Climatic influences on annual and intra-annual xylem anatomical traits of four coniferous tree species in the central Hengduan Mountains, Southwest China
Zhang JM, Zaw Z, Fu PL, Panthi S, Dema J, Xu TL, Zhang H, Bräuning A, Fan ZX (2025)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2025
Journal
Book Volume: 94
Article Number: 126401
DOI: 10.1016/j.dendro.2025.126401
Abstract
Quantitative wood anatomy (QWA) provides valuable insights into the mechanisms underlying the responses of tree physiological processes to climate. Yet, the influence of climatic factors on the wood anatomical traits of coniferous tree species in the Hengduan Mountains remains poorly understood. This study investigated xylem anatomical traits (cell wall thickness, CWT; lumen area, LA) in four dominant coniferous species (Abies georgei, Larix potaninii var. macrocarpa, Picea brachytyla, and Pinus densata) from the subalpine forests of the central Hengduan Mountains. Using standard QWA protocols, we established chronologies for CWT and LA at both annual and intra-annual scales. Correlation analyses revealed that these xylem anatomical traits are significantly influenced by temperature and moisture conditions during early-to-peak growing season. Specifically, CWT is primarily constrained by low temperatures, while LA is limited by water availability. Responses of anatomical traits to climate factors exhibit multi-decadal scale instability, with LA showing increasing sensitivity to moisture variations in recent decades, likely associated with intensified drought stress under a warming climate. Furthermore, xylem anatomical responses to climate factors varied among the four species. CWT showed the strongest climatic sensitivity in A. georgei, LA responses were most prominent in A. georgei and P. densata, while both traits responded weakly in L. potaninii and P. brachytyla, reflecting their divergent adaptive strategies to habitat heterogeneity.
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APA:
Zhang, J.M., Zaw, Z., Fu, P.L., Panthi, S., Dema, J., Xu, T.L.,... Fan, Z.X. (2025). Climatic influences on annual and intra-annual xylem anatomical traits of four coniferous tree species in the central Hengduan Mountains, Southwest China. Dendrochronologia, 94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dendro.2025.126401
MLA:
Zhang, Ju Mei, et al. "Climatic influences on annual and intra-annual xylem anatomical traits of four coniferous tree species in the central Hengduan Mountains, Southwest China." Dendrochronologia 94 (2025).
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