Increased water use efficiency does not prevent growth decline of Pinus canariensis in a semi-arid treeline ecotone in Tenerife, Canary Islands (Spain)

Key messageIntrinsic water use efficiency ofPinus canariensis(SweetexSpreng.) growing at a semi-arid treeline has increased during the past 37 years. Tree ring width by contrast has declined, likely caused by reduced stomatal conductance due to increasing aridity.ContextRising atmospheric CO2 concentration (Ca) has been related to tree growth enhancement accompanied by increasing intrinsic water use efficiency (iWUE). Nevertheless, the extent of rising Ca on long-term changes in iWUE and growth has remained poorly understood to date in Mediterranean treeline ecosystems.AimsThis study aimed to examine radial growth and physiological responses of P. canariensis in relation to rising Ca and increasing aridity at treeline in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain.MethodsWe evaluated temporal changes in secondary growth (tree ring width; TRW) and tree ring stable C isotope signature for assessing iWUE from 1975 through 2011.ResultsPrecipitation was the main factor controlling secondary growth. Over the last 36 years P. canariensis showed a decline in TRW at enhanced iWUE, likely caused by reduced stomatal conductance due to increasing aridity.ConclusionOur results indicate that increasing aridity has overridden the potential CO2 fertilization on tree growth of P. canariensis at its upper distribution limit.

• Publication year

  2016

• Venue

  Annals of Forest Science

• Publication date

  2016-06-07

• Fields of study

  Medicine, Environmental Science

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.1007/s13595-016-0562-5PMID 27482149PMCID PMC4961253
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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