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The role of summer precipitation and summer temperature in establishment and growth of dwarf shrub Betula nana in northeast Siberian tundra

Li, Bingxi ; Heijmans, Monique M. P. D. ; Berendse, Frank ; Blok, Daan LU ; Maximov, Trofim and Sass-Klaassen, Ute (2016) In Polar Biology 39(7). p.1245-1255
Abstract
It is widely believed that deciduous tundra-shrub dominance is increasing in the pan-Arctic region, mainly due to rising temperature. We sampled dwarf birch (Betula nana L.) at a northeastern Siberian tundra site and used dendrochronological methods to explore the relationship between climatic variables and local shrub dominance. We found that establishment of shrub ramets was positively related to summer precipitation, which implies that the current high dominance of B. nana at our study site could be related to high summer precipitation in the period from 1960 to 1990. The results confirmed that early summer temperature is most influential to annual growth rates of B. nana. In addition, summer precipitation stimulated shrub growth in... (More)
It is widely believed that deciduous tundra-shrub dominance is increasing in the pan-Arctic region, mainly due to rising temperature. We sampled dwarf birch (Betula nana L.) at a northeastern Siberian tundra site and used dendrochronological methods to explore the relationship between climatic variables and local shrub dominance. We found that establishment of shrub ramets was positively related to summer precipitation, which implies that the current high dominance of B. nana at our study site could be related to high summer precipitation in the period from 1960 to 1990. The results confirmed that early summer temperature is most influential to annual growth rates of B. nana. In addition, summer precipitation stimulated shrub growth in years with warm summers, suggesting that B. nana growth may be co-limited by summer moisture supply. The dual controlling role of temperature and summer precipitation on B. nana growth and establishment is important to predict future climate-driven vegetation dynamics in the Arctic tundra. (Less)
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publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Polar Biology
volume
39
issue
7
pages
11 pages
publisher
Springer
external identifiers
  • scopus:84949560417
ISSN
1432-2056
DOI
10.1007/s00300-015-1847-0
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
7da69ff6-7bc7-4989-932a-9530ff5bf423
date added to LUP
2016-08-25 23:03:21
date last changed
2022-04-08 22:48:18
@article{7da69ff6-7bc7-4989-932a-9530ff5bf423,
  abstract     = {{It is widely believed that deciduous tundra-shrub dominance is increasing in the pan-Arctic region, mainly due to rising temperature. We sampled dwarf birch (Betula nana L.) at a northeastern Siberian tundra site and used dendrochronological methods to explore the relationship between climatic variables and local shrub dominance. We found that establishment of shrub ramets was positively related to summer precipitation, which implies that the current high dominance of B. nana at our study site could be related to high summer precipitation in the period from 1960 to 1990. The results confirmed that early summer temperature is most influential to annual growth rates of B. nana. In addition, summer precipitation stimulated shrub growth in years with warm summers, suggesting that B. nana growth may be co-limited by summer moisture supply. The dual controlling role of temperature and summer precipitation on B. nana growth and establishment is important to predict future climate-driven vegetation dynamics in the Arctic tundra.}},
  author       = {{Li, Bingxi and Heijmans, Monique M. P. D. and Berendse, Frank and Blok, Daan and Maximov, Trofim and Sass-Klaassen, Ute}},
  issn         = {{1432-2056}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{7}},
  pages        = {{1245--1255}},
  publisher    = {{Springer}},
  series       = {{Polar Biology}},
  title        = {{The role of summer precipitation and summer temperature in establishment and growth of dwarf shrub Betula nana in northeast Siberian tundra}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00300-015-1847-0}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s00300-015-1847-0}},
  volume       = {{39}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}