Reconstruction of disturbance history on Juniperus przewalskii forests in middle Qilian Mountains

doi:10.17521/cjpe.2024.0011

Abstract

Abstract:

Aims The reconstruction of regional disturbance history provides important information in understanding the health status of local forests and facilitating their management and protection. However, the history and regimes of disturbances in the Qilian Mountains remain poorly reported.

Methods In this study, we explored the disturbance history of Juniperus przewalskii, a dominant tree species on the sunny slope of the Qilian Mountains. Tree-ring cores were collected and the standard chronologies of tree-ring width from eight sites were established. We analyzed the correlation between climate factors and tree-ring index. By calculating the percentage growth change in each tree, we examined whether there had been tree-growth release or suppression, thereby identifying the historical course and spatial pattern of disturbances.

Important findings Winter air temperature and summer moisture conditions significantly affected the growth of the tree species. The reconstruction of disturbance history highlighted two major forest disturbance events that occurred during the 1930s and 1970s in our study area. These events were intimately linked to extreme cold winters and severe summer droughts, coinciding remarkably with the occurrence of El Niño. Both events showed spatial variability in disturbance, reflecting differences in resistance across forests. Our study results offer new perspectives in mitigating forest degradation and enhancing forest management in the future.

Key words: tree ring, growth release, growth suppression, extreme climate, Qilian Mountains

DONG Yun-Tao, JIA Heng-Feng, YANG Jing, LI Pei-Xuan, FANG Ou-Ya. Reconstruction of disturbance history on Juniperus przewalskii forests in middle Qilian Mountains[J]. Chin J Plant Ecol, 2024, 48(8): 967-976.

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URL: https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/10.17521/cjpe.2024.0011

https://www.plant-ecology.com/EN/Y2024/V48/I8/967

Figures/Tables 7

Table 1 Information of the eight Juniperus przewalskii tree-ring chronologies in Qilian Mountains

样点编号 Site ID	位置 Position	经度 Longitude (° E)	纬度 Latitude (° N)	海拔 Altitude (m)	定年样本量 Number of dated series	起止年 Period	年代长度 Time span (a)	平均序列长度 Mean length of series (a)	序列间相关系数 Series intercorrelation	平均敏感性 Average sensitivity	样本总体代表量 Express population signal (EPS)
YNG	野牛沟 Yeniugou	99.53	38.42	3 390	17	1772-2020	249	134.7	0.494	0.276	0.870
YHL	油葫芦 Youhulu	99.78	38.25	3 600	32	1500-2004	505	292.5	0.540	0.254	0.864
DG	东沟 Donggou	100.02	38.02	3 600	31	1630-2004	375	288.5	0.573	0.224	0.905
HZS	黄藏寺 Huangzangsi	100.25	38.26	3 340	34	1522-2020	499	234.0	0.447	0.248	0.859
AMDS	阿咪东索 Amidongsuo	100.25	38.07	3 353	19	1404-2017	614	390.7	0.452	0.210	0.854
DLD	大拉洞 Daladong	100.35	38.23	3 190	30	1268-2020	753	416.8	0.455	0.194	0.841
QYG	青阳沟 Qingyanggou	100.39	38.17	3 420	14	1758-2020	263	190.2	0.436	0.243	0.732
MZ	芒扎 Mangzha	100.73	38.21	2 950	30	1592-2020	429	107.5	0.472	0.275	0.880
QLB	-	-	-	-	207	1268-2020	753	259.1	0.430	0.230	0.971

Fig. 1 Distribution of tree-ring sampling sites and meteorological stations in the middle Qilian Mountains. Site ID see Table 1.

Fig. 2 Standardized tree-ring width chronologies of Juniperus przewalskii in Qilian Mountains. Num, the number of regional total sample cores; QLB, regional total tree-ring chronology; Sites, tree-ring chronologies of each sampling sites.

Fig. 3 Correlation of Juniperus przewalskii tree-ring chronologies with monthly mean air temperature (A), monthly precipitation (B), and monthly mean relative humidity (C) in Qilian Mountains. QLB, the regional total tree-ring chronology. Red indicates positive correlation, blue indicates negative correlation, the darker the color, the stronger the correlation. *, p < 0.05. “p” indicates the previous year, for example, “p9” indicates September of the previous year. Site ID see Table 1.

Fig. 4 Juniperus przewalskii disturbance history in Qilian Mountains. The dashed lines denote El Niño years. The legend indicates the percentage of growth-release trees, the higher the percentage, the stronger the intensity of the disturbance. Site ID see Table 1.

Fig. 5 Number of disturbance events in a 20-year window for the period 1908-1980. The dashed lines are El Niño years. Colored curves indicate the frequency of sampling sites disturbances, the black curve indicates the average of the frequency of sampling sites disturbances. Site ID see Table 1.

Fig. 6 Spatial distribution of Juniperus przewalskii disturbance levels in Qilian Mountains during the 1930s and 1970s disturbance events. A, Disturbance in 1930s. B, Disturbance in 1970s. Site ID see Table 1.

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