 2400 m a.s.l.), and lower forest limit (A3: 2200 m a.s.l.), in relation to the rising C a and changing climate in the Wusun Mountains of northwestern China, based on the basal area increment (BAI) and tree-ring δ(13)C chronologies from 1960 to 2010. We used the CRU TS3.22 dataset to analyze the general response of t

SUBMITTER: Wu G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4422019 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature