1
|
Liu P, Barr AG, Zha T, Black TA, Jassal RS, Nesic Z, Helgason WD, Jia X, Tian Y. Re-assessment of the climatic controls on the carbon and water fluxes of a boreal aspen forest over 1996-2016: Changing sensitivity to long-term climatic conditions. Glob Chang Biol 2022; 28:4605-4619. [PMID: 35474386 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that the relationships between climate and boreal tree growth are generally non-stationary; however, it remains uncertain whether the relationships between climate and carbon (C) fluxes of boreal forests are stationary or have changed over recent decades. In this study, we used continuous eddy-covariance and microclimate data over 21 years (1996-2016) from a 100-year-old trembling aspen stand in central Saskatchewan, Canada to assess the relationships between climate and ecosystem C and water fluxes. Over the study period, the most striking climatic event was a severe, 3-year drought (2001-2003). Gross ecosystem production (GEP) showed larger interannual variability than ecosystem respiration (Re ) over 1996-2016, but Re was the dominant component contributing to the interannual variation in net ecosystem production (NEP) during post-drought years. The interannual variations in evapotranspiration (ET) and C fluxes were primarily driven by temperature and secondarily by water availability. Two-factor linear models combining precipitation and temperature performed well in explaining the interannual variation in C and water fluxes (R2 > .5). The temperature sensitivities of all three C fluxes (NEP, GEP and Re ) declined over the study period (p < .05), and, as a result, the phenological controls on annual NEP weakened. The decreasing temperature sensitivity of the C fluxes may reflect changes in forest structure, related to the over-maturity of the aspen stand at 100 years of age, and exacerbated by high tree mortality following the severe 2001-2003 drought. These results may provide an early warning signal of driver shift or even an abrupt status shift of aspen forest dynamics. They may also imply a universal weakening in the relationship between temperature and GEP as forests become over-mature, associated with the structural and compositional changes that accompany forest ageing.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Peng Liu
- School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Alan G Barr
- Global Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Tianshan Zha
- School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - T Andrew Black
- Biometeorology and Soil Physics Group, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Rachhpal S Jassal
- Biometeorology and Soil Physics Group, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Zoran Nesic
- Biometeorology and Soil Physics Group, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Warren D Helgason
- Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Xin Jia
- School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Yun Tian
- School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| |
Collapse
|