资源环境科技发展态势分析平台

Simulation and prediction of forest productivity in the context of climate change is more difficult in mixed forests than that in monocultures, because of spatial and species-specific differences in tree growth-climate relationships. A detailed study on species-specific tree growth-climate relationships and their spatial variability is thus essential. Here, we focus on a mixed forest at Changbai Mountain in semi-humid area bestriding the China-Korea border which has experienced rapid climate warming over the past 50 years. Three dominate tree species, one coniferous (Korean pine) and two broad-leaved species (Mongolian oak and Manchurian ash), were selected to analyze how climate warming has affected and will affect tree growth in 21st century along an elevational gradient. Our results showed enhanced growth after 1960s. This trend is predicted to continue until 2070, although elevation could modify the main patterns of climate responses observed among the different species. Compared with low or medium elevations, the correlation coefficient between tree radial growth and temperature was lower at higher sites, except in the case of Mongolian oak, in which there was a similar pattern at all three elevational levels. Korean pine at medium elevation and Machurian ash at the low elevation grew the fastest. Our work confirmed sensitivities of growth-temperature differ in species and across the elevational distribution. It contributes to the estimation of terrestrial carbon sink dynamics.