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How tree species, tree size, and topographical location influenced tree transpiration in northern boreal forests during the historic 2018 drought.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Gutierrez Lopez, J; Tor-Ngern, P; Oren, R; Kozii, N; Laudon, H; Hasselquist, NJ
Published in: Global change biology
July 2021

Trees in northern latitude ecosystems are projected to experience increasing drought stress as a result of rising air temperatures and changes in precipitation patterns in northern latitude ecosystems. However, most drought-related studies on high-latitude boreal forests (>50°N) have been conducted in North America, with few studies quantifying the response in European and Eurasian boreal forests. Here, we tested how daily whole-tree transpiration (Q, Liters day-1 ) and Q normalized for mean daytime vapor pressure deficit (QDZ , Liters day-1 kPa-1 ) were affected by the historic 2018 drought in Europe. More specifically, we examined how tree species, size, and topographic position affected drought response in high-latitude mature boreal forest trees. We monitored 30 Pinus sylvestris (pine) and 30 Picea abies (spruce) trees distributed across a topographic gradient in northern Sweden. In general, pine showed a greater QDZ control compared to spruce during periods of severe drought (standardized precipitation-evapotranspiration index: SPEI < -1.5), suggesting that the latter are more sensitive to drought. Overall, QDZ reductions (using non-drought QDZ as reference) were less pronounced in larger trees during severe drought, but there was a species-specific pattern: QDZ reductions were greater in pine trees at high elevations and greater in spruce trees at lower elevations. Despite lower QDZ during severe drought, drought spells were interspersed with small precipitation events and overcast conditions, and QDZ returned to pre-drought conditions relatively quickly. This study highlights unique species-specific responses to drought, which are additionally driven by a codependent interaction among tree size, relative topographic position, and unique regional climate conditions.

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Published In

Global change biology

DOI

EISSN

1365-2486

ISSN

1354-1013

Publication Date

July 2021

Volume

27

Issue

13

Start / End Page

3066 / 3078

Related Subject Headings

  • Trees
  • Taiga
  • Sweden
  • Picea
  • North America
  • Forests
  • Europe
  • Ecosystem
  • Ecology
  • Droughts
 

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Gutierrez Lopez, J., Tor-Ngern, P., Oren, R., Kozii, N., Laudon, H., & Hasselquist, N. J. (2021). How tree species, tree size, and topographical location influenced tree transpiration in northern boreal forests during the historic 2018 drought. Global Change Biology, 27(13), 3066–3078. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15601
Gutierrez Lopez, Jose, Pantana Tor-Ngern, Ram Oren, Nataliia Kozii, Hjalmar Laudon, and Niles J. Hasselquist. “How tree species, tree size, and topographical location influenced tree transpiration in northern boreal forests during the historic 2018 drought.Global Change Biology 27, no. 13 (July 2021): 3066–78. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15601.
Gutierrez Lopez J, Tor-Ngern P, Oren R, Kozii N, Laudon H, Hasselquist NJ. How tree species, tree size, and topographical location influenced tree transpiration in northern boreal forests during the historic 2018 drought. Global change biology. 2021 Jul;27(13):3066–78.
Gutierrez Lopez, Jose, et al. “How tree species, tree size, and topographical location influenced tree transpiration in northern boreal forests during the historic 2018 drought.Global Change Biology, vol. 27, no. 13, July 2021, pp. 3066–78. Epmc, doi:10.1111/gcb.15601.
Gutierrez Lopez J, Tor-Ngern P, Oren R, Kozii N, Laudon H, Hasselquist NJ. How tree species, tree size, and topographical location influenced tree transpiration in northern boreal forests during the historic 2018 drought. Global change biology. 2021 Jul;27(13):3066–3078.
Journal cover image

Published In

Global change biology

DOI

EISSN

1365-2486

ISSN

1354-1013

Publication Date

July 2021

Volume

27

Issue

13

Start / End Page

3066 / 3078

Related Subject Headings

  • Trees
  • Taiga
  • Sweden
  • Picea
  • North America
  • Forests
  • Europe
  • Ecosystem
  • Ecology
  • Droughts