Warming-induced phenological mismatch between trees and shrubs explains high-elevation forest expansion
Li, Xiaoxia (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research)
Liang, Eryuan (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research)
Camarero, Jesús Julio (Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología)
Rossi, Sergio (Université du Québec à Chicoutimi)
Zhang, Jingtian (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research)
Zhu, Haifeng (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research)
Fu, Yongshuo H.. (Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología)
Sun, Jian (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research)
Wang, Tao (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research)
Piao, Shilong (Chinese Academy of Sciences. Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research)
Peñuelas, Josep (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)

Date:	2023
Abstract:	Despite the importance of species interaction in modulating the range shifts of plants, little is known about the responses of coexisting life forms to a warmer climate. Here, we combine long-term monitoring of cambial phenology in sympatric trees and shrubs at two treelines of the Tibetan Plateau, with a meta-analysis of ring-width series from 344 shrubs and 575 trees paired across 11 alpine treelines in the Northern Hemisphere. Under a spring warming of +1°C, xylem resumption advances by 2-4 days in trees, but delays by 3-8 days in shrubs. The divergent phenological response to warming was due to shrubs being 3. 2 times more sensitive than trees to chilling accumulation. Warmer winters increased the thermal requirement for cambial reactivation in shrubs, leading to a delayed response to warmer springs. Our meta-analysis confirmed such a mechanism across continental scales. The warming-induced phenological mismatch may give a competitive advantage to trees over shrubs, which would provide a new explanation for increasing alpine treeline shifts under the context of climate change. Under warmer springs at the alpine treeline, growth reactivation is advanced in trees, but delayed in shrubs. This phenological mismatch creates a competitive edge for trees and offers a novel explanation for the dynamics of alpine treeline in the face of climate change.
Grants:	Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad CGL2015-69186-C2-1-R Agència de Gestió d'Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca 2021/SGR-1333 Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación TED2021-132627B-I00
Rights:	Aquest document està subjecte a una llicència d'ús Creative Commons. Es permet la reproducció total o parcial, la distribució, la comunicació pública de l'obra i la creació d'obres derivades, fins i tot amb finalitats comercials, sempre i quan es reconegui l'autoria de l'obra original.
Language:	Anglès
Document:	Article ; recerca ; Versió publicada
Subject:	Chilling ; Climate warming ; Forcing ; Treeline shift ; Xylogenesis
Published in:	National science review, Vol. 10, Issue 10 (October 2023) , art. nwad182, ISSN 2053-714X

DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwad182
PMID: 37671321

10 p, 846.3 KB

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Research literature > UAB research groups literature > Research Centres and Groups (research output) > Experimental sciences > CREAF (Centre de Recerca Ecològica i d'Aplicacions Forestals)
Articles > Research articles
Articles > Published articles