Tree-ring-based seasonal temperature reconstructions and ecological implications of recent warming on oak forest health in the Zagros Mountains, Iran.

ABSTRACT: Abrupt changes in temperature have especially strong impacts on fragile ecosystems located in semi-arid regions. In this study, we analyzed tree-ring widths (TRW) of Mediterranean cypress (Cupressus sempervirens var. horizontalis) in the Zagros Mountains, Iran. Furthermore, we separately measured earlywood width (EWW) and latewood width (LWW) of Persian oak (Quercus brantii Lindl.) to examine if intra-annual resolution of tree-ring parameters of Q. brantii tree rings can be used as high-resolution paleoclimate proxies. Climate-growth relationships revealed that mean monthly maximum temperatures (Tmax) are a dominant factor determining radial tree growth and negatively affect both oak and cypress in the Zagros Mountains. Accordingly, we reconstructed two different seasonal windows of past T

SUBMITTER: Arsalani M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9684230 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature