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Tree-Ring Variation in Pinyon Predicts Likelihood of Death following Severe Drought
A severe drought in northern Arizona caused widespread pinyon (Pinus edulis) mortality, exceeding 40% in some populations. We measured tree-ring widths of pinyons that survived and that died in three sites designated as "high," "medium," and "low" stress. Growth charact...
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Published in: | Ecology (Durham) 2000-11, Vol.81 (11), p.3237-3243 |
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Main Authors: | , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that this one cites Items that cite this one |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | A severe drought in northern Arizona caused widespread pinyon (Pinus edulis) mortality, exceeding 40% in some populations. We measured tree-ring widths of pinyons that survived and that died in three sites designated as "high," "medium," and "low" stress. Growth characteristics during the previous 10-15 years can be used to predict the likelihood of drought-induced death; dead trees exhibited 1.5 times greater variation in growth than live trees. A model of ring-width deviations vs. drought severity showed a loss of "climatic sensitivity" with age in dead trees. These differences were independent of site. We found two distinct tree types that are predisposed to die during drought; highly sensitive young trees, and insensitive older trees. As the Southwest has a dynamic climate typified by severe droughts, it is important to understand how droughts act as bottleneck events to affect a dominant tree in a major vegetation type of the United States. |
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ISSN: | 0012-9658 1939-9170 |
DOI: | 10.1890/0012-9658(2000)081[3237:TRVIPP]2.0.CO;2 |