Abstract

GONZALEZ-TAGLE, Marco Aurelio; GONZALEZ-CASARES, Marcos; HIMMELSBACH, Wibke  and  GARATE-ESCAMILLA, Homero Alejandro. Differences in the response of dendrocronological indicators to climatic and topographic conditions. Rev. mex. de cienc. forestales [online]. 2024, vol.15, n.81, pp.59-82.  Epub May 13, 2024. ISSN 2007-1132.  https://doi.org/10.29298/rmcf.v15i81.1435.

Vegetation dynamics in forest ecosystems are commonly attributed to climatic factors. However, there is still limited knowledge on how topography influences the climatic sensitivity of forest species. The response of dendroecological indicators of Pinus arizonica to exposure and climatic variability was determined. Indices of ring width (RWI) and Basal area increments (BAI) were obtained. The correlation between RWI and monthly records of accumulated precipitation (PP) and mean temperatures (Tmax and Tmin) was calculated for three periods: 1990-2000 (B1), 2001-2011 (B2), and 2012-2021 (B3). Mann-Whitney and Kruskall-Wallis tests were performed to test for differences in BAI by exposure (northwest, NW and northeast, NE) and by time period, respectively. Tmax limited growth in all three periods, Tmin restricted it in B2 and PP favored it in B1 and B2. A higher BAI was detected in the NW exposure (224.7 mm2 yr-1) compared to the NE (143.9 mm2 yr-1). There was a significant increase in BAI in periods B2 (62.1 mm2 yr-1) and B3 (56.9 mm2 yr-1) compared to B1 (51.2 mm2 yr-1). This highlights the importance of considering topography when analyzing climate-growth associations of forest species. Considering the interaction of climatic factors and microclimates associated with site-specific topography generates an integrated view of ecological processes. This allows proposing better forest management strategies to mitigate the effects of Climate Change.

Keywords : Basal area increment; dendroecology; dplR; growth rings; topographic exposure; Pinus arizonica Engelm.

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