Arid Zone Research ›› 2019, Vol. 36 ›› Issue (3): 723-733.

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Radial Growth of Trees in Response to Climatic Factors in the Altay Mountains, South of Kazakhstan

LIU Rui1, 2, 3, WANG Yong-hui1, JIANG Sheng-xia2, 3, ZHANG Rui-bo2, 3, QIN Li2, 3, Bulkajyr T. Mambetov4, Nurzhan Kelgenbayev4, Daniyar Dosmanbetov4, Bagila Maisupova4, ZHANG Tong-wen 2, 3   

  1. 1. College of Geographical Science and Tourism,Xinjiang Normal University,Urumqi 830054,Xinjiang,China; 2. Institute of Desert Meteorology,China Meteorological Administration,Urumqi 830002,Xinjiang,China; 3. Key Laboratory of Tree-ring Physicochemical Research of China Meteorological Administration,Urumqi 830002,Xinjiang,China; 4. Almaty Institute of Forestry,Kazakhstan Ministry of Agriculture,Alma-Ata 050050,Kazakhstan

  • Received:2018-07-26 Revised:2019-01-03 Online:2019-05-15 Published:2019-05-15

Abstract:

The response of the radial growth of two tree species to climatic factors before and after a sudden rise of regional temperature in 1988 was analyzed based on the research of Picea obovata and Larix sibirica on the southern slope of the Altay Mountains in Kazakhstan. The results showed that there was a good correlation between the two standardized chronologies of the two tree species, and also a high consistency with the stage of low-frequency change and a high reliability of chronological series change. The GLK values of the two chronologies were high, which indicated that their radial growth was consistent. The radial growth of P. obovata and L. sibirica was faster at their young forest age but slower from the middle forest age to the mature forest age in the study area. The variation trend of tree-ring width index of these two tree species was consistent before and after the sudden rise of temperature. Before the sudden rise of temperature, the tree-ring width index of these two tree species increased unsignificantly with a slow decrease of precipitation and a slow increase of temperature. However, after the sudden rise of temperature, the tree-ring width index of P. obovata and L. sibirica was in a significant decline trend with the slow increase of annual precipitation and annual average temperature. This showed that there was a negative impact of climate change on the growth of trees, and the growth of these two tree species might be slowed down after the sudden rise of temperature. Under global warming, the radial growth of P. obovata and L. sibirica was mainly restricted by temperature, and the influence of precipitation was relatively low. The response of L. sibirica to temperature was slightly stronger than that of P. obovata. Holistically, there was a unsignificant difference in response of the radial growth of these two tree species to climate change. The response of the growth of these two tree species to climatic factors before and after the sudden rise of regional temperature in 1988 was analyzed. The results showed that, during the period from 1960 and 1988, there was a significant negative response of tree-ring width of L. sibirica to the precipitation in May that year, and to the temperature in August last year. There was a significant positive correlation between the radial growth of P. obovata and the precipitation in July of that year, but a significant negative correlation between it and the temperature in August last year. During the period from 1989 to 2016, the response of L. sibirica to the precipitation in May was no longer significant. Instead, there was a significant negative correlation between the growth of L. sibirica and the temperature in May of that year and in August last year. There was a weaker positive correlation and a higher negative correlation between the growth of this tree species and the temperature in growth season, or a change from positive correlation to negative correlation. The significant correlation between the radial growth of P. obovata and the precipitation disappeared. Instead, a negative correlation with temperature strengened, especially in August and October last year. The results showed that the positive response of the tree-ring width of P. obovata and L. sibirica to precipitation decreased but the negative response to temperature increased after the sudden rise of temperature. The response of the radial growth of P. obovata and L. sibirica to climatic factors might different after the sudden rise of temperature.

Key words: Altay Mountains, Picea obovata, Larix sibirica, tree-ring width, radial growth, response, Kazakhstan