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Younger trees in the upper canopy are more sensitive but also more resilient to drought

Author

Listed:
  • Tsun Fung Au

    (Indiana University
    University of Michigan
    University of Michigan
    Indiana University)

  • Justin T. Maxwell

    (Indiana University)

  • Scott M. Robeson

    (Indiana University)

  • Jinbao Li

    (The University of Hong Kong)

  • Sacha M. O. Siani

    (Indiana University
    Indiana University)

  • Kimberly A. Novick

    (Indiana University)

  • Matthew P. Dannenberg

    (University of Iowa)

  • Richard P. Phillips

    (Indiana University)

  • Teng Li

    (Guangzhou University)

  • Zhenju Chen

    (Shenyang Agricultural University
    Chinese Academy of Sciences
    Chinese Academy of Sciences
    National Research Station of Changbai Forest Ecosystem)

  • Jonathan Lenoir

    (UMR CNRS 7058 ‘Ecologie et Dynamique des Systèmes Anthropisés’ (EDYSAN), Université de Picardie Jules Verne)

Abstract

As forest demographics are altered by the global decline of old trees and reforestation efforts, younger trees are expected to have an increasingly important influence on carbon sequestration and forest ecosystem functioning. However, the relative resilience of these younger trees to climate change stressors is poorly understood. Here we examine age-dependent drought sensitivity of over 20,000 individual trees across five continents and show that younger trees in the upper canopy layer have larger growth reductions during drought. Angiosperms show greater age differences than gymnosperms, and age-dependent sensitivity is more pronounced in humid climates compared with more arid regions. However, younger canopy-dominant trees also recover more quickly from drought. The future combination of increased drought events and an increased proportion of younger canopy-dominant trees suggests a larger adverse impact on carbon stocks in the short term, while the higher resilience of younger canopy-dominant trees could positively affect carbon stocks over time.

Suggested Citation

  • Tsun Fung Au & Justin T. Maxwell & Scott M. Robeson & Jinbao Li & Sacha M. O. Siani & Kimberly A. Novick & Matthew P. Dannenberg & Richard P. Phillips & Teng Li & Zhenju Chen & Jonathan Lenoir, 2022. "Younger trees in the upper canopy are more sensitive but also more resilient to drought," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 12(12), pages 1168-1174, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcli:v:12:y:2022:i:12:d:10.1038_s41558-022-01528-w
    DOI: 10.1038/s41558-022-01528-w
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    Cited by:

    1. Xianliang Zhang & Tim Rademacher & Hongyan Liu & Lu Wang & Rubén D. Manzanedo, 2023. "Fading regulation of diurnal temperature ranges on drought-induced growth loss for drought-tolerant tree species," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.

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